# Anyone else do the math on Foxtrot today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2009, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608 "2009-04-19T10:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/1 "2009-04-19T10:17:32Z")
Because I just finished it. Though, to admit, I did the math alphabetically until I got some clues and then solved to the problem instead of doing all the work. Call me a cheater. ---
**Author:** ![Grasshopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@Grasshopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grasshopper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/2 "2009-04-19T10:38:44Z")
I did! Took me several minutes. I did the same thing as you, though it took me awhile to have any clue what the puzzle was. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/3 "2009-04-19T10:47:45Z")
I did the first 3 letters. realized it was an insult to paige and got bored. So I am guessing it says Paige is XXXX or Paige Foxx is XXXX ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/4 "2009-04-19T10:52:52Z")
I did the first one, decided it was A, looked at the location of A, decided it said Paige something, got bored, did half the other problems just for the fact they were problems, didn’t bother to answer it. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/5 "2009-04-19T11:39:29Z")
A mathematical puzzle presented in a cartoon strip ( [FoxTrot by Bill Amend for April 19, 2009 - GoComics](http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2009/04/19) ) is what they’re talking about, in case you’re wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/6 "2009-04-19T11:52:33Z")
[deleted] (decided it would be bad form to give the answer) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/7 "2009-04-19T11:53:53Z")
Didn’t have to solve it - if you have the comments turned on at gocomics, the answer is right there. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/8 "2009-04-19T12:54:56Z")
I didn’t have to solve it because the answer to the puzzle was obvious. There was absolutely no way it was anything but some variant on ‘Paige is bad at math’. (Spoilered for people too focused on the math to recognize the joke.) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/9 "2009-04-19T23:52:42Z")
I skipped the trig ones (lazy) and the ones that looked like they had “x” in the answer. Then I substituted enough letters to extrapolate the answer. I always work Foxtrot math. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/10 "2009-04-20T15:21:18Z")
I did enough to work the answer. I’m hazy at integrals and trig, and on one of them, I didn’t recognize the notation. k = |-26| Now that I think about it, is that asking for the absolute value of -26? I.e., 26? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/11 "2009-04-20T15:40:37Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I did enough to work the answer. I’m hazy at integrals and trig, and on one of them, I didn’t recognize the notation. > > k = |-26| > > Now that I think about it, is that asking for the absolute value of -26? I.e., 26? Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/12 "2009-04-20T15:53:20Z")
I’m disappointed that 4! wasn’t used. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/13 "2009-04-20T16:26:13Z")
I did the math when I read it today, then when I was done, I opened up MPSIMS to find this thread. I didn’t have to work too hard to figure it out. I’m such a gEEk, ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/14 "2009-04-20T17:09:44Z")
The math was pretty simple. I guessed what the answer was and just did the math to confirm what the letter was. ---
**Author:** ![kapntoad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@kapntoad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapntoad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/15 "2009-04-20T18:56:47Z")
I misread the 8 as a 9. Didn’t get the joke; the compliment didn’t fit the context. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/16 "2009-04-20T19:29:39Z")
This is one of those things Google can solve quickly: 16 - 11 - 13 - 5 - 10 - 2 - 15 - 18 - 13 - 23 - 8 - 11 - 17 - 11 - 12 - 22 - 11 - 12 - 19 = -217 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_Tightlips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Joey\_Tightlips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_Tightlips)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/17 "2009-04-20T19:30:01Z")
Anyone do [the Sudoku one](http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2006/10/15/)a while back? I remember figuring them all out then working the Sudoku puzzle to find it had two solutions!! I was very dissapointed in Bill for publishing a flawed puzzle, but later realized I had one of the clues wrong. _smack_ ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/18 "2009-04-20T19:48:52Z")
Am I reading it wrong, or does Z require you to divide by zero? I don’t think I can do that. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/19 "2009-04-20T20:03:20Z")
Those are dots (meaning multiplications), not minus signs, **Gorsnak**. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608/20 "2009-04-20T20:03:47Z")
If you need some more comic based puzzles, Order of the Stick had a short series starting at [strip 247](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0247.html) through about 269 where one of the characters was injured and speaking in cryptoquote. I think there was another section of story as well, but I can’t locate it right now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-do-the-math-on-foxtrot-today/493608.md?page=2)