November 8, 2004
Problem of the Week

Tom Swifties

A Tom Swifty is a sentence ending in an adverb that tells how or when Tom said something and applies to the meaning of his statement. Tom Swifties take their name from Tom Swift, a boy's adventure hero created by the prolific American writer Edward L. Stratemeyer. Under the pseudonym Victor Appleton, he published a series of books featuring the young Tom Swift. Tom Swift rarely passed a remark without a qualifying adverb.

In a true Tom Swifty, it is an adverb (word specifying the mode of action of the verb) that provides the pun, as in the following examples:

"My investments are worth more every day," said Tom appreciatively.

"I presented my case to the judge," Tom said briefly.

"I've joined the navy," Tom said fleetingly.

"This is the most common language used on micros," said Tom basically.

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But frequently the pun occurs in the verb, and there may not be an adverb at all. Strictly speaking such puns are not Tom Swifties, but they are generally included in the term. Here are some examples:

"My garden needs another layer of mulch," Tom repeated.

"You must be my host," Tom guessed.

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In this week's Problem of the Week, you must complete the following MATHEMATICAL Tom Swifties. The first letter of each word has been given to you. The last two letters are given to you, indicating whether it is an adverb (-ly) or a verb (-ed).

1. "6 is a special number," Tom said p____________ly.
2. "Remove the braces," remarked Tom p____________ly.
3. "Square root of 2 is not equal to a/b," noted Tom i____________ly.
4. "1/2 is a fraction," said Tom p____________ly.
5. "It just touches," noted Tom t____________ly.
6. "1, 3, 5, 7," Tom said o____________ly.
7. "It's a plane figure," Tom said f____________ly.
8. "Add this list of n numbers and divide the sum by n," said Tom m____________ly.
9. "3.1415926" Tom enumerated p____________ly.
10. "F=MA," Tom said f____________ly.
11. "They are mirror images," r____________ed Tom.
12. "This is a function," r____________ed Tom.
13. "b²-4ac = 0," Tom said d____________ly.
14. "It must be a triangle or a quadrilateral," f____________ed Tom.
15. "Proofs are necessary," r____________ed Tom.

Click here for more examples of Tom Swifties

Click here for examples of mathematical Tom Swifties sent in by Keith Mealy, Dave Smith, John Funk, Samuel Coffin, Tyler Windham, Emily Auerbach, and Cameron S.

Solution to the Problem:

1. "6 is a special number," Tom said perfectly.
   6 is a perfect number because it equals the sum of its proper divisors. 28 and 496 are the next two perfect numbers.
2. "Remove the braces," remarked Tom parenthetically.
   Braces perform the same task as parentheses.
3. "Square root of 2 is not equal to a/b," noted Tom irrationally.
   Square root of 2 is an irrational number.
4. "1/2 is a fraction," said Tom properly. (or partially or proportionally)
   1/2 is a proper fraction.
5. "It just touches," noted Tom tangentially.
   Tangent lines touch in just one point.
6. "1, 3, 5, 7," Tom said oddly.
   1, 3, 5, 7, are odd numbers.
7. "It's a plane figure," Tom said flatly.
   Plane figures are flat.
8. "Add this list of n numbers and divide the sum by n," said Tom meanly.
   The mean of a set of numbers is their sum divided by the number of items.
9. "3.1415926" Tom enumerated piously.
   Pi is approximately 3.14159...
10. "F=MA," Tom said forcefully.
    Force equals mass times acceleration.
11. "They are mirror images," reflected Tom.
    The reflection property is a mirror image.
12. "This is a function," related Tom.
    A function is a special type of relation.
13. "b²-4ac = 0," Tom said discriminantly.
    "b²-4ac = 0 is the value of the discriminant.
14. "It must be a triangle or a quadrilateral," figured Tom.
    Triangles and Quadrilaterals are figures.
15. "Proofs are necessary," reasoned Tom. (or resolved or required)
    Proofs involve reasoning.

Correctly solved by:

1. John Funk	Ventura, California
2. Keith Mealy	Cincinnati, Ohio
3. Jeffrey Gaither	Winchester, Virginia
4. Sharina Broughton	Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
5. Walt Arrison	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6. Dave Smith	Toledo, Ohio
7. Cameron S.	Columbus, Georgia
8. Leland Fay	Columbus, Georgia
9. Enrique Pittaluga	Winchester, Virginia
10. Henry Woodward	Columbus, Georgia
11. David Amos	Winchester, Virginia
12. Lane White	Columbus, Georgia
13. Michael Henley	----------
14. BeCkiscool@aol.com	Columbus, Georgia
15. Jeanette Crawford	----------
16. Libba Richardson	----------
17. Tyler Windham	Columbus, Georgia
18. Samuel Coffin	Columbus, Georgia
19. Sharayah Davis	Columbus, Georgia
20. Crystal Church	Columbus, Georgia
21. Emily Auerbach	Columbus, Georgia

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher