At age 56 Mom went for her college degree and I admired that. But algebra eluded her, so I offered tutelage. "I don't understand. What is X? What is Y?" she demanded. "Just placeholders," I said, "for the unknowns. We could call them cat and dog; it doesn't matter." She was listening. I pressed on. "Here's an easy one: two equations, two unknowns. So first we get Y in terms of X from here, substitute there, and now we know X, and we know Y. See?" She watched me closely, thoughtful. Then she spoke. "Did I buy you that shirt?"
Ian Owens is a self-employed engineer who writes for the fun of it, mostly about self-propelled travel and Vikings. His first book, called "Riding the Big One," has both. Find Ian at ianowens.com.