Random Thought #99

Did you ever wonder why we use the letter 'X' to represent the unknown or some kind of variable? Of course not. We tried to forget about algebra and quadratic equations as soon as we passed the class. Well I personally have never wondered about this (I suppose it would have been a matter of time) but this guy did and this short little history lesson about how 'X' came to represent the unknown is quite fascinating and is yet another example of learning something from expanding your horizons. There is much we didn't invent and borrowed from another place and another time. I'll give you a hint.....it originates in the Middle East. Enjoy!! http://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_why_is_x_the_unknown.html