On writing to a geology professor, Stephen Nelson

• Center for Perfection Studies • The Big Board–Little Universe Project • New Orleans • USA •

In preparation to teach the high school geometry class (December 19, 2011) that became a starting point for the “Big Board – little universe  Project,” Bruce Camber wrote to a local professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences, to ask about real-world applications of a octahedral-tetrahedral configuration within nature. Although there was no exchange, the letter is interesting because it was within this most-formative time period.

First email: Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 9:28 PM

Dear Prof. Dr. Stephen Nelson:

Using Google, entering phyllosilicates or TOT Layer your page comes up as #1:
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/phyllosilicates.htm

I thought, “How fortunate.”  But then I thought perhaps Google was returning pages of people nearby. I am up in River Ridge and on Monday, next week, I will be substituting for a family member for his five geometry classes at John Curtis Christian School.  We will be reviewing the five solids by Plato and it would be helpful for the kids to see a natural sample of a TOT layer.

Then, I thought, it is probably all in the micron range beyond discernment by the naked eye. I am not sure what kind of microscopes are available at the school.

Notwithstanding, we’ll try to reconstruct with plastic tetrahedrons and octahedrons what we see there in your first three illustrations from that page referenced above. Then, in my handout, I’ll also be pointing the kids to your page on the web.

I have many questions yet I know you are busy, I’ll try my darnest to get the Klein and Hurlbut’s Manual of Mineralogy, yet if I run into trouble, may I send you a few YES/NO questions?

Thank you for your work.  It is clear, concise and quite informative.

Warmly,

-Bruce

Skype:  Bruce.Camber
Bruce Camber, CEO, Executive Producer
(clearly over my head teaching that geometry course!)
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