John Hearns wrote:
I propose a new hypothesis, that of Conservation of
Folding. Every time there is a fold, there must be
a corresponding unfold elsewhere, to keep the total
Folding Number (Nf)of the universe conserved.

A specific case is the purchase of a new folder by a
New Zealand cyclist, who is currently in a contra-fold cycle
to our recent correspondent [1]

The proof of this hypothesis is a proof by contradiction.
Should Nf not be overall conserved then BAD THINGS would happen.

Further discussion on this subject is invited.


[1] Just Zis Guy, May 2005, uk.rec.cycling



While perhaps true on average there is also the Uncertainty Principle
which says that if you know the precise number of folding bikes you
cannot know how many are folded and vice versa. This uncertainty
principle is important as it allows the Conservation Law to be broken
for brief periods of time. This means that statistical fluctuations
such as are currently occuring in Reading can be accomodated provided
the bike is refolded shortly after unfolding, thus avoiding the need for
cylists all over the world to take an equal and opposite response to
fold...unfold...fold...unfold or risk a tear in the space-time continuum.

There is of course the view of Brompton Mechanics that says a folding
bike is in a state of being both folded and unfolded at the same time
and it is only the act of observing the bicycle that forces it into one
state or the other. Recent experiments have supported this view and
demonstrated teleportation of a folding bicycle using "Brompton
entanglement". In the experiment Bromptons were observed to
spontaneously disappear from the streets of London, rematerialising in
Brick Lane Market a few days later.

--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)