Next to nothing...

Posted by Pamela on April 05, 2007

In Reply to: Next to nothing... posted by Gary Martin on March 31, 2007

: : : next to nothing...

: : Well, there's "nothing". And then the next thing up from that is "next to nothing", i.e. almost nothing.
: : )VSD)

: In mathematics, the notion of something which is not zero, but is the next thing to it, is an important enough concept to have its own jargon term. Such conceptual items are called 'vanishingly small'.

I just came accross another phrases "vanishingly rare" in today's (5th April, 2007) Sydney Morning Herald: "But MNGIE, a genetic disorder that raises blood levels of the enzymes thymidine and deoxyuridine until they overwhelm healthy tissue, is vanishingly rare. First described in 1987 and not fully characterised until 1999, fewer than 150 people worldwide have ever been diagnosed with the syndrome" "Fight against the unknown" Julie Robotham reports. pamela

• Next to nothing... pamela 05/April/07