Dialogue with an old-fashioned formula Giorgio Pietrocola October, 2021 Publisher When my colleagues told me about this rather unusual ap- pointment I imagined they were joking, so I’m truly surprised by your pres- ence today. Tell me, who are you and what exactly do you want from our publishing house? Formula Good morning, sir. As you can see I’m a formula. A lady-like one. As such, I shouldn’t tell you my age, but admittedly, my time has come and gone. By now, as is clear to see, I may only be remembered for historical reasons. In modern treatise nobody pays attention to me anymore, in truth since the second half of the nineteenth century. Pubblisher That is regrettable, but I can’t see how I might be of help to you. Formula You could tell my story. Publisher I’m afraid our readers are a little allergic to you formulae. You may be an exception, being a talking formula, compared to your mute and often incomprehensible colleagues. Not to mention the fear of having to learn you by heart, such as with Pi squared. You don’t want to frighten our readers, I hope! Formulas are published in technical scientific books for precisely this reason, readers know what to expect. I would advise you to contact a specialist publishing house. Formula Actually I was thinking of something educational which might overcome similar barriers of misconception which discriminate us formulae. Such pregiudice limits our creative flair and, except for in exceptional cases, prevents us from leaving our ghetto. Long, complicated sentences which are difficult to understand and open to various interpretation are used in our place. Publisher It is the readers who are conforted by the absence of formulae when they seek to inform themselves on matters of scientific nature. Formula Don’t you believe that editorial choices should also help to ed- ucate readers? Perhaps with some well-explained formulae. History may help too. Rhetorical algebra, algebra explained in words, failed in the sixteenth 1