I’m relieved to see that even brilliant physicists make mistakes.” Kohler looked over. “What do you mean?”“Whoever wrote that note made a mistake. That column isn’t Ionic. Ionic columns are uniform in width. That one’s tapered. It’s Doric—the Greek counterpart. A common mistake.” Kohler did not smile. “The author meant it as a joke, Mr. Landon. Ionic means containing ions—electrically charged particles. Most objects contain them.

Angels & Demons