"James Edward Gray II" <james / grayproductions.net> suggested:
> On Mar 27, 2005, at 7:01 PM, Eliah Hecht wrote:
>> # I'm not really happy about re-defining degree, but I couldn't figure
>> # out where to put it so it would be available both places I use it.
>
> You can just move the definition up to towards the top of the file, so it 
> appears before the method that uses it.  It when then be available in both 
> places.

That won't work for the method Integer#to_en. You could make it a constant 
(starting with a capital letter, either in Object implicitly or in Integer) 
or a global (with a $ in front, these are not usually recommended).


class Integer

  DEGREE = [""] + %w[thousand million billion trillion quadrillion
    quintillion sextillion septillion octillion nonillion decillion
    undecillion duodecillion tredecillion quattuordecillion
    quindecillion sexdecillion septdecillion novemdecillion
    vigintillion unvigintillion duovigintillion trevigintillion
    quattuorvigintillion quinvigintillion sexvigintillion
    septvigintillion octovigintillion novemvigintillion trigintillion
    untregintillion duotrigintillion googol]

  def teen
....
      result = front.to_en(false) + " " + DEGREE[(self.to_s.length-1)/3]
....
first_degree = Integer::DEGREE[1..-1].min
....

Cheers,
Dave