508

a very emphatic answer (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 10 months ago by immortal_crab to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] manucode@infosec.pub 232 points 10 months ago

 40-32/2
=40-16
=24
=4*3*2*1
=4!

[-] Thteven@lemmy.world 41 points 10 months ago

Ah shit. I almost hate this one more than loss.

[-] bisby@lemmy.world 161 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I hate how these things always come up because "order of operations!" It's mostly people who are bad at math remembering one topic they struggled with and finally got right, and now they know it's a touchy subject so it will drive engagement. It's the modern equivalent of "Mathematicians hate this one secret for solving equations! Click to find out!" Pure engagement bait.

But in all the engineering ive done, things never really come up like this. If there is any potential clarity issues, parentheses would be used, or it would be formatted in a way that makes it much more clear.

40 - (32/2), or 40 - ³²⁄₂ has no clarity issues imo. You don't even have to think about order of operations because 32 halves is a number on its own. it isn't an "operation" to do necessarily, it's a fraction to reduce.

And yes, I get the joke. The joke is making fun of the engagement bait of "some people will get the order of operations wrong!"

The joke

(40 - 32)/2 = 4

If you stop here, you used the wrong order of operations. This is where the the fights normally start in the replies.

but the kid said "4!" not "4"

40 - (32/2) = 24 = 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 4!

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 67 points 10 months ago

s. If there is any potential clarity issues, parentheses would be used, or it would be formatted in a way that makes it much more clear.

It reminds me of a very old xkcd that posits "communicating badly and acting smug when you're misunderstood is not cleverness "

https://xkcd.com/169/

[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 23 points 10 months ago

I knew XKCD is based, but this is new level

[-] Iron_Lynx@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

I mean, xkcd numbers its comics sequentially, and he's well into the 2000's now, so a 1xy comic is ancient. Looks like at times, old xkcd was brutal.

[-] 5765313496@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Especially hat guy.

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[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago

It's the same as "only 2% of people get this right! If you get it right you have a very strong brain!". It's just a little more devious about it.

[-] Ballistic_86@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

It does leave ambiguity with it being an, apparent, quote/dialogue. Correct and Incorrect are both correct depending on your POV and how you interpret social media posts

[-] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago

Love the insight on the bait.

Thanks for the mathsplanation too.

[-] Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com 88 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

40-32/2 _ 4!

40-16 _ 2×3×4

30-6 _ 2×12

24 = 24

Checks out.

[-] Leviathan@lemmy.world 56 points 10 months ago

Throw up some brackets, you rage-baiting motherfucker!

[-] MBM@lemmings.world 17 points 10 months ago

This one's perfectly unambiguous without brackets, unlike the 1/2x stuff

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[-] 10_0@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago

Don't need brackets due to BODMAS Division comes before subtraction

[-] Leviathan@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

It's perfectly reasonable to read this as both (40-32)/2 and 40-(32/2) anywhere past basic math.

[-] SmartmanApps@programming.dev 2 points 10 months ago

No, it isn't. Division before subtraction.

[-] EnderofGames@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

Even your "BODMAS" isn't universal, lots of people learn "PEMDAS" or "BEDMAS"

At any level of mathematics after elementary school, you never see terrible expressions like this. Well, except for facebook and twitter

Take for example: 2/2*2 It is 0.5 or 2 depending on order. But if I were anything after high school (I was more complacent in high school, I guess) if someone gave me an arbitrarily solved equation or expression like this, I would be livid and raise hell at them for trying to do that.

[-] 10_0@lemmy.ml 3 points 10 months ago

The fundamentals are literally the same, and the difference is in the words people use for the same thing, brackets and parentheses are used in the same way and only changes how the acronym is spelled. Powers, indices and exponents are the same thing. Here's my version, PITDAT (parentheses, indices, times, divide, add, takeaway.)

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[-] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 51 points 10 months ago

Depends if the kid said "four!" or "four factorial"

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 10 months ago

all maths must be said in a neutral tone lest you imply factorials

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

Almost as if the joke relies on the fact that in written form those are the same.

[-] 42yeah@lemm.ee 12 points 10 months ago

That’s how I say factorial though I just yell

[-] Scrollone@feddit.it 3 points 10 months ago

So Italians mathematicians put everything in factorial

[-] justcallmelarry@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 10 months ago

And that kids name? Mathew Matician.

[-] HonkTonkWoman@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

The kid who got it wrong? Numbers McCountyFingers.

[-] Scary_le_Poo@beehaw.org 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Intentionally writing equations shittily is a special type of brain rot.

40 - (32 / 2) = ?

Ftfy.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 31 points 10 months ago

The cleverness is that it works either way

40-16=4!

8/2=4

[-] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 7 points 10 months ago

But then there's no joke/trick.

[-] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 2 points 10 months ago

fun fact, ? = sqrt(-|x| / 0) for all real x

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[-] Resol@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago

I actually remember seeing this on my YouTube feed. I was pretty confused at first until I saw the factorial sign.

[-] 0ops@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago

OH!

[-] mexicancartel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 10 months ago

Where is the bell curve

[-] lurch@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 months ago

it's wrong, because:

i would never ask a kid something like that
there is a question mark missing
i don't know any kids and they would probably just flip me off in that situation, which is okay, because they shouldn't talk to strangers