-26
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

EDIT: Thanks to a helpful comment I see why I was wrong.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

This is very clearly incorrect.

Let A = 10 and B = C = D = 1.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago
[-] [email protected] -5 points 3 weeks ago

10 - 1 + 1 = 10 - 1 - 1 or 8 = 8

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

You need to relearn arithmetic.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

I was trying to figure out how you came up with this - even given that you're reh learning math - and thought "oh, maybe their native language is read right to left, so 1 + 1 = 2, and 10 - 2 = 8." But then doing that you'd also go "1 - 1 = 0, and 10 - 0 = 0," so I honestly don't know how you're getting there.

And then I thought, "maybe they think subtraction comes first", but then (10 - 1) + 1 is 10, and (10 - 1) - 1 is 8.

I can't think of any consistent rules that would produce this. You'd have to do:

  1. 10 - (1 + 1), and
  2. (10 - 1) - 1

I'm really curious about your thought process.

Incidentally, my wife was home schooled except her mother didn't participate, so she never learned anything beyond basic addition and subtraction, and the single digit multiplication table. When she finally went for her GED she was in her 20's, and we spent many, many hours together tutoring.

So, you're getting a lot of negative reactions, but don't let it get you down. Keep up with it; it's valuable to learn.

BTW, my wife eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude in both her Bachelor's and her Master's degrees - non-STEM, so algebra was all she needed, but she fought hard for that 4.0, and she got it.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

I am not sure how I mixed that up but for some reason in my head I was thinking “Do Addition then (should read “and”) Subtraction in order from left to right”. This is why it is a shower thought and why I am brushing up on my math. haha

This is the back story of the silliness from another comment. I simply misremembered what to do and did addition before subtraction instead of left to right. I am still not sure exactly why because I literally just read a section on order of operations and my brain did the rest. I am usually not so bad at math, but my brain can be my worst enemy. haha

[-] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

did addition before subtraction instead of left to right

No, what you actually did was put it inside brackets, thus changing the number of terms. Doing addition first gives the exact same answer as doing subtraction first...

subtraction first 10-1+1=9+1=10

addition first 10+1-1=11-1=10

You did 10-(1+1), hence the wrong answer. It doesn't matter which order you do it, though often students make mistakes with signs when they change the order, which is why we teach to do left to right.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

The brackets are used to make the equation look cleaner, and the issue for declaring the statement true was doing Addition and Subtraction in the wrong order.

A - ( B x C ) + ( D x E ) = A - ( B x C ) - ( D x E )

Using your example:

10 - 1 + 1 = 10 doing the subtraction first. 10 - 1 + 1 = 8 doing the addition first.

When doing the other side of the equation:

10 - 1 - 1 = 8 regardless of order because it is all subtraction. edit: Brain still waking up it is not the same regardless of order, but you do it left to right making it incorrect to do 1-1 first.

By doing it out of order and incorrectly I was able to make my statement true that as long as A was greater than the sum of B-E both sides would be equal.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

The brackets are used to make the equation look cleaner

No, they're used to show deviations from the usual order of operations. If I want 2+3x4 to equal 20, then I have to write (2+3)x4.

10 - 1 + 1 = 8 doing the addition first

No it isn't. 10+1-1=11-1=10 is doing the addition first. Note same answer. You in fact did 10-(1+1) - you added brackets which changed the answer, thus a wrong answer

10 - 1 - 1 = 8 regardless of order because it is all subtraction

Not all of it. You're forgetting the 10 is really +10. -10-1-1 would be all subtraction. +10-1-1 is addition and subtraction.

it is not the same regardless of order

Yes it is! 😂 It is always the same regardless of order, as I have just shown you, again.

10-1+1=9+1=10

10+1-1=11-1=10

-1+1+10=0+10=10

1-1+10=0+10=10

1+10-1=11-1=10

-1+10+1=9+1=10

you do it left to right making it incorrect to do 1-1 first.

It's NOT incorrect to do 10-1+1 or 10+1-1. It IS incorrect to do 10-(1+1), which is what you did

By doing it out of order and incorrectly I was able to make my statement true

It was solely because you did it incorrectly. Order doesn't change anything.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 16 hours ago

I am not going to argue with you about it. This was resolved almost a month ago.

Read the original equation again, plug some numbers into it, and try again. If that doesn't help, read the rest of the thread. If you still don't get it I cannot help you.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 15 hours ago

I am not going to argue with you about it

Nor should you. I'm a Maths teacher.

This was resolved almost a month ago

And yet you still don't understand what's wrong with what you said.

Read the original equation again, plug some numbers into it, and try again.

That's what you need to do. You're the one coming up with wrong answers when you change the order. Changing the order doesn't change the answer.

If you still don’t get it I cannot help you

It's not me who doesn't get it. I teach it.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 12 hours ago

I feel bad for your students if you cannot see why you are wrong here.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 11 hours ago

I feel bad for your students if you cannot see why you are wrong here

My students know I'm right. Everyone's students know that's right. It's only adults who've forgotten the rules who get this wrong.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 11 hours ago

Whatever you say. Enjoy the egg on your face bud.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Enjoy the egg on your face bud

None on my face. My students do very well in their tests. How about you? BTW try it on a calculator and guess what answer you'll get. hint: it'll be the same answer regardless of which order you do it 😂

To save you some trouble, here's the results from my calculator...

10+1-1=10

10-1+1=10

-1+10+1=10

+1+10-1=10

-1+1+10=10

1-1+10=10

[-] [email protected] 0 points 11 hours ago

10-1+1=10 only if you don't the addition first 1 + 1 = 2 - 10 = 8, which was my mistake, which I already stated.

Now jog on "math teacher".

[-] [email protected] 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

10-1+1=10 only if you don’t the addition first 1 + 1 = 2 - 10 = 8

Nope, yet again you just did 10-(1+1), which is wrong for 10+1-1. It gives 10 in any order. 10+1-1=11-1=10 <== did addition first, got 10. Accountants would have a nightmare if order mattered. "Did we receive this payment first, or this invoice? The order matters! ARGH!"

which was my mistake, which I already stated.

No, your mistake was adding brackets, 10-(1+1) ISN'T how to do addition first. 10+1-1 is. Ask an accountant! 😂 As you discovered 10-(1+1)=10-1-1, which isn't 10+1-1, nor 10-1+1. 10-1-1=8, which is what you did - 10-1-1=10-(1+1) - 10-1+1=10, 10+1-1=10.

I see you still didn't try it on a calculator yet then

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Ah. So you gave addition a higher precedence than subtraction. That makes sense.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

graduated Summa Cum Laude in [...] her Master’s degrees

Graduate programs generally do not do Latin honors...

[-] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

She graduated her Masters with a 4.0. I didn't know graduate programs didn't award a title, though. She did get extra tassels on her hat, so it was recognized, Latin honors or not.

Edit: her graduate program had an honors society, which was the equivalent of Summa for graduates. That's what the tassels were for. I had to check with her: I didn't myself rise to such lofty heights.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Top xx% may get "with distinction". I held a 4.13 (capped at 4.0). I went on to teach at the institution for a few years after graduating as well. So I've spent a significant amount of time in academia.

But because of the higher standard for grad schools, typically requiring a 3.0+ to stay active (rather than the typical undergrad 2.0), latin honors dont make sense if the whole grad year is basically getting them. So they're not commonly issued.

this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
-26 points (11.8% liked)

Showerthoughts

35464 readers
1300 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS