this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2024
755 points (98.0% liked)
Science Memes
10988 readers
1988 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Uhm, actually ๐คโ๏ธ!
Afaik sqrt only returns positive numbers, but if you're searching for X you should do more logic, as both -3 and 3 squared is 9, but sqrt(9) is just 3.
If I'm wrong please correct me, caz I don't really know how to properly write this down in a proof, so I might be wrong here. :p
(ps: I fact checked with wolfram, but I still donno how to split the equation formally)
You're correct. The square root operator only returns the principal root (the positive one).
So if x^2 = 9 then x = ยฑโ9 = ยฑ3
That's why in something like the quadratic formula we all had to memorize in school its got a "plus or minus" in it: -b ยฑ โ...(etc)
Thanks, I haven't connected the dots to that (+-) sign and this problem.
So I checked this on my smartphone first, and thought maybe the software is just shit.. So then I checked it on a Casio scientific calc, and both agree.
-3^2 = -9... And 9 != -9
.... Are all the calculators somehow wrong? What's the math rule I'm forgetting here...
I think your calculator is interpreting that as -(3^2) and not (-3)^2
Oh derp. Yep it is.
Was better when calcs had a +/- button.
And I remembered the math rule too.
GD I am just realizing how long its been since I did math in my head without a programming language..
I should take a math class again or something and refresh that knowledge.
x^2 = 9
<=>
|x| = sqrt(9)
would be correct. That way you get both 3 and -3 for x.
That's the way your math teacher would do it. So the correct version of the statement in the picture is: "if x^2 = 9 then abs(x) = 3"
Cool! Makes sense to me. Honestly, I've never done it this way, but it's so clean. Love it. Thanks.