/sci/ - Science & Math

>>3991994
>there's no need to seek once again the shackles of gravity wells
That's the point of limitless possibilities.
We won't be FORCED to live on planets.
We can CHOOSE to live on planets.

Also, as a planetary ecology is one of the most complex interconnected systems we know of, terraforming could come to be seen as a goal in itself.

For it to become a home for some types of people would be just a happy bonus.

If I get to choose, I want to live billions of years.

/sci/, I was asked to solve the problem 1/(x+1) where x = ( f(x+h) - f(x) ) / h, and I came up with the answer h /( (f(x+h) - f(x) + 1), but I tried to justify this answer using power notation because I thought it would keep better track of which part goes on top, but I seemed to be making a mistake. I tried to have negative powers instead of x/y by having x * y^-1 but I lost track of what to do with the 1 in this case.

Given problem: 1/(x+1)

(x+1)^-1 =

(f(x+h) - f(x)) * h^-1 + 1) ^-1 =

(f(x+h) - f(x)) ^-1 * h + 1^-1 =

h / (f(x+h) - f(x) + 1 [ 1^-1 = 1/1 = 1 ?]

But this cant be true, because I can plug in a value for x like 2, and I see the 1 must be in the denominator. i.e. :

1/(x+1) for x = 2, 1/(2+1) = 1/3 ; not 1/2 + 1 = 3/2

How am I ruining my power notation justification? (or have I made a mistake somewhere else?

Oh goody, dump time

>>3518733
Yeah, it was good before it became popular.

‎Here's a question off of a take home quiz from my cosmology class that I took about a year ago. There was a lot of disagreement and I wanted to see what sci thought. I think it's B, indefinitely.

4) If there are other civilizations at present in the Milky Way Galaxy, which statement is almost undoubtedly true?
A) They are fare more technologically advanced than we are.
B) They have social structures that are completely different from our own; for example, different types of "family" units, and so on.
C) They are anatomically much like us, with two arms, two legs, two eyes, and two ear.
D) For fun, they enjoy "buzzing" to Earth and temporarily abducting people, showing a clear preference for people located in less-developed rural areas.