[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

View post   
File: 299 KB, 600x400, ErdosTao_Main.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10371375 No.10371375 [Reply] [Original]

Is subtraction the taking away of numbers? Or is it the gaining of a lack of numbers? I never took numerology seriously until I learned how much the enemy does.

>> No.10371805
File: 13 KB, 500x387, 1549516955664.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10371805

>> No.10371826

Who's "the enemy": Australians? Amphetamine addicts? Hungarians?

>> No.10371843

>>10371375
it's adding negative numbers.

>> No.10371860

>>10371843
I would agree with this poster. It would be better to teach the kiddos two operations instead of four.

>> No.10371866

Both

>> No.10371883

>>10371866
Well yeah, but I think OP is talking about whether we should teach a subtraction operation in the first place.

>> No.10372675

>>10371375
Let us generalize the number line so that there are N>1 different signs, [S_1], [S_2], ..., [S_N]. Normally we would have N=2 where [S_1] and [S_2] are "+" and "-" like everyone was taught at school.

Now, given indexes 1 <= i, j <= N and natural numbers x and y (WLOG x <= y), the result of [S_i]x + [S_j]y is
- [S_j]y, if x = 0, otherwise
- [S_i](x - 1) + [S_j](y - 1), if i != j, otherwise
- [S_i](x + y), if i = j

So, in other words, when you add a number with sign [S_i] to number with sign [S_j], you're either _moving_ the [S_i] number towards the [S_j] direction in the number line, or, equivalently, moving the [S_j] number towards the [S_i] direction.

>> No.10372840
File: 44 KB, 233x217, 1428676587270.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10372840

>>10372675
Alright, so you didn't pick one of the two directions, essentially refusing to answer OP's question, which was, basically, an A or B question.
>inb4 hurr durr mah e kiuuu

>> No.10372854

>>10371826
The eternal dastardly hun, of course.

>> No.10372867

>>10371375
>numerology

>> No.10373557

>>10372867
>t. doesn't know

>> No.10373722

>>10371826
the australians are the amphetamine addicts now

>> No.10374210

>>10372840
>essentially refusing to answer OP's question
I didn't refuse to answer it. My answer is that subtraction is NEITHER "taking away of numbers" nor "gaining of lack of numbers". My reasoning is given in >>10372675

>Alright, so you didn't pick one of the two directions
If I asked you "Is the Sun the smallest star in the universe or is the Sun the largest star in the universe?", which direction would you choose? Remember, it's an A or B question so you are not allowed to give an alternative answer.

>> No.10375750

>>10374210
well, touche.

>> No.10377226

>>10371375
>never took numerology seriously until I learned how much the enemy does.
what did he mean by this?

>> No.10377247

>>10377226
will you fight?

>> No.10378201

>>10371375
substraction is the addition with the additive inverse of what is being substracted

>> No.10378214

>>10371860
Wouldn't it be difficult for children to wrap their heads around negative numbers? It's sort of hard to imagine negative apples when you're a child.