Its a mix up because whoever picks 16 just forgot to go through the process of the order of operations which is what ^ is for I'm pretty sure. And just multiplied -4 by its exponent, instead of multiplying and then adding the negative I guess..

I mean yeah its basic stuff if MATH IS YOUR THING but some people just aren't great at that shit and it doesn't stick, I haven't done anything at all since highschool that had anything to do with the order of operations so yeah stupid shit like this slips my mind which is probably what happened with everyone else too.

I would like to add that I was never taught where exponentiation fits in the order of operations.

edit: in actual fact I remember being taught that the product of two negative numbers is always positive fuck you my teachers for not explaining this.

i learned this in fourth grade this is so beneath me

marmot is a physics major and gr does computers. I'm not sure it even has to do with education, I asked a math teacher THAT DAY and she was like 16 IS RIGHT DUH.

somehow people just read -4^2 as "negative four squared" when that would actually be (-4)^2. I'm not sure how this happened; I did it too until that topic came about and I do not think I am a dumb guy! somehow this just happens with like half the people, they read it mentally as negative four squared and then do that instead of the calculation.

sort of like that infamous verizon math thing where if I said .25 cents most of you would be like "yeah that's a quarter" on first blush.

i declare that we have been tricked and the original statement is misleading! why does -4^2 imply -(4^2) over (-4)^2, for any reason other than 'that's just what we've done for the past x years'? (I am not actually arguing this this is just for interest's sake)

also having never been in '3rd grade' i am unsurprised. gotta check that context bub.

IT


BEGINS!!!

in an algebra context that would probably work but idk with real numbers.

(15:39:47) Edgar: do not google or calcuate this
(15:39:50) Edgar: -4^2
(15:39:55) Edgar: what is that equal to
(15:39:59) ziggypuff: 16

(15:40:32) Edgar: okay do not google or calculaor this
(15:40:34) Edgar: -4^2
(15:40:38) Edgar: whats that equal
(15:41:03) The Steve: it depends on how you parse it
(15:41:09) Edgar: how do you parse it
(15:41:13) The Steve: 16 would be (-4)^2
(15:41:23) Edgar: like its on a math test
(15:41:26) Edgar: what would you say
(15:41:31) The Steve: 16
(15:41:35) Edgar: interesting
(15:41:41) Edgar: google will say -16
(15:41:44) The Steve: right
(15:42:07) The Steve: because some calculators treat the negative sign as a negation of the operation

(15:42:00) Edgar: quick question
(15:42:05) Edgar: do not google or calculator
(15:42:08) Edgar: -4^2
(15:42:12) Edgar: whats that equal
(15:42:38) Jizzle: 16

x^2 = 16
x = 4 or -4
it can be (4)^2 or (-4)^2(BRAKCEKTS)

then if its x^2 = -16
then its x = 4i or -4i o_o;
so logically -4^2 cant be -16 unless its -1*(4)^2

but really i see -4^2 as -16 because i assume its -1*(4)^2

in an algebra context that would probably work but idk with real numbers.

ahahaha

yeah again I was rethinking that on the spot. this topic is challenging everything I thought I knew about mathematics !!! (not a lot)

but thanks for making us feel stupid guys instead of explaining, you've been great

so technically whenever x=-4 its really equaling -1*4

thats like whenever x=4...its really x=2*2

how hilarious!

lets make math harder for kids.

yeah again I was rethinking that on the spot. this topic is challenging everything I thought I knew about mathematics !!! (not a lot)

but thanks for making us feel stupid guys instead of explaining, you've been great

stuff in algebra can be a bunch of different things

Real numbers = all numbers
Rational numbers = all numbers than be expressed as p/q where q != 0 and p and q are integers
integers = all whole numbers (-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3 etc)
natural numbers = all positive integers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7etc)

I was not referring to you rami you have genuinely been pretty enlightening (unlike my teachers you fuckers)

in all fairness I was moved down groups in maths for being crude, obscene and generally offensive so maybe this is my comeuppance. at least I was entertaining!

so technically whenever x=-4 its really equaling -1*4

thats like whenever x=4...its really x=2*2

how hilarious!

lets make math harder for kids.

well no, it'd be x = (-4) or x = (-1 * 4)

or x = 4 = (2*2)