addendum: what merits a post every 90 seconds on this subject for the past seven hours.  there is a correct answer to this question!  i do not know how anyone has thought of this much to say on the issue.

well its turned into a lot of spam

but the first few pages were explainations to why it is the answer, the first few pages were good

User friendly maths that.

(-4)^2 is 16

-(4^2) is - 16

When you write -4^2 you would assume that you take the whole number including the negative sign and square it included to get 16. This is the way that it has been done in every maths lesson for all of time in my life. If -16 has been the desired output, the teacher or lecturer will always make extra effort to show it is that way by giving particular emphasis in brackets.

same thing here but rami has found independent stuff time and time again that shows -4^2 should be interpreted as the second kind. it's weird how this isn't a universal as it is the difference between the right and wrong answer.

also seven pages in like less than a day! when I had a tumor pulled out of my lung and chest the topic didn't have this many posts!

addendum: what merits a post every 90 seconds on this subject for the past seven hours.  there is a correct answer to this question!  i do not know how anyone has thought of this much to say on the issue.

the fact that it's a basic math problem half the forum gets wrong for some reason merits no discussion at all?

derailin to something more interesting:

obongo monkey.

i can work rpg makers variable system and i'll be damned if i'll ever use this

Alex: If you can answer this question right you get the Sword of Power. What does -4^2=?
1. 16
2. cake
3. 3
4. I dont want that sword please.

i think U mean OBama monkey

yeah i totally thought this was -4 squared. this topic ruled thanks for the info guys. i had no idea about the negation operation!!!!

also ase you hurt my feelings although really just because i'm a programmer doesn't mean i would have learned that nor would it ever even come up in my life as a programmer.

also the coolest math operation most people don't know about is modulus.

first time I heard of that one was RPG Maker

get back on topic fuckers

if you've done computer science you know modulus. somehow your comp sci teacher will weave it into the lesson.

hey 2%2 = 0

A rectifier in a power supply converts a sinusoidal AC current into a DC one by first performing a modulus function on the input using diodes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectifier#Full-wave_rectification

A reservoir capacitor is then used to *smooth* the wave so that it becomes more of a straight line i.e. a DC voltage. You can also use PWM (pulse width modulation) to vary the output voltage or keep it steady if the input voltage changes slightly.

This is called a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) and there are a LOT of them in your house. That little box on your laptop cable, for instance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-mode_power_supply

i learned modulus in week 2 of my first computer science class.

uhh no???  whoa people answered wrong on a question that is easily confused because of a lack of parentheses, let's all have a stop-and-chat.  lol if anyone in this topic has acted like saying 16 is not completely understandable unless you spend a ton of time DOING MATH.  idk i find it amusing that anyone would be like heh,...its basic math COMON FOLKS or somehow not get how this could be misleading.  what are you velfarre now

what? its not about lack of parentheses. like yeah that would make it clearer but if you paid attention you would see that even then the correct answer is still -16, not because of a -1 or anything (which is what most of the people answering correctly are thinking) but because of a hidden order of operations operation that almost no one was taught existed, despite the fact it makes the difference between right and wrong.

and who's been saying this is basic math other than FLOWERPOWER and MKKMYPET? order of operations is yes but the reason the topic made it to like four pages is because of WHY it's actually -16, which is a little more complicated than you'd think!

plus its a remake of one of gw's most popular topics anyways did you think there would be a few lackluster replies in a topic that once gripped paul c's attention like a gruesome car accident? sorry you don't find any of this interesting but you're in the minority.

argh obama smash