this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
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- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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I was trying to figure out how you came up with this - even given that you're reh learning math - and thought "oh, maybe their native language is read right to left, so 1 + 1 = 2, and 10 - 2 = 8." But then doing that you'd also go "1 - 1 = 0, and 10 - 0 = 0," so I honestly don't know how you're getting there.
And then I thought, "maybe they think subtraction comes first", but then (10 - 1) + 1 is 10, and (10 - 1) - 1 is 8.
I can't think of any consistent rules that would produce this. You'd have to do:
I'm really curious about your thought process.
Incidentally, my wife was home schooled except her mother didn't participate, so she never learned anything beyond basic addition and subtraction, and the single digit multiplication table. When she finally went for her GED she was in her 20's, and we spent many, many hours together tutoring.
So, you're getting a lot of negative reactions, but don't let it get you down. Keep up with it; it's valuable to learn.
BTW, my wife eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude in both her Bachelor's and her Master's degrees - non-STEM, so algebra was all she needed, but she fought hard for that 4.0, and she got it.
This is the back story of the silliness from another comment. I simply misremembered what to do and did addition before subtraction instead of left to right. I am still not sure exactly why because I literally just read a section on order of operations and my brain did the rest. I am usually not so bad at math, but my brain can be my worst enemy. haha
Ah. So you gave addition a higher precedence than subtraction. That makes sense.
No, what you actually did was put it inside brackets, thus changing the number of terms. Doing addition first gives the exact same answer as doing subtraction first...
subtraction first 10-1+1=9+1=10
addition first 10+1-1=11-1=10
You did 10-(1+1), hence the wrong answer. It doesn't matter which order you do it, though often students make mistakes with signs when they change the order, which is why we teach to do left to right.
The brackets are used to make the equation look cleaner, and the issue for declaring the statement true was doing Addition and Subtraction in the wrong order.
A - ( B x C ) + ( D x E ) = A - ( B x C ) - ( D x E )
Using your example:
10 - 1 + 1 = 10 doing the subtraction first. 10 - 1 + 1 = 8 doing the addition first.
When doing the other side of the equation:
10 - 1 - 1 = 8 regardless of order because it is all subtraction. edit: Brain still waking up it is not the same regardless of order, but you do it left to right making it incorrect to do 1-1 first.
By doing it out of order and incorrectly I was able to make my statement true that as long as A was greater than the sum of B-E both sides would be equal.
No, they're used to show deviations from the usual order of operations. If I want 2+3x4 to equal 20, then I have to write (2+3)x4.
No it isn't. 10+1-1=11-1=10 is doing the addition first. Note same answer. You in fact did 10-(1+1) - you added brackets which changed the answer, thus a wrong answer
Not all of it. You're forgetting the 10 is really +10. -10-1-1 would be all subtraction. +10-1-1 is addition and subtraction.
Yes it is! 😂 It is always the same regardless of order, as I have just shown you, again.
10-1+1=9+1=10
10+1-1=11-1=10
-1+1+10=0+10=10
1-1+10=0+10=10
1+10-1=11-1=10
-1+10+1=9+1=10
It's NOT incorrect to do 10-1+1 or 10+1-1. It IS incorrect to do 10-(1+1), which is what you did
It was solely because you did it incorrectly. Order doesn't change anything.
I am not going to argue with you about it. This was resolved almost a month ago.
Read the original equation again, plug some numbers into it, and try again. If that doesn't help, read the rest of the thread. If you still don't get it I cannot help you.
Nor should you. I'm a Maths teacher.
And yet you still don't understand what's wrong with what you said.
That's what you need to do. You're the one coming up with wrong answers when you change the order. Changing the order doesn't change the answer.
It's not me who doesn't get it. I teach it.
I feel bad for your students if you cannot see why you are wrong here.
My students know I'm right. Everyone's students know that's right. It's only adults who've forgotten the rules who get this wrong.
Whatever you say. Enjoy the egg on your face bud.
None on my face. My students do very well in their tests. How about you? BTW try it on a calculator and guess what answer you'll get. hint: it'll be the same answer regardless of which order you do it 😂
To save you some trouble, here's the results from my calculator...
10+1-1=10
10-1+1=10
-1+10+1=10
+1+10-1=10
-1+1+10=10
1-1+10=10
10-1+1=10 only if you don't the addition first 1 + 1 = 2 - 10 = 8, which was my mistake, which I already stated.
Now jog on "math teacher".
Nope, yet again you just did 10-(1+1), which is wrong for 10+1-1. It gives 10 in any order. 10+1-1=11-1=10 <== did addition first, got 10. Accountants would have a nightmare if order mattered. "Did we receive this payment first, or this invoice? The order matters! ARGH!"
No, your mistake was adding brackets, 10-(1+1) ISN'T how to do addition first. 10+1-1 is. Ask an accountant! 😂 As you discovered 10-(1+1)=10-1-1, which isn't 10+1-1, nor 10-1+1. 10-1-1=8, which is what you did - 10-1-1=10-(1+1) - 10-1+1=10, 10+1-1=10.
I see you still didn't try it on a calculator yet then
I know it is wrong, which is why I am telling you what my mistake was originally. The fact that you still don't get it demonstrates your complete lack of understanding.
Order does matter, and that order is left to right. My mistake was doing the addition before the subtraction when the equation reads 10 - 1 + 1.
How are you still not getting this?
No it wasn't. The original equation is written correctly but the logic is incorrect because in order to make it work the way I declared you have to do the equation x - y + z doing the y + z first (which was the mistake doing addition then subtraction instead of addition and subtraction in order from left to right.)
I see you are still being a bad teacher who refuses to listen, so I am not continuing with you. The fact that you still don't get it demonstrates bad faith, willful ignorance, and an unwarranted superiority complex.
But failing to understand what your actual mistake was, coming up with -1+1=-2, and not -1+1=-0
That would be you, the one who thinks order matters, and that -1+1=-2, not -0.
Nope!
+10-1+1=10
+10+1-1=10
-1+10+1=10
+1+10-1=10
+1-1+10=10
-1+1+10=10
Put those all into a calculator, and/or ask an accountant about it.
And yet, going RIGHT TO LEFT +1-1+10=0+10=10, same answer... though I have no doubt you think it's +1-1+10=+1-11=-10
and 10-(1+1) isn't, hence your continued wrong answer
No, your mistake was doing 10-(1+1) where the question reads 10-1+1, and not +10+1-1 <== this is addition first, you add all the positive numbers together first, then do the negative numbers This is literally the textbook way to do it
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According to you 6a²b-11a²b+5a²b-7a²b+2a²b=6a²b-16a²b-9a²b=-19a²b, and yet the textbook quite clearly states it's -5a²b, which is because it's 6a²b+5a²b+2a²b-11a²b-7a²b=13a²b-18a²b, and NOT 6a²b-(11a²b+5a²b)-(7a²b+2a²b)
10-(1+1)=10-1-1 which is what you did, which is not 10-1+1. You "added" 1 to -1, and got -2 instead of 0
It's not me who's not getting it.
Yes it was. Read the textbooks.
No your logic is incorrect. You're incorrectly adding brackets to it.
By putting it in brackets which is not how addition is done first. Doing addition first for x - y + z is x + z - y, not x - (y + z)
No, the mistake was you put the addition in brackets, -(1+1)=-2, not -1+1=+1-1=0. As per the textbook, the sum of any 2 numbers can only have 1 value. That 1 value for -1 and +1 is 0. -1+1=0, +1-1=0, not -1+1=-2
The rules are you either do addition then subtraction, OR you do left to right. There is no such thing as addition then subtraction left to right.
Addition then subtraction 10+1-1=11-1=10
Left to right 10-1+1=9+1=10
What you did 10-(1+1)=10-2=8
says bad student, who didn't try what the teacher said to try
that would be you again. You didn't try it on a calculator, you didn't ask an accountant. You didn't even read and understand my examples. Read the textbook - it's not just me telling you this.
Because you're unwilling to admit you're wrong and refuse to try what the teacher and textbook have told you to do, and also refuse to ask an accountant about it
Nope, that's you again. You're even arguing with literal textbook examples.
Also you, thinking you're above Maths teachers, calculators, accountants, and Maths textbooks. According to you all of us are wrong, and only you are right. Get a grip
No, I am saying you are wrong. No one else.
You.
The saddest, and funniest, part is that you are so egotistical that you don't see why you are wrong.
Maybe you will get it one day, but I won't be there for it.
Self reflection is good.
And textbooks, calculators, accountants, and @sxan@midwest.social, who also explicitly pointed out that what you did was 10-(1+1). I see you didn't read the textbook either then.
Nope, also all the other parties listed above, who all agree with me
That would be you again, after it has been explained to you many times, by me, other commentators, and Maths textbooks.
Again that applies to you only, the only one here who thinks 10-1+1=8 when doing addition first, even though 11-1=10.
How do you know when you haven't tried it yet? If you had, you would realise you also owe @cabron_offsets@lemmy.world an apology too
Graduate programs generally do not do Latin honors...
She graduated her Masters with a 4.0. I didn't know graduate programs didn't award a title, though. She did get extra tassels on her hat, so it was recognized, Latin honors or not.
Edit: her graduate program had an honors society, which was the equivalent of Summa for graduates. That's what the tassels were for. I had to check with her: I didn't myself rise to such lofty heights.
Top xx% may get "with distinction". I held a 4.13 (capped at 4.0). I went on to teach at the institution for a few years after graduating as well. So I've spent a significant amount of time in academia.
But because of the higher standard for grad schools, typically requiring a 3.0+ to stay active (rather than the typical undergrad 2.0), latin honors dont make sense if the whole grad year is basically getting them. So they're not commonly issued.