Politiks

Houndstooth · Tue May 22, 2007 4:03 am

Bob Frankenberry wrote: ...But you have to learn things.

I wasn't born knowing the things I know. Who do you think you are, Jesucristo? I bolded what I thought was relevant. :roll: :wink:
Summerhuntingdude wrote: To me, I'm sure he was smarter than a lot of kids probably when he was a small child, so he was born that way, that's why I'm saying he was created by God that smart. "In my opinion; to me" - those are the words I keep pulling out of your posts. you're making an assertion based on an opinion, but you haven't pulled anything out of say the Bible, or a genetics book, etc to back up your "To me"s.

And besides that, how on Earth would you know what Einsteing was like compared to other children his age? You're making an "If, then" argument but leaving out how "If" came around. If Einsteing was smarter than everyone else in childhood, then you could assume that he was intellectually advanced for his age. That's the only logical argument you can make from your "if." You can't logically assume that because someone is more advanced intellectually at a certain age that the intelligence is from God. Nor can you assume that thus the person was "destined" to always be smarter than everyone. Giftedness as a child does not necessarily assure giftedness as a person later in life.

Essentially, your assumptions have no basis. I'm done giving logic lessons and pointing out the obvious about the problems with your posts. So if you reply, please don't make another one of those.

Bob Frankenberry · Tue May 22, 2007 5:05 am

Houndstooth wrote: Bob Frankenberry wrote: ...But you have to learn things.

I wasn't born knowing the things I know. Who do you think you are, Jesucristo? I bolded what I thought was relevant. :roll: :wink:

Your algebra teacher obviously never told you the story of how Plato informed a group that you already know everything there is to know. You simply have it locked away in your head.

For those who don't know:

Plato acquired a slave-- he's Greek, he can do that-- and determined that this uneducated slave could determine that the square root of the natural number "2" was an irrational number.

"Mr. Frankenberry, what's a 'natural number?"

Well, Little Johnny 8-Year-Old, let's just review our basic numbers, instead.

A natural number is best described as "a number that occurs in nature". What does that mean? Well, that's a number you can count: 1, 2, 3, and so on.

If someone talks about whole numbers. They include "0" within that group.

And if someone mentions integers, those are the whole numbers, as well as a special group of numbers called the additive inverses of the natural numbers. Another great term for the additive inverse is that it is the negative a natural number.

But remember: 0 does not have a negative.

Sometimes you'll also get numbers called rational numbers. The best way to remember these numbers is that they're a ratio of two numbers. Like 1:2, which can also be written as the fraction 1/2. So, a rational number is any number that can be written as a fraction.

But we have some special rules. 0, you remember 0, he can't be in the denominator of a fraction. All the other integers can. And they can all be in the numerator.

"And what's an irrational number, Mr. Frankenberry?"

Well, Johnny, an irrational number is a number that lacks the ability to be properly written as a ratio [a fraction]. This number is also called a "non-terminating, non-repeating decimal."

"Wer?"

No, that's something completely different.

"Could you show me an example or two of an irrational number, Mr. Frankenberry?"

Sure! π [pi] is a perfect example of an irrational number. This number is generally defined as "3.14" for kiddies. However, anyone with a calculator that has a [pi] function can observe that [pi] is 3.14159265 and may or may not continue depending on your calculator.

What does all that mean? It means that, since [pi] cannot be fully written, [pi] cannot be written as a fraction. [pi] is also unable to be written as a fraction because we don't know just how big it is. It's obviously over 3(7/50), but that's not good enough. Which is why we have the symbol to correspond with the number.

"zzzz"

HEY! Wake up!

"Sorry"

Back to irrational numbers. Plato used a series of questions, of which I don't know the details, to present that the slave--uneducated in the ways of Euclidean math, etc.--knew that the square root of the natural number "2" was indeed an irrational number.

But let's do that ourselves.

Let's look at the number 2

2, when halved, is 1. Or 2 / 2 = 1

And when we double it, it becomes 4. Or 2 * 2 = 4

But what number, when we double it (x^2), is 2?

It can't be 1. 1 * 1 = 1

It can't be 2. 2 * 2 = 4

It can't be 1.5, either. 1.5 * 1.5 = 2.25

But, however, we do have the base to start from. It's between the numbers 1 and 1.5, but not including those two numbers.

1 < x < 1.5

So, let's look at the other numbers.

1.2 * 1.2 = 1.44

1.3 * 1.3 = 1.69

1.4 * 1.4 = 1.96

"Mr. Frankenberry! 1.4 is awful close to our number!"

Indeed it is, Johnny. So let's use that number again. But it's add on some more digits.

"Why?"

Stop asking so many retarded questions. Our goal here is to eventually get to 2, right?

"...yeah."

1.96 isn't two, so we're gonna have to tack on some extra stuff if we're gonna make it work.

"...okay."

Let's try this:

1.41 * 1.41 = 1.9881

1.42 * 1.42 = 2.0164

"Mr. Franke--"

Kid, I know what I'm doing here, I can read.

As you people can see, 1.42 ^ 2 > 2. So we have to continue on from 1.41.

1.411 * 1.411 = 1.990921

1.412 * 1.412 = 1.993744

"Mr. Frankenberry! It's not in the first two! What does that mean?!"

It means we have to go further.

1.413 * 1.413 = 1.996569

1.414 * 1.414 = 1.999396

1.415 * 1.415 = 2.002225

And you get the picture. As you can see, each of these numbers is slowly but surely making its way to our friend, the natural number "2". However, 1.415 ^ 2 > 2 and that means that our number is less than that.

Which, if we bring back our old formula:

1.414 < x < 1.415

I won't bother with going through all of these numbers, because I'm fairly certain everyone has stopped reading this, or is just sick to death of me talking to an imaginary child.

"I'm not imaginary..."

Yes you are. Shut up.

Roy's Our Boy · Tue May 22, 2007 7:24 pm

Bob Frankenberry wrote: Your algebra teacher obviously never told you the story of how Plato informed a group that you already know everything there is to know. You simply have it locked away in your head.

Jung has a similar theory.

Houndstooth · Tue May 22, 2007 7:29 pm

Roy's Our Boy wrote: Bob Frankenberry wrote: Your algebra teacher obviously never told you the story of how Plato informed a group that you already know everything there is to know. You simply have it locked away in your head.

Jung has a similar theory. Is that the Collective Unconscious?

Roy's Our Boy · Wed May 23, 2007 12:55 am

That sounds correct; I never actually read any work of his in entirety, but Campbell cites him in The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

LeilaniSurferGirl · Mon May 28, 2007 7:00 pm

Here is something I found in a book I was reading. It is called The Gift for all people: Thoughts on God's great grace by Max Lucado. I thought it was a great explanation. (This will be lengthy, but it seems most of my posts here are lengthy! :lol: )

Road to Calvary
Christ came to earth for one reason: to give his life as a ransom for you, for me, for all of us. He sacrificed himself to give us a second chance. He would have gone to any lengths to do so. And he did. He went to the cross, where man's utter despair collided with God's unbending grace. And in that moment when God's great gift was complete, the compassionate Christ showed the world the cost of his gift.
Trace the path of this Savior, the God who swapped heavenly royalty for earthly poverty. His bed became, at best, a borrowed pallet - and usually the hard earth. He was dependent on handouts for his income. He was sometimes so hungry he would eat raw grain or pick fruit off a tree. He knew what it meant to have no home. He was ridiculed. His neighbors tried to lynch him. Some called him a lunatic. His family tried to confine him to their house. His friends weren't always faithful to him.
He was accused of a crime he never committed. Witnesses were hired to lie. The jury was rigged. A judge swayed by politics handed down the death penalty.
They killed him.
And why? Because of the gift that only He could give.
He who was perfect gave that perfect record to us, and our imperfect record was given to him. Jesus was "not guilty, but he suffered for those who are guilty to bring ou to God" (1 Peter 3;18). As a result, God's holiness is honored and his children are forgiven.

The Fog of a Broken Heart
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. Horror and dismay came over him, and he said to them, "My heart is ready to break with grief; stop here, and stay awake." Then he went forward a little, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. "Abba, Father," he said, "all things are possible to thee; take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." -Mark 14:32-36

Look at those phrases. "Horror and dismay came over him." "My hear is ready to break with grief." "He went a little forward and threw himself on the ground."
Does this look like the picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly. Mark used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a "man of sorrows." We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief.
We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.
The writer of Hebrews would later pen, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death" (Hebrews 5:7).
My, what a portrait! Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear. Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity.
The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees.
Seeing God like this does wonders for our own suffering. God was never more human than at this hour. God was never nearer to us than when we hurt. The Incarnation was never so fulfilled as in the garden.
As a result, time spent in the fog of pain could be God's greatest gift. It could be the hour we finally see our Maker. If it is true that in suffering God is most like man, maybe in our suffering we can see God like never before.
Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one.

Partner in the Plan
Jesus was given to you, and with the help of those who don't know the law, you put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But this was God's plan which he had made long ago; he knew this would happen. God raised Jesus from the dead and set him free from the pain of death, because death could not hold him. - Acts 2:23-24

The cross was no accident.
Jesus' death was not the result of a panicking cosmological engineer. The cross wasn't a tragic surprise. Calvary was not a knee-jerk response to a world plummeting toward destruction. It wasn't a patch-up job or a stop-gap measure. The death of the Son of God was anything but an unexpected peril.
No, it was part of an incredible plan. A calculated choice.
The moment the forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of a cross appeared on the horizon. And between that moment and the moment the man with the mallet placed the spike against the wrist of God, a master plan was fulfilled.
What does that mean? It means Jesus planned his own sacrifice.
It means Jesus intentionally planted the tree from which his cross would be carved.
It means he willingly placed the iron ore in the heart of the earth from which the nails would be cast.
It means he voluntarily placed his Judas in the womb of a woman.
It means Christ was the one who set in motion the political machinery that would send Pilate to Jerusalem.
And it also means he didn't have to do it - but he did.
It was no accident - would that it had been! Even the cruelest of criminals is spared the agony of having his death sentence read to him before his life ever begins.
But Jesus was born crucified. Whenever he became conscious of who he was, he also became conscious of what he had to do. The cross-shaped shadow could always be seen. And the screams of hell's imprisoned could always be heard.
This explains the glint of determination on his face. as he turned to go to Jerusalem for the last time. He was on his death march. (Luke 9:51)
This explains the resoluteness of the words, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay down of my own accord" (John 10:17-18)
The cross explains why John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the crowds as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
Maybe it's why he tore the grass out by the roots in Gethsemane. He knew the hell he'd endure for saying "Thy will be done."
Maybethe cross was why he so loved children. They represented the very thing he would have to give: Life.
The ropes used to tie his hands and the soldiers used to lead him to the cross were unnecessary. They were incidental. Had they not been there, had there been no trial, no Pilate, and no crowd, the very same crucifixion would have occured. Had Jesus been forced to nail himself to the cross, he would have done it. For it was not the soldiers who killed him, nor the screams of the mob: It was his devotion to us.
So call it what you wish: An act of grace. A plan of redemption. A martyr's sacrifice. But whatever you call it, don't call it an accident. It was anything but that.

He Saw You
The final prayer of Jesus was about you. His final pain was for you. His final passion was for you. Before he went to the cross, Jesus went to the garden. And when he spoke with his Father, you were in his prayers. As Jesus looked into heaven, you were in his vision. As Jesus dreamed of the day when we will be where he is, he saw you there...
Never had he felt so alone. What had to be done, only he could do. An angel couldn't do it. No angel has the power to break open hell's gates. A man couldn't do it. No force on earth can face the force of evil and win - except God.
And God couldn't turn his back on you. He couldn't because he saw you, and one look at you was all it took to convince him. Right there in the middle of a world which isn't fair. He saw you cast into a river of life you didn't request. He saw yu betrayed by those you love. He saw you with a body which gets sick and a heart which grows weak.
He saw you in your own garden of gnarled trees and sleeping friends. He saw you staring into the pit of your own failures and the mouth of your own grave. He saw you in your Garden of Gethsemane - and he didn't want you to be alone.
He wanted you to know that he was there, too. He knows what it's like to be plotted against. He knows what it's like to be confused. He knows what it's like to be torn between two desires. He knows what it's like to smell the stench of Satan. And, perhaps most of all, he knows what it's like to beg God to change his mind and to hear God say so gently, but firmly, "No."
For that is what God said to Jesus. And Jesus accepted the answer. At some moment during that midnight hour an angel of mercy came over the weary body of the man in the garden. Jesus stood, the anguish gone from his eyes. His heart will fight not more.
The battle had been won. The sign of conquest? Jesus at peace in the olive trees.
On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.

Heaven's Silence
During the darkest night of his life, Jesus experienced unanswered prayer, unfruitful service, and unbelievable betrayal. Jesus had just offered an anguished appeal to God. "My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want" (Matthew 26:39) Matthew says that Jesus was "very sad and troubled" (Matthew 26:37). The Master "fell to the ground" (Matthew 26:39) and cried otu to God. Luke tells us that Jesus was "full of pain" and that "his sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44).
Never has earth offered such an urgent request. And never has heaven offered more deafening silence. The prayer of Jesus was unanswered. Jesus and unanswered prayer in the same phrase? Isn't that an oxymoron? Would the son of Henry have no Ford or the child of Bill Gates own no computer? Would God, the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, keep something from His own Son? He did that night. And that was just the beginning. Look who showed up next:
Judas arrived with an angry crowd. (Matthew 26:47,51). Not only did Jesus have to face unanswered prayer, he also had to deal with unfruitful service. The very people he came to save had now come to arrest him.
Unbelievable betrayal: All pledged loyalty, and yet all ran. The disciples have left him. Unfruitful service: The people have rejected him. And, perhaps most hurtful: unanswered prayer. God hasn't heard him. From a human point of view, Jesus' world has collapsed. No answer from heaven, no help from people, no loyalty from his friends.
Yet somehow, despite all the pain, Jesus was able to see good in the bad, the purpose in the pain, and God's presence in the problem.
He found good in the bad. It would be hard to find someone worse than Judas. The Bible says, "Judas... was a thief. He was the one who kept the money box, and he often stole from it" (John 12:6). Somehow Judas was able live in the presence of God and experience the miracles of Christ and remain unchanged. In the end he decided he'd rather have money than a friend, so he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Judas was a scoundrel, a cheat, a bum. How could anyone see him any other way?
Somehow Jesus did. Only inches from the face of his betrayer, Jesus look at him and said, "Friend, do what you came to do" (Matthew 26:50). What Jesus saw in Judas as worthy of being called a friend, I can't imagine. But I do know that Jesus doesn't lie, and in that moment he saw something good in a bad man.
Not only did Jesus find good in a the bad, he found purpose in the pain. Of the ninety-eight words Jesus spoke at his arrest, thirty refer to the purpose of God. "It must happen that way to bring about what the Scriptures say" (Matthew 26:54). "All these things have happened so that it will some about as the prophets wrote" (Matthew 26:56).
Jesus chose his immediate struggle as a necessary part of a greater plan. He viewed the Gethsemane conflict as an important but singular act in the grand manuscript of God's drama.
Where we see unanswered prayer, Jesus saw answered prayer. Where we see the absence of God, Jesus saw the plan of God. Not especially verse 53: "Surely you know I could ask my Father, and he would give more than twelve armies of angels."
Jesus saw what mattered. He saw his Father. He saw his Father's presence in the problem.

At Any Cost
God on a cross. The ultimate act of creative compassion. The Creator being sacrificed for the creation. God convincing man once and for all that he would give anything, pay any price to save his children. He could have given up. He could have turned his back. He could have walked away from the wretched mess the world became, but he didn't.
God didn't give up.
When people from his own hometown tried to push him over a cliff, he didn't give up.
When his brothers ridiculed him, he didn't give up.
When he was accused of blaspheming God by people who didn't fear God, he didn't give up.
When Peter worshiped him at the supper and cursed him at the fire, he didn't give up.
When people spat in his face, he didn't spit back. When the bystanders slapped him, he didn't slap them. When a whip ripped at his sides, he didn't turn and command the awaiting angels to stuff that whip down that soldier's throat.
And when human hands fastened divine hands to a cross with spikes, it wasn't the soldiers who held the hands of Jesus steady. It was God who held them steady. Those same hands that formed the oceans built the mountains. Those same hands that designed the dawn and crafted each cloud. Those same hands that blueprinted one incredible plan for you and me.
Take a stroll out to the hill. Out to Calvary. Out to the corss where, with holy blood, the hand that placed you on the planet wrote the promise, "God would give up his only Son before he'd give up on you."

Right or Righteous?
It wasn't right that people spit into the eyes that had wept for them. It wasn't right that soldiers ripped chunks of flesh out of the back of their God. It wasn't right that spikes pierced the hands that formed the earth. And it wasn't right that the Son of God was forced to hear the silence of God.
It wasn't right, but it happened.
For while Jesus was on the cross, God sat on his hands. He turned his back. He ignored the screams of the innocent.
He sat in silence while the sins of the world were placed upon his Son. And he did nothing while a cry a million times bloodier than John's echoed in the black sky: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Was it right? No.
Was it fair? No.
Was it love? Yes.
In a world of injustice, God once and for all tipped the scales in favor of hope. And he did it by sitting on his hands so that we could know the kingdom of God.

Heartbroken for You
It was the most gut-wrenching cry of loneliness in history, and it came not from a prisoner or a widow or a patient. It came from a hill, from a cross, from a Messiah.
"My God, my God!" he screamed. "Why did you abandon me!"
Never have words carried so much hurt. Never has one being been so lonely.
The despair is darker than the sky. The two who have been one are now two. Jesus, who had been with God for eternity, is now alone. The Christ, who was an expression of God for eternity, is now alone. The Christ, who was an expression of God, is abandoned. The Trinity is dismantled. The Godhead is disjointed. The unity is dissolved.
It is more than Jesus can take. He withstood the beatings and remained strong at the mock trials. He watched in silence as those he loved ran away. He did not retaliate when the insults were hurled nor did he scream when the nails pierced his wrists.
But when God turned his head, that was more than he could handle.
"My God!" The wail rises from parched lips. The holy heart is broken. The Sinbearer screams as he wanders in the eternal wasteland. Out of the silent sky come the words screamed by all who walk in the desert of loneliness. "Why? Why did you abandon me?"
I can't understand it. I honestly cannot. Why did Jesus do it? Oh, I know, I know. I have heard the official answers. "To gratify the old law." "To fulfill prophecy." And these are right. They are. But there is something more here. Something very compassionate. Something yearning. Somethign personal.
What is it?
Could it be that his heart was broken for all the people who cast despairing eyes toward the dark heavens and cry the same "Why?" Could it be that his heart was broken for the hurting? Could it be his desire to take on their pain propelled him to the cross? If he could have, wouldn't he have run to the cross on behalf of all the pain in the world?
I imagine him, bending close to those who hurt. I imagin him listening. I picture his eyes misting and a pierced hand brushing away a tear. And although he may offer no answer, although he may solve no dilemma, although the question may freeze painfully in midair, he who also was once alone, understands.

"It is finished!"
Are any words in history more splendid? Three words, at once shattering and victorious.
"It is finished."
Stop and listen a moment. Let the words wind through your heart. Imagine the cry from the cross. The sky is dark. The other two victims are moaning. Jeering mouths of the crowd are silent. Perhaps there is thunder. Perhaps there is weeping. Perhaps there is silence. Then Jesus draws in a deep breath, pushes his feet down on that Roman nail, and cries, "It is finished!"
What was finished?
The history-long plan of redeeming man was finished. The message of God to man was finished. The works done by Jesus as a man on earth were finished. The task of selecting and training ambassadors was finished. The job was finished. The song had been sung. The blood had been poured. The sacrifice has been made. The sting of death had been removed. It was over.
A cry of defeat? Hardly. Had his hands not been fastened down I dare say that a triumphant fist would have punched the dark sky. No, this is no cry of despair. It is a cry of completion. A cry of relief. A roar of fulfillment. A shout of victory.

"Father!" (The voice is hoarse.)
The voice that called forth the dead,
the voice that taught the willing,
the voice that screamed at God,
now says, "Father!"
"Father."

It's over.
An angel sighs. A star wipes away a tear.

"Take me home"
Yes, take him home.
Take this prince to his king.
Take this Son to his Father.
Take this pilgrim to his home.
(He deserves a rest.)
"Take me home."

Come, ten thousand angels! Come and take this wounded Troubadour to
The cradle of his Father's arms!

Farewell, manger's infant.
Bless you, holy ambassador.
Go home, death slayer.
Rest well, sweet soldier.
The battle is over.

I will post the rest tomorrow.
-Addie

Maximus Vigilus · Mon May 28, 2007 7:38 pm

LeilaniSurferGirl wrote: Here is something I found in a book I was reading. It is called The Gift for all people: Thoughts on God's great grace by Max Lucado. I thought it was a great explanation. (This will be lengthy, but it seems most of my posts here are lengthy! :lol: )

<Lengthy pointless crap (O wait! My bad thats slang.)>

Now you see it would be nice if you were not still trying to argue the whole God works in mysterious ways, is almighty, has a plan, isn't always fair, and actually get back to what we were talking about, mainly Einstein's intelligence, but I suppose if you really want to skip 2 pages of talking and post some random junk that pertains to nothing we are talking then you should.

Quote: I will post the rest tomorrow.

No please don't.

Houndstooth · Mon May 28, 2007 11:23 pm

LeilaniSurferGirl, what is your point? Have you deliberately ignored the last two pages of discussion?

Bob Frankenberry · Tue May 29, 2007 11:48 pm

LeilaniSurferGirl wrote: tl;dr

"Mr. Frankenberry?"

Why, Little Johnny 8-Year-Old, imagine seeing you back here. I must be off my medication. What are you doing here?

"Well, my big brother--"

You don't have a big brother.

"It's what's in the script."

Oh, right. Sorry, go on.

"Well, my big brother was doing his math homework, and I decided to look at what he was doing. I didn't understand any of it. It was all sorts of add problems and minus problems, but there were letters and stuff in it!"

Well, Johnny, that's because your brother was studying algebra. It's a special form of math designed specifically to torture people in high school and college. It involves rather abstract and sometimes asinine problems like
Code: [3xy+34x]/13^xy(5)
"Golly Gee, Mr. Frankenberry, that looks almost exactly like what my brother was working on."

Golly Gee? What is this 1950? Anyway. Do you remember our conversation about numbers? Because that's important for this.

"I do!"

Okay. Equations are groups of numbers, and sometimes letters. We call these letters Variables, these take the place of a number that would help solve the equation. Take for example this problem:
Code: 2(x) = 6
"Mr. Frankenberry! What does that mean?!"

Well, that equation is "What number [x], doubled (or, multiplied times two) is 6?". Everything always looks more complicated when you have to write it out in words, which is why I don't like those problems.

"So, how do people solve problems like that?"

Well, my algebra teacher told me once that all algebra is backwards. That being said, we simply reverse the problem so that we can get the x by itself.

"How?"

It's like this:

You start with your original problem:
Code: 2(x) = 6
Then, as the 2 is being multiplied by the x, we must divide both sides by the 2. Both sides of the equation because for it to be equal, both sides of the equal sign most undergo the same action.
Code: [2(x)]/2 = 6/2
[2(x)]/2 can also be written as, for clarity:
Code: 2(x)/1 * 1/2
This is true because dividing by 2 is also the same as multiplying by 1/2, or 0.5.

When we do the math, we determine the following:
Code: 2(x)/1 * 1/2 = x
The two instances of the 2 divide out of the problem, leaving us with x/1 * 1/1. Obviously that is no more than x * 1. Which is x.

6/2 is much easier. 6/2 or
Code: 6/1 * 1/2
Or whatever else you want to do. In 6/1 * 1/2, we discover that the instance of the 2 divides into the instance of the 6 a total of three times. That leaves us with:
Code: 3/1 * 1/1
Or 3 * 1, which is three.

Thus the answer to our equation is:
Code: x = 3
"That sure is a lot of work, Mr. Frankenberry."

It's not so bad, really. I mean, math is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. These equations are simply combining the like terms, and then doing the proper mathematical function to gain the solution.

"What's a like term?"

Well, Johnny, that's like 8(x) and 12(x). Those two numbers are like terms. They have the same variable, and can be multiplied together into a problem.

Let's generate a problem, using like terms, so we can solve it.
Code: 10x + 4(3x + 2) + 4^2= 23
"Golly! That sure looks difficult."

And it would be, lest you remember your Order of Operations.

"What are those?!"

They're the process by which all mathematics is solved. Without these rules we would have all sorts of problems in generating the correct solution to an equation.

The first one is Parenthesis or Fraction Bars.

Essentially, any kind of grouped selection of numbers. Numbers in Parenthesis or Brackets, and if dealing with the division of Polynomials, which we'll get into later, you deal with numerator and the denominator separately.

After those you have Exponents. Funny things like 2^2 or (2^2)^2.

Then you have Multiplication and Division, done from Left to Right. Just like how we read. If done right-to-left, we would have things like rounding errors in the problem.

Finally, we have Addition and Subtraction, which is also from Left to Right.

So let's look at that problem again.
Code: 10x + 4(3x + 2) + 4^2= 23
"Mr. Frankenberry! There's a parenthesis!"

Yes, Johnny, there is. However, 3x cannot be added into 2, as 2 is no a coefficient of x, like 3 is. When something like this happens, the numbers are left alone until they can be dealt with earlier.

"I see a Exponent, too!"

AN exponent. And, you're right. 4^2 is an exponential statement.

And, when dealing with exponents, remember these basic rules.

For all of these, assume that x is not 0.
Code: x^0 = 1
Code: x^1 = x
Code: x^2 = x * x [For all instances of a number greater than 2, it's nothing more than multiplying by an equal number of x. Like x^3 is x*x*x]
Code: x^n * x^m = x^(n+m)
Code: (x^n)/(x^m) = x^(n-m)
Code: (x^n)^m = x^(n*m)
Code: x^(n/m) = M-rt of x^n [or the Mth Root of x^n]
However, you don't need to concern yourself with most of these yet.

But back to our math problem. For the sake of time, I'll simply put the step-by-step solving into some CODE.
Code: 10x + 4(3x + 2) + 4^2= 23
10x + 4(3x + 2) + 14 = 23
10x + 12x + 8 + 14 = 23
22x + 22 = 23
[22x + 22] -22 = 23-22
22x = 1
[22x]/22 = 1/22
x = 1/22

"Mr. Frankenberry, 1/22? Isn't that kind of ugly?"

It's a simply little fraction, Johnny. Shut up.

That's all for this week, folks.

"Who are you talking to?"

Go to your room.

SummerHuntingtown07 · Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:14 pm

If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?"

Houndstooth · Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:43 pm

SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?" What does that have to do with ANYTHING in this topic?! Finish one argument before you start another!

SummerHuntingtown07 · Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:20 pm

Houndstooth wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?" What does that have to do with ANYTHING in this topic?! Finish one argument before you start another! This is still basically on the same discussion!

Maximus Vigilus · Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:42 pm

SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: Houndstooth wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?" What does that have to do with ANYTHING in this topic?! Finish one argument before you start another! This is still basically on the same discussion!

If by discussion you mean, talking about God, then yes you would be correct.

But you IGNORED everyone else's points and didn't reply to anything anyone said at all, so either address the current points made or just don't post in this topic.

LeilaniSurferGirl · Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:29 pm

I do realize that I did get a bit off topic. But I read that, and just wanted to share that with you all. No, I didn't ignore it. But I will be thinking about your questions over the next few days.

SummerHuntingtown07 · Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:48 pm

Maximus Vigilus wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: Houndstooth wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?" What does that have to do with ANYTHING in this topic?! Finish one argument before you start another! This is still basically on the same discussion!

If by discussion you mean, talking about God, then yes you would be correct.

But you IGNORED everyone else's points and didn't reply to anything anyone said at all, so either address the current points made or just don't post in this topic. I thought I did say some things on other points.

Maximus Vigilus · Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:10 pm

SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: Maximus Vigilus wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: Houndstooth wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?" What does that have to do with ANYTHING in this topic?! Finish one argument before you start another! This is still basically on the same discussion!

If by discussion you mean, talking about God, then yes you would be correct.

But you IGNORED everyone else's points and didn't reply to anything anyone said at all, so either address the current points made or just don't post in this topic. I thought I did say some things on other points.

No, you put random irrelevant statements in.

Houndstooth · Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:12 am

SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: Maximus Vigilus wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: Houndstooth wrote: SummerHuntingtown07 wrote: If the Bible wasn't true about how we sin and do wrong things, how else did we just "start doing bad things?" What does that have to do with ANYTHING in this topic?! Finish one argument before you start another! This is still basically on the same discussion!

If by discussion you mean, talking about God, then yes you would be correct.

But you IGNORED everyone else's points and didn't reply to anything anyone said at all, so either address the current points made or just don't post in this topic. I thought I did say some things on other points. You'll have to post some direct links, then, because I don't see what you're talking about.