Word of the Day

[Antonius]

I like the magical number 9
“What I want to know is why, no matter what number you use, if you [add its digits together, subtract this from the original number, and then repeatedly sum the digits of the resulting numbers], the answer is always 9? Take the number 3,568 for example:

• Add those digits together: 3 + 5 + 6 + 8 = 22
• Subtract 22 from your original number: 3,568 – 22 = 3,546
• Add those digits together: 3 + 5 + 4 + 6 = 18
• Add those digits together: 1 + 8 = 9

I come up with 9 no matter what I do

[ssummerlin]

@ssummerlin

Math or Meth.

I meant Methodology.

[Crease]

Flea talks a little about his study of and appreciation for math in that Hot Ones interview I mentioned elsewhere recently.

Thinking about math’s relationship to music reminds me of when I participated in a staged reading of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia for a conference at my alma mater. Afterward I was approached by a mathematics professor from some university in the UK who asked me what kind of training I’d had with my accent for the performance. I told him that I basically learned it from years of watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus and listening to BBC World Service on public radio. I consider being asked that question one of the coolest compliments I ever received as a performer.

@carverofchoice

stupid algebra homework

School algebra blows, because it’s basically tedious busy work once you understand the concepts. Simple algebra can actually be fairly useful with a lot of practical applications for people, even if they don’t realize that they’re using them.

I feel fortunate to have had the same teacher—easily in the top two school teachers I’ve ever had in my life—for math classes for my last three years of (public) high school. As a senior, I had calculus, and it was challenging, but I genuinely appreciated the way it made me think. There was a beautifully structured process to solving problems, and I felt like that structure could be applied to other problems in non-math endeavors. The worst thing about calculus, though, was the algebra, because I still had to do a lot of algebra to get to the end of many problems.

@carverofchoice

They should’ve used real life examples of how those equations meant anything, not just random busy work.

This was one of the beautiful things about calculus in high school, because occasionally the teacher would break away from the theory and repetition to show us real-world applications of calculus, like how you can use the math to determine how the rate of flow changes over time if you punch a hole in the bottom of a drum of fluid. We could see an actual use for this stuff and how it connected to physics and fluid dynamics, for example. That was eye opening.

If I had continued to have access to teachers of that caliber in college—people who you could tell just by being in their presence were genuinely interested in teaching and in imparting knowledge to others—in the math classes that were available to me at the time, then I likely would’ve continued learning much more in that field.

[carverofchoice]

@Antonius

magical number 9

Oh, please let me ruin the number 9 for you!

It’s a glitch in the Matrix because we use base-10 (decimal), due to our bias from the number of fingers we have. Essentially, it’s a clever way to find the remainder when a number is divided by 9, and since the process itself ENSURES all intermediate results are divisible by 9, the final answer is always 9.

There are similar matrix glitches in other number bases too.
Base-2 (Binary) does the same thing.

• The “magical number” is 1.
• Any number minus the sum of its digits will always be divisible by (2-1) = 1.
• Repeatedly summing digits will eventually lead to 1.

Hexadecimal (Base-16):

• The “magical number” is F (decimal 15).
• Any number minus the sum of its digits will always be divisible by (16-1) = 15 (F in hexadecimal).
• Repeatedly summing digits will eventually lead to F.

It’s all about modular congruence. the same things works for every single number base because it’s an instance of a broader mathematical principle related to the properties of divisibility and modular congruence within whatever base is being used.

Basically, if Aliens use a different number base than base-10 or decimal, they would still have the exact same concept because it’s not dependent on the number base, it is a mathematical consistency that will work no matter what number base you use. So, mathematically, there is actually nothing special about the number 9 except that you manipulated it to be special by choosing to use a made up number base (base-10). You can probably make ANY number be as super as 9 if you custom select a different number base as the foundation.

And when [all numbers are] super…no [number] will be!

Therefore, 9 does not have any magical superpowers because all other numbers have them too.

I vote for 42…IYKYK

[dave27]

I was good at math up until Differential Equations. That crap never clicked.

[ssummerlin]

@carverofchoice

because we use base-10 (decimal), due to our bias from the number of fingers we have.

Our first finger is zero?

[Crease]

@ssummerlin

first finger

This just makes me wonder how @Antonius and the gang are doing with their sign language lessons.

[peepeep]

@ssummerlin

Math or Meth.

Math, I’d say.

@ssummerlin

I meant Methodology.

Are you a methodologist? Professionally and/or by nature?

[Crease]

When I first read this, I thought you were asking if he’s a Methodist. I think I need to pull my away from the screen and .

[ssummerlin]

Actually I was raised Baptist and reside somewhat in that realm.

I do like methodology…

Not to be confused with Methodism.

In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bringing about a certain goal, like acquiring knowledge or verifying knowledge claims.

I guess professionally previously and now carried over to personally.

[carverofchoice]

@ssummerlin

Our first finger is zero?

You may not realize how deep of a comment that is.

For one thing, in some cultures, they actually have used the first finger to represent “nothing” or the absence of a quantity when counting using fingers.

In addition, the first number in computers is actually zero, not 1, at least in zero-based indexing, especially with arrays and lists which eliminates the needless extra calculations that would be required to convert between human-readable indices (starting at 1) and machine-readable memory addresses (starting at 0), which makes faster and more efficient code (especially with large datasets). It actually simplifies programming operations (iterating through arrays, calculating array lengths, accessing elements relative to the beginning of the array), and is more consistent and compatible.

Common example

AntoniusPets = ["MFP", "raccoons", "possums"]

first_pet = AntoniusPets[0]  # Accesses "MFP"
second_pet = AntoniusPets[1] # Accesses "racoons"
third_pet = AntoniusPets[2] # Accesses "possums"

So in that sense, there is a case to make that the first finger should be 0.

Then there is the hack for doing multiples of 9’s with your fingers…basically you hold up all 10 fingers and then put down the finger you are multiplying against 9 and it will tell you what number it is…for 9 times 2 you put down the second finger from the left and you have 1 finger on the left side of it and 9 fingers on the right side, so the answer is 18. for 9 times 8 you put down the 8th finger and you will have 7 fingers on the left and 2 on the right, so the answer is 72. You can do that with all the other fingers in the same way as a quick cheat (I use it all the time). Now with this trick if you put down the:

@ssummerlin

first finger

Then you will have zero fingers on the left and 9 on the right, so 9 times 1 is 9. So in that sense, indeed it would be correct to say:

@ssummerlin

Our first finger is zero

</nerd post>

[ssummerlin]

@carverofchoice

In addition, the first number in computers is actually zero, not 1

Absolutely in all based numbering systems.

I forgot about arrays. Good example.

Base 10 - 0,1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Base 16- 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, A, B, C, D, E, F

Although 10 to the zero power is 1.

So now, is the thumb on my left hand, finger 0? We read from left to right.

I remember upon my first visit to France. I ordered a beer from the bar and held up my index finger on my left hand to signify quanity. I recevied two beers. I thought it must be happy hour, but it wasn’t. Turns out the thumb is for one drink. Glad it wasn’t zero then.

I learned to count up to ten in French after that.

p.s. - 5 edits. Time for bed.

[habib]

Just reading all this math gave me a headache

[Antonius]

@Crease

This just makes me wonder how @Antonius and the gang are doing with their sign language lessons

They are still in school. They have soak their hands first prior to making finger gestures.

[Antonius]

@carverofchoice

Oh, please let me ruin the number 9 for you!

What a party er

[peepeep]

Ok, I missed it, @dave27 was only Word of the Day Queen until ~midnight PST last night, but if I hadn’t missed it, I would have asked him this:

If someone were to portray you dramatically as you are on the job…

Events tab changed - doesn't save selected cameras

Step 1 - Work for a massive global company for 18+ years Step 2 - Make sure it is a publicly traded one (they have an uncanny knack for cost cutting to make the current quarter numbers at the expense of future quarters, at which point they cost cut even more in a vicious cycle). Step 3 - Watch huge, critical multi-million dollar corporate clients experience major service issues Step 4 - Drive yourself crazy trying to get them to acknowledge and fix the problems Step 5 - Watch said problems f…

…what physical characteristic (or habit) could they hook into to ‘get you right?’

The Big Chill: A Reunion | Full Retrospective Documentary | Fantastic Tilly Exclusives

Programming note: Coke® means Coca-Cola®. ‘Wiggling my foot’ means wiggling my foot. Ms. Close was super excited to be on the set. This is what Discourse forum software considers an apt emoji for ‘triumph.’ I have made it ‘little tiny’ to comport with Ms. Close’ description of her achievement.

[peepeep]

hyperreality

[peepeep]

evidence of humanity

[carverofchoice]

I think I’m going to go with this profile picture now:

It’s a little more similar to my original profile picture (Black and White with fewer details), but I like the symbolism here without my face.

A bunch of carving tools aiming at an unknown something that is full of potential for pure creation, but the tools have to break through the black/darkness surrounding it first and they’re encircling it in a way that almost looks like rays of light; and what it can be designed into is open to choice and intention, etc.

I have a couple other alternatives I saved, but I’m liking this one, and like that it’s more similar to my old black and white PFP.

Plus posting another AI image in here like we were for a bit has the benefit of defying Peeppeep one last time for fun:

@peepeep

Post your dam AI art here and keep it out of the other threads, it’s GROSS

Post drek here and keep the greater community clean!

As a side benefit, with my Maven Badge, it kind of looks like a black and White Pacman with the mouth facing downward 45 degrees to eat the maven badge:

[ssummerlin]

@carverofchoice

Plus posting another AI image in here like we were for a bit has the benefit of defying Peeppeep one last time for fun:

Sounds like the best reason.