40% of College Students get this question wrong. AND IT MAKES ME ANGRY!

[MasterSplinter]

El cuadrado del primero mas del doble del primero por el segundo mas el cuadrado del segundo.

(a+b)^2 = (a^2 +2ab + B^2) = (a+b)(a+b)

We learn this in our third grade of highschool (that is 13 year old boys). But I agree that people forget what they don't use, you can't avoid it. Still I think basic math procedures sould be part general culture.

 

[teutonicman]

Took me a second, I thought "FOIL... what th-oh shit expand I remember!" So does that mean 40% of post-secondary students go in to programs that have nothing to do with mathematics? Yes it is basic math my standards but come on 60% going in to mathematics/sciences is bloody good.

 

[_Cake_]

We use BODMAS so

 

[fogmike]

Those of us who:

a) have a clue
b) don't have any use for advanced maths in our occupations

simply refer to any of the THOUSANDS of applications, websites, and calculators that exist to solve these problems, in the rare case that they come up. Faster than you.

My answer? http://twitpic.com/1brqqr

BS. Took me five seconds in my head.

Yes, because you *already know* what the answer is. As did the vast majority of us. Try an equation you haven't already stored the answer for.

Here, let me help you.

Expand:

Is that times 2x or to the power of 2x?

 

[SnipErlite]

Well I can expand it easily,

Spoiler

x^2 + 6x + 9

but FOIL? Where's that from?

Like, is it taught that way in certain areas or something?

We just learnt to expand things using the word "expand"

 

[Flig]

Foil is that first, outer, inner, last thing, right? Yeah, I learned that in like eighth grade.

 

[KAPTAINmORGANnWo4life]

Wait, is it (x+3) to the power of 2? No. There's no way they can't get that.

That means it's (x+3)(x+3), which means it's [x (squared) + 6x + 9]

Nope. There's no excuse for that.

 

[The Bandit]

"herp a derp im a [insert major] i don't need this!"

I'm an English major. I'm required to take one math course. I know how to do this, because I learned the material in high school. I didn't cram it into head for the test and then forget about it.

Whether this particular piece of knowledge is useful or not is irrelevant- the fact that most people just prepare for their tests and then forget the material is an issue.

As to the "ur major is useless!" debate- if something is irrelevant, it shouldn't be discussed. If you think art and music (and I'm sure English fits into your thoughts as well) is useless, then shut the fuck up about it. Your elitism is annoying.

And, no, I don't think people applying for "fake" majors is a problem. Why? Because I'm not arrogant enough to believe I have the right to tell someone what they should do with their life. That's exactly what you're trying to do. Again. Shut the fuck up.

I just made myself an enemy of everyone in this thread. Art/music and math people. How awesome is that?

 

[WilliamRLBaker]

hmmm...I would rather you'd be sad that something on 60% of college students don't get into a profession or job that uses their college education...Go to college for one thing and you will likely get into something that has nothing to do with that education you got....that's the sad thing and one reason I never went to college.

 

[_Serendipity_]

Those of us who:

a) have a clue
b) don't have any use for advanced maths in our occupations

simply refer to any of the THOUSANDS of applications, websites, and calculators that exist to solve these problems, in the rare case that they come up. Faster than you.

My answer? http://twitpic.com/1brqqr

BS. Took me five seconds in my head.

Yes, because you *already know* what the answer is. As did the vast majority of us. Try an equation you haven't already stored the answer for.

Here, let me help you.

Expand:

Is that times 2x or to the power of 2x?

It has to be to the power of 2x, or it makes no sense.

 

[Paddin]

College is supposed to be a place of higher learning. To get into college you must also pass high school and a number of exams. Yet, based on a recent campus wide survey conducted at my school 40% of college students cannot FOIL. I am a math major and this saddens and angers me. So Escapist, I ask you:

FOIL: (x+3)^2
EDIT: FOIL also means Expand...

Please put your answers in spoiler tags so people can't cheat without actively looking. To do a spoiler tag you place [mathspoiler]{content}[/mathspoiler] but remove the "math" part.

Remember, 40 freakin' percent fail at this. Try not to be one of them.

The correct answer is

Spoiler

{x^2+6x+9}

I think you are being elitist. Im in college, and ive been offered a place at a university, and this is all for English Literature. I learnt this, about 4 years ago, and forgot about it. Why? Because its an equation which to me is pointless and means nothing to me. No I dont know the answer, nor do I want to, because I can safely say I will never need to know it and so dont need to memorise it.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

Math is not my strong suit. But even I know this!

Spoiler

{(x+3)^2
x*x + 3*x + 3*x + 3*3 = x^2+6x+9}

 

[Deathsigna]

"herp a derp im a [insert major] i don't need this!"

I'm an English major. I'm required to take one math course. I know how to do this, because I learned the material in high school. I didn't cram it into head for the test and then forget about it.

Whether this particular piece of knowledge is useful or not is irrelevant- the fact that most people just prepare for their tests and then forget the material is an issue.

As to the "ur major is useless!" debate- if something is irrelevant, it shouldn't be discussed. If you think art and music (and I'm sure English fits into your thoughts as well) is useless, then shut the fuck up about it. Your elitism is annoying.

And, no, I don't think people applying for "fake" majors is a problem. Why? Because I'm not arrogant enough to believe I have the right to tell someone what they should do with their life. That's exactly what you're trying to do. Again. Shut the fuck up.

I just made myself an enemy of everyone in this thread. Art/music and math people. How awesome is that?

Here here. If I hear one more time that I'm doing a doss subject (philosophy) I'm going to scream.
Also, if elitists are going to be elitists, they should at least leave music alone. That's one of the hardest subjects you can attempt, and anyone who says otherwise probably hasn't tried it for years.

 

[The Bandit]

Go to college for one thing and you will likely get into something that has nothing to do with that education you got....that's the sad thing and one reason I never went to college.

You know that based on the fact that you never went to college.

Hmmm....

 

[Bigsmith]

(x+3)^2

Right... so thats (x+3)(x+3)

Meaing x*x+3*3+3*x+3*x
Simplfied...
x^2+9+6x

 

[RvLeshrac]

Erm. Your `solution' fails for x=1.

Edit: I see what you've done. I think it's meant to be to the power of (2x), not just multiplied by 2x.
...and RvLeshrac, if you wrote that in LaTeX, you realise you need to use \left and \right to get the brackets the right size?

You're right, it does.

Also, I wrote that up as I was leaving the house for work. I could clean it a bit, but meh.

Solution will follow when I get time to format it.

Superscript == exponent.

 

[silentsentinel]

Get it wrong? This makes me sad, not mad. The US still has the best colleges in the world, but the high schools are horrid...

 

[Keava]

Frankly.. this is a thing they teach in my country at the most basic level of math right after the primary school (our school system is: 6 years of primary, 3 ears gymnasium+3year lyceum as secondary) and only after that you get to apply for Uni. With the 3 basic formulas [(a+b)^2, (a-b)^2 and (a+b)(a-b)] you cant even progress above primary education <.<

 

[j0frenzy]

I have seen a couple of people bring this up, so what is BODMAS? I have never heard of that before.

 

[Togala]

my pre-calculus teacher last year would freak out if someone forgot to FOIL. some would just square x and 3.