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

[Craftybonds]

That's amazingly simple, anyone over the level of algebra 1 should get that...shit...i think i learned that in my junior high level math class.

(x+3)^2 -> (x+3)(x+3) -> x^2 + 6x + 9

 

[Agayek]

Wait...Fake Majors? I'm sorry but I'm in my first year of my Poli Sci major and I can say that these majors are anything but easy. What is your major and why is it so hard then tell me that before you start calling other people's skills "Fake"

I term anything where the ultimate goal is to not really produce anything useful (or where the value is subjective) as a "fake" major. It's not so much a slight against the people who study them as the subject in general. I'm of the opinion that such subjects really shouldn't be taught at schools, because the structured learning of schools can't really teach you the sort of skills that are ultimately necessary for such professions. It's much more individual, and what works for some people simply won't work for others, whereas with more "hard science" type subjects, things work in one particular way for specific reasons, and they always will, regardless of student.

Also, my major was Computer Science, and it was fairly damn easy for me. More because it played almost directly into my strengths while avoiding my most glaring weaknesses than any deficiency or strength of the program though.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Spoiler

(x+3)^2 is (x+3)(x+3). When you FOIL that out, you get x^2+6x+9.

Maybe people just didn't know what "FOIL" was. I've had teachers who have called it other things, or even used different methods, but still got the same result. And, for that matter, what college did they conduct this "study" at? I sense a conspiracy!

This guy got it exactly right.

Just recently I finished taking a bunch of math classes at my college. I can do the first and last part of the FOIL in my head. The middle one usually has me second-guessing myself unless I do it by hand though.

It breaks down like this:

First variable is always the first number squared. Last variable is always last number times itself. Second variable will be the first variable plus last variable times two.

Hope that makes some sense.

 

[Craftybonds]

Good old Foil. First, Outside, Inside, Last. You don't have to do it in that order but I guess it helps getting ax^2+Bx+c=0 and what not.

Anyway, I'm not to sure how the college system works in America (being an Australian) but I would think that people go there for degrees/courses that don't involve maths. Even though it is simple high school maths I'd wager that there are plenty of people with greater, more difficult concerns on their mind (things that students who go do math degrees wont understand) and so when asked this (I would imagine out of the blue) you can't expect them to get it. If however it was a question on a test that would give access to college (you guys call em the SATs, right?) than 40% of students not knowing that is pretty appalling.

I heard of a similar number of people who didn't know that out of Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan which were not members of the Axis powers. Most that got it wrong said Imperial Japan, meaning they either believed that Japan were their allies during WWII and the Soviets an Enemy or had no idea what the axis powers were. Either way I have to wonder why the American education system left out that piece of information.

Even so, almost every major that i can think of requires Algebra I at minimum.

 

[wildpeaks]

Aww I also got it wrong, but because I've misread "^" into "*" (probably because I haven't slept for 48 hours).

 

[shadowstriker86]

i have to respond to this with a question. Who cares? its the same argument i gave to my teachers back in high school, it never comes into practical everyday use, so it's useless outside of studies.

Ask the military. They will tell you how useful it is in ordinance and R&D.

notice how i said PRACTICAL EVERYDAY USE, you may as well have said math teachers

 

[Chewster]

I term anything where the ultimate goal is to not really produce anything useful (or where the value is subjective) as a "fake" major.

So the creation of art contributes nothing to your world? How soulless and depressing.

Not to mention the troubles defining "useful".

Maybe all we should be taught at the higher levels is how to build houses, and fish, and hunt and make clothing out of dead animals.

Certainly that is more "useful" then programing computers, I'm sure you'll agree.

 

[pearcinator]

I got it right!

working out included...

(x+3)^2
= (x+3)(x+3)
= (x^2 + 3x + 3x + 9)
= (x^2 + 6x + 9)

 

[Riobux]

Any indication of what course they are doing? Social Sciences tend to not need to know how to expand brackets or even have much knowledge of algebra. Plus, there's also History, Art, Music and Sports just off the top of my head. A lot of college courses don't require in-depth knowledge of maths, especially if the course is expressive and not academic.

 

[nicholaxxx]

I was close, but totally forgot that you multiply all parts of it, I got

Spoiler

x^2+6x+6

...not bad, considering I'm in tenth grade, I guess?

 

[Agayek]

Sorry to break this to you, but all values are subjective and arbitrary. Even values like "being alive". There is nothing objective about your opinions.

Except when someone produces something (for the sake of example let's say they build a car), you can point at the car and say "This is what person X has contributed to society!" In addition, you can take people who are in similar situations in life and present them with the car (for this example, let's say a pair of 18 year olds who have never owned a car before). They will perceive it as roughly equal in value.

This is not true with art. Someone can make a painting, and one person will think it's the very pinnacle of human artistry, while his twin will think it's an incredibly strange collection of paint splotches.

That's what I mean by a subjective contribution to society. There is no definitive value for art, in any form, whereas things that are concrete and real will typically be perceived as being worth roughly X by everyone.

 

[Agayek]

So the creation of art contributes nothing to your world? How soulless and depressing.

Not to mention the troubles defining "useful".

Maybe all we should be taught at the higher levels is how to build houses, and fish, and hunt and make clothing out of dead animals.

Certainly that is more "useful" then programing computers, I'm sure you'll agree.

Probably. At least until I can figure out how to program the robots to do all that stuff for me, then it becomes a waste of effort.

 

[Shapsters]

Dont you just double the equation? the ^2 turns the equation into: (x+3)(x+3) thus making the answer:

Spoiler: Answer

x^2+3x+3x+9= x^2+6x+9

Would I be correct?

Its grade 10 math so maybe thats why college kids don't know it.

 

[Hashime]

I know the answer, but don;t know the atr on the spoiler tag. Try this one out, it is a little harder but is easy if you know the process.
(x+2)^4

 

[Lost In The Void]

Well, I wasn't sure what FOIL means, as I usually refer to it as "expanding" or some variation thereof, but I did know the answer.

Edit: Also, there are a lot of people who study fake majors (like Art, Music, etc), and they don't tend, or need, much in the way of math classes so it's somewhat understandable. Depressing, but understandable.

Wait...Fake Majors? I'm sorry but I'm in my first year of my Poli Sci major and I can say that these majors are anything but easy. What is your major and why is it so hard then tell me that before you start calling other people's skills "Fake"

No no no music is not a fake major at all. It gets really complicating whether you're in theory or actually learning to play an instrument.

Art is hard because the art in general is subjective. But majoring in a more valid subject does make more sense. Logically.

And now we throw "valid" into the discussion. That again is extremely generalizing the Arts Majors. We have Music and Art Major because that adds to our cultures and entertain the audiences of the world, something extremely "valid" in evolving ourselves as a society and adding to our cultures. Political Science is an Arts degree, extremely important in analyzing government, which last time I checked was pretty damned important as well to ensure that our government is accountable, since half the population of any democratic country doesn't have a damned clue on whats going on anymore, so far I'm thinking all three of those were pretty valid majors.

Wait...Fake Majors? I'm sorry but I'm in my first year of my Poli Sci major and I can say that these majors are anything but easy. What is your major and why is it so hard then tell me that before you start calling other people's skills "Fake"

I term anything where the ultimate goal is to not really produce anything useful (or where the value is subjective) as a "fake" major. It's not so much a slight against the people who study them as the subject in general. I'm of the opinion that such subjects really shouldn't be taught at schools, because the structured learning of schools can't really teach you the sort of skills that are ultimately necessary for such professions. It's much more individual, and what works for some people simply won't work for others, whereas with more "hard science" type subjects, things work in one particular way for specific reasons, and they always will, regardless of student.

Also, my major was Computer Science, and it was fairly damn easy for me. More because it played almost directly into my strengths while avoiding my most glaring weaknesses than any deficiency or strength of the program though.

That doesn't make sense at all. Art and Music isn't about creating something useful? They create beauty, entertainment and thought provoking materials that help people gain perspectives. These kinds of things are really important to any country and any culture. Calling these things "Not Useful" is completely naive and ignoring a valuable gift that many people have. You say yourself that you are talented at Computer Sciences, where as that won't work for me no matter how the Professor would teach it. My talents are understanding and interpreting political matters and examining psychs of people. These are both leading me to complete a major in Political Sciences which is, as I mentioned above, an Arts Major. This means I can become a political adviser, analyst, or as I plan to do, use it to then get a Bachelor in Law, which is an extremely necessary career. This is only my example but as it stands, it appears to stand in contrast to what you think about Arts Majors

 

[Jfswift]

I'm going to post an example here with the problem broken apart neatly.

FOIL: (x+3)^2

F(first) O(outside) I(inside) L(last)


(x+3)^2... start with this

(x+3)(X+3)... since it's to the second power that means the number in brackets is multiplied by itself

X * X = X^2..... now multiple the first number in each paranthesis by each other
X * 3 = 3X...... now multiple the numbers on the outside to each other
3 * X = 3X...... now the inside ones
3 * 3 = 9....... and finally the last two

X^2 + 3X + 3X + 9... which gives you this for an answer

X^2 + 6X + 9... condense it a bit and you get this

 

[Agayek]

That doesn't make sense at all. Art and Music isn't about creating something useful? They create beauty, entertainment and thought provoking materials that help people gain perspectives. These kinds of things are really important to any country and any culture. Calling these things "Not Useful" is completely naive and ignoring a valuable gift that many people have. You say yourself that you are talented at Computer Sciences, where as that won't work for me no matter how the Professor would teach it. My talents are understanding and interpreting political matters and examining psychs of people. These are both leading me to complete a major in Political Sciences which is, as I mentioned above, an Arts Major. This means I can become a political adviser, analyst, or as I plan to do, use it to then get a Bachelor in Law, which is an extremely necessary career. This is only my example but as it stands, it appears to stand in contrast to what you think about Arts Majors

I probably should've just gone with the parenthetical first and foremost. The value of art is subjective (plus the actual educational value of studying art in a structured learning environment is questionable at best) thus I call the study of art a fake major.

I don't mean that art, music, entertainment, etc is useless (and I really should be more careful with my choice of words), but that they're value is entirely subjective.



I will say, though, that any and all politicians are, as a group, basically useless though. If only because the US government has very successfully jaded my views on such things in recent years.

 

[theamazingbean]

Except when someone produces something (for the sake of example let's say they build a car), you can point at the car and say "This is what person X has contributed to society!" In addition, you can take people who are in similar situations in life and present them with the car (for this example, let's say a pair of 18 year olds who have never owned a car before). They will perceive it as roughly equal in value.

This is not true with art. Someone can make a painting, and one person will think it's the very pinnacle of human artistry, while his twin will think it's an incredibly strange collection of paint splotches.

That's what I mean by a subjective contribution to society. There is no definitive value for art, in any form, whereas things that are concrete and real will typically be perceived as being worth roughly X by everyone.

Missed the point entirely. Some people will value cars for the utility they provide. And some people will value utility because it grants them a wider array of options. And they will value that for so on and so forth. At the bottom of this chain is a subjective judgment.

 

[DkLnBr]

Foil? I fail at foil. But seriously, i dont remember even being taught this, but then again I dont remember what I had for breakfast today