Algebra? Hmmm.....

[rickthefightguy]

I just registered for the GRE. And I went through the example questions. The verbal stuff was no problem (though I did get one of them wrong). The essays look doable. But the math problems were ... challenging. Not most of them, but a few definitely. I am going to have to do a little...studying!

Comments

[rickthefightguy]

Heehee...thanks all! If I need actual help figuring things out, a) I will be horribly embarrassed, and b) I live upstairs from a High School math teacher.

No, it is mostly just reviewing the basics. I wasn't sure, for example, that x+y/ab = x/ab + y/ab. I looked it up and it does. (I could have worked it out too. 1+2/3 = 1/3+2/3, duh!) Stuff like that. It will come back quick, and I have some stuff from the GRE website to review that should get me on the right path. I will take a practice exam soon and find out.

[jamey1138]

BTW, the left-hand side of each equation above is untrue, unless you add parentheses:

(x+y)/ab = x/ab + y/ab
(1+2)/3 = 1/3 + 2/3

But, 1+2/3 should be read as "one and two thirds" (equivalent to five thirds)...

I imagine that on the practice test, the fraction bar wasn't a slash (/) but rather a horizontal line:

x+y
---
ab

?

[corwyn_ap]

How can the left side of an equation by untrue? :-)

[jamey1138]

Response 1: Excellent point. I ought to have said, "The left side of the equation is erroneous, making the equation untrue. The left side ought to have read..."

Response 2: Bite me.

[rickthefightguy]

Lol.

To be fair, however, was there anyone (including me) who you think didn't understand the way that was formatted? So, I was thinking a bit of response 2 to your initial quibble :)

[corwyn_ap]

Take your best shot! Of course, in order to try you will need to get closer, which would be cool. Miss you all.

***

In fairness Rick, Mathematics is a VERY concise language, and thus tolerates ambiguity very badly. DWIM is virtual impossible as there is usually no context.

[rickthefightguy]

Interestingly, the instructions for the GRE are very nicely clear that you shouldn't be a stickle-dick when taking it. They give specific examples exactly like the stuff that Cynthia complains about, like 'when it says 'there are 30 marbles in the bag, and 20 of them are red', you are to take that to mean 'and 10 of them are _not_ red'. For better example, go take a look at the website. I love that they do that, so I don't need to worry about whether I can warp the thing to make a wrong answer right!
In that vein, I am pretty confident saying that I was not actually ambiguous. The people I was communicating with knew what I meant, though of course they were free to willfully misinterpret. And did, because its fun!