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Original poster

40+40x0+1 ?

539 replies

minimuffy · 09/11/2011 19:48

40 + 40 x 0 + 1 =

A- 1
B- 41
c- 0

I say its B-41 as you need to multiply then add. (from what i remember of standard grade maths the acroymym BOMDAS- brackets off, multiply, divide, add, subtract)

DH says its 1.

please tell he's wrong!

OP posts:
RustyBear · 12/11/2011 11:57

The misstep is the 'that makes the TV £27' It doesn't, the TV + the assistant's lunch = £27, and the nuns have paid for both, they just don't realise it. But God does, so the divine retribution will fall on the assistant. the sandwich he buys for lunch will probably have salmonella.... Grin

SherbetDibDab · 12/11/2011 11:56

The £27 includes the £2 the shop assistant has pocketed. The shop only got £25.

So adding the £2 back onto the £27, actually makes no sense.

So there's actually £3 missing and we already know the nuns have that.

nickelbabe · 12/11/2011 11:55

no, it works.
Grin

that's why it's so confusing!

Hicidycup · 12/11/2011 11:50

Hummmm? Confused

Seona1973 · 12/11/2011 11:49

thats making my brain hurt just trying to work it out!

Thumbwitch · 12/11/2011 11:47

I'm sure there's a logical mis-step in that, leBOF but I can't think straight enough to work it out while I'm watching CSI!

LeBOF · 12/11/2011 11:36

3 nuns go to a shop to buy a tv that costs £30. They all pay an equal share of £10 each. The manager realises it should only have cost £25 and, fearful of divine retribution, he tells the sales assistant to refund them £5. The assistant decides that you cannot share £5 equally between 3 people so keeps £2 for himself to buy lunch and finds the 3 nuns browsing in the gaming section and gives them the remaining £3. That means the nuns have paid £9 each for the tv which makes the tv £27 and the shop assistant has £2. £27 + £2 = £29. But where did the other £1 go?

Thumbwitch · 12/11/2011 11:34

Fractals, yes I knew that he was the fractal man but it still needed explaining. Gah!
Thank you.

noblegiraffe · 12/11/2011 11:24

Yes, Mandelbrot invented fractals. A fractal is something where if you zoom in and look at a bit of it, it looks the same as the original fractal.

Like the coastline of Britain goes in and out, all jaggedy. If you zoom in on a bit on Google maps it still goes in and out and looks jaggedy. If you keep zooming in it looks the same, you can't tell if you're looking at a big bit of coastline or a small bit.

So you look at the B in Benoit B Mandelbrot and it stands for Benoit B Mandelbrot, which has a B you can look at etc etc.

Changebagsandgladrags · 12/11/2011 11:19

Oh I get that one, it's fractals isn't it? B keeps getting replaced by Benoit B Mandelbrot...

Thumbwitch · 12/11/2011 11:02

OK, the Banach Tarski one I could sort of understand but that one, noblegiraffe, I don't get at all. Could you elaborate for us lesser mortals?

noblegiraffe · 12/11/2011 10:57

What does the B stand for in Benoit B Mandelbrot?

It stands for Benoit B Mandelbrot.

schnitzelvoncrumm · 12/11/2011 08:06

No I have a better one:

Mathematician 1: I have the most excellent anagram of Banach Tarski
Mathematician 2: What is it?
Mathematician 1: Banach Tarski Banach Tarski

jjkm · 11/11/2011 23:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GrimmaTheNome · 11/11/2011 23:29

I googled 'lime bundle' and found this which has links which explain (though TBH I cannot claim I fully understand the explanations but kind of get the jist) the maths fruit jokes mentioned, and add a fourth :

What is yellow, linear, normed, and complete?
A Bananach space.

My goodness, what wags they are Grin

DilysPrice · 11/11/2011 23:23

Would second Alex's Adventures in Numberland. Strikes a rare balance between entertaining people who are new to real maths and telling people who do know a bit stuff they don't know.

jjkm · 11/11/2011 23:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thumbwitch · 11/11/2011 23:14

Interesting thread!

I got a bit lost at the 5+5+ etc. calculation because I did exactly what Lougle expounded in her 12 step theory and got -5. Which was wrong. And annoying.

I did lots of maths up to A level (double A level) and know about sq root of -1, imaginary numbers etc. but still got that wrong because I was being too rigid on BIDMAS (yes I learnt it some 30+ years ago, it's not new!)

and I got all the jokes except the lime bundle one.

jjkm · 11/11/2011 22:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tianc · 11/11/2011 22:51

schnitzel, DP is in pain about the lime bundle. He may need therapy for the flashbacks...

Was the savannah joke about lion hunting, jjkm?

schnitzelvoncrumm · 11/11/2011 22:10

changebags it depends where you are, as to when you do set theory at this level. And if you're a pure mathematician or a weirdo applied one Some places let second years do it, some third years and some at fourth year or postgrad level. If you've done a bit of abstract algebra in your first year, you've probably got what you need to read Enderton's book.

Changebagsandgladrags · 11/11/2011 22:00

I'm only at second year undergrad level which is looking like primary school maths in comparison.

Hey ho, on we go.

GrimmaTheNome · 11/11/2011 21:19

Dilys - I lost the plot when alephs entered the scene. But then I'm under no illusions that I know much real mathematics - the original question is just arithmetic.

jjkm · 11/11/2011 20:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Jux · 11/11/2011 20:28

I get that one jjkm. Schnitzel, your's are waaay above me as were the others of similar ilk.

I think I shall be putting that book on my Amazon wish list, knowing that my bro tends to buy for me from that, and maybe mention it to him too. I would rather have a book than a night in a nice hotel, but still can't afford £90 for either!

Anyway, I'm only on the level of Singh's Fermat's Last Theorem, which I enjoyed very much, and Alex's Adventures in Numberland. Suspect your recommendation would be flying further above my head than the clouds, but I'm learning and working really hard at my studies! I'll get there, I will.

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