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Author Topic: The world's greatest Equation  (Read 6594 times)

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AlohaDawg

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The world's greatest Equation
« on: October 06, 2004, 09:53:01 pm »

Onstad is ahead of his time

Wow.
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V-Adore

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« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2004, 11:07:50 pm »

Perhaps I should be saddened that I actually have an opinion about this.

"Greatest equation ever? It had better be e^(i*pi) + 1 = 0, bitch."
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AlohaDawg

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« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2004, 11:51:21 pm »

I've always been partial to PV=nrT as well.
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V-Adore

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« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2004, 12:55:59 am »

mmmm, universal gas laws.

F=ma is also an undeniable classic, although high-school chemistry may have soured me on it forever.
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AlohaDawg

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« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2004, 01:39:38 am »

although not an equation, 6.02 x 10^23 has always been very intriguing to me also.
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Carlos del Vaca

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The world's greatest Equation
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2004, 02:59:30 am »

I'd like to vote for the Quadratic Equation, please.

Now, if I could just remember it.
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jay-ell

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« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2004, 03:04:00 am »

Insofar as math goes, we've never been on good terms -- my brother is a high school math teacher, which generally soured me on the whole thing -- I'd have to go with a^2 + b^2 = c^2, just because it *sounds* like it would work.  I don't know how, or why, it actually works, but it seems to make sense in some sort of fundamental way.  

I remember being taught this in school, and thinking, "Well, of course!  Because if all the angles add up to 180, then...no wait...squaring everything would...but then you'd...erg...ugh...igg... :boom: "
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Gimpson

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« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2004, 11:54:24 am »

Quote from: "V-Adore"
Perhaps I should be saddened that I actually have an opinion about this.

"Greatest equation ever? It had better be e^(i*pi) + 1 = 0, bitch."


I second this.  When I was undergoing a period of weight loss, I told myself I would get a tattoo if I lost 50 pounds and stayed under the goal for three months.  I made the goal, but didn't stay, so no tattoo.

If I had gotten the tattoo, it was going to be this equation.
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Va

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« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2004, 03:18:16 pm »

Quote from: "V-Adore"
"Greatest equation ever? It had better be e^(i*pi) + 1 = 0, bitch."


Oh, ya beat me to it!
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Va

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« Reply #9 on: October 07, 2004, 03:22:03 pm »

Quote from: "AlohaDawg"
although not an equation, 6.02 x 10^23 has always been very intriguing to me also.


I believe that's Avagadro's number, yes?  The number of molecules in a mole of whatever?

Quote from: "jldunston"
I remember being taught this in school, and thinking, "Well, of course! Because if all the angles add up to 180, then...no wait...squaring everything would...but then you'd...erg...ugh...igg..."


That equation relates the sides of a right triangle, not the angles of an arbitrary triangle.  Perhaps that is the source of your confusion.
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jay-ell

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« Reply #10 on: October 07, 2004, 04:43:57 pm »

Quote from: "Va"
Quote from: "jldunston"
I remember being taught this in school, and thinking, "Well, of course! Because if all the angles add up to 180, then...no wait...squaring everything would...but then you'd...erg...ugh...igg..."


That equation relates the sides of a right triangle, not the angles of an arbitrary triangle.  Perhaps that is the source of your confusion.


This, I know.  But squaring everything and then unsqaring the answer just seems so strange to me, that even though the equation itself sounds like common sense, when you take a closer look, you realize that whoever figured this out (probably somebody famous, I don't remember) was seriously hardcore.  And probably experimenting with drugs.  

Deceptively complex.  That's the phrase I was looking for yesterday.
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AugustWest

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« Reply #11 on: October 07, 2004, 04:47:37 pm »

Quote from: "jldunston"
whoever figured this out (probably somebody famous, I don't remember) was seriously hardcore.  And probably experimenting with drugs.  


That would be Pythagoras.
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jay-ell

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« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2004, 04:49:33 pm »

Quote from: "AugustWest"
Quote from: "jldunston"
whoever figured this out (probably somebody famous, I don't remember) was seriously hardcore.  And probably experimenting with drugs.  


That would be Pythagoras.


The smacking sound you're hearing is my open palm connecting with my forehead.  

 :dunce:

Thanks, August.  

I told you math wasn't my thing!
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jough

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« Reply #13 on: October 07, 2004, 06:09:04 pm »

Yeah, the Pythagorean Theorem is hard fuck*ng core.

It's not my favourite equation, though.

That would be:

Xn + yn = zn has no non-zero integer solutions for x, y and z when n > 2.

ROCK ON, FERMAT.

jough

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« Reply #14 on: October 07, 2004, 06:13:21 pm »

Please also note that I have added the "sup" element to the list of acceptable HTML due to this thread.

So go crazy with your super-script.
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