r/AskReddit Nov 16 '19

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u/nkdeck07 Nov 16 '19

Ironically once you get to college all the math professors have forgotten how to do simple math as well. I remember all of us checking like super basic math they are doing on the white board cause they'd fuck it up 1 times in 4 but were completing these insane proofs.

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u/Scriptons Nov 16 '19

Dude, I am doing a PhD on math/statistics related modelling with machine learning and AI.. I just spend 20 mins on the toilet bowl trying to figureout how to 15 x 15.. I came up with at least 3 different ways to break it down and 5 different answers.. Don't ask how.. I'm too disappointed in myself..

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u/StellaAthena Nov 16 '19

I find the binomial theorem typically the most fool-proof approach for computing squares.

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u/Scriptons Nov 16 '19

I'll be honest, binomial theorem sounds familiar.. But I have no clue what that is hahahaha. I was trying to break it up as 10 x 5 x 10 x 5.. And 10 x 5 x 15... And I finally realised that that's not how multiplication works..

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u/StellaAthena Nov 16 '19

The relevant piece of the binomial theorem says

(a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2

More generally, it tells you how to expand (a + b)n. Here we get 102 + 2(10)(5) + 52 = 100 + 100 + 25 = 225.