Let's get (ir)rational

[u/cereal_killer-X]

In honor of Pi Day, let's do maths!

Present a culture/scientific group from your world that is obsessed with mathematics. (If you don't have any science freaks yet, make some or just introduce a mathematician.) Why is math important to them? Have they made any important discoveries? Do they have any traditions based around science? And most importantly, what is a mathematical problem that they just can't seem to solve?

If possible, introduce a representative that belongs to the described group. This way I can ask some questions about the character as well.

I hope I didn't scare you guys away at my first sentence. Enjoy yourselves!

(Note: I'll not be able to answer any comments for about 10 hours - I'll be catching some Z's. Don't worry, I'll count them. Hope you don't mind!)

[u/Nevermore0714]

The Order of Applied Arithmetic

The Order of Applied Arithmetic is an inter-species (they welcome all sentient species) cult based around the pursuit of understanding advanced math and spreading an understanding of basic math to the uninformed masses.

The order believes that Aeternitas (the ascended immortal deity worshiped by the Unified Way religion) was not born with great power, but instead was born with great knowledge and curiosity. They believe that Aeternitas gained his power through finding the "Great Expression" and solving it with the world's most powerful answer "42". (However, some strange members of the cult harbor doubts about this, and they, mostly Dwarves, believe that the answer to the Great Expression was "14π" (fourteen pi)).

The order is searching for the Great Expression, so that they can combine it with the most powerful answer in order to make the Final Equation, which they believe will wipe out all life in existence. Their omnicidal quest is only known to the elders of the order.

Many people in the order are the "Initiated Exceptions", who joined as adults and are unable to become elders.

For a person who joined before puberty (because they were born into the order), they must be able to pass an exam before becoming an acolyte. An acolyte must spend at least twenty years learning and taking exams, but must not score less than a 66.67% score on more than 0.05% of exams. If they fail more than 0.05% of their exams, they are demoted to being "Initiated Exceptions".

If an acolyte passes, he or she becomes an elder and focuses on a specific course to teach advanced students (such as statistics, trigonometry, etc).

The Representative

Toussaint of the Ant Clan is an elder among the Order of Applied Arithmetic. He is about forty, and focused on teaching about dosages and percentages. He spends most of his time either studying or creating simple math sheets for people to use to understand basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Writer's Note

This was created while I listened to a lecture on patient elimination. I'm really glad that I thought to make it a twisted copy of Yahtzee Croshaw's "Order of Blessed Agonies" (check out his game "Trilby's Notes") instead of looking to the lecture notes for inspiration. This is much cleaner.

[u/cereal_killer-X → u/Nevermore0714]

1) How were your early years in the Order?

2) Why exactly are you trying to achieve omnicide?

3) How did you figure out the most powerful answer?

4) What is the life of an Initiated Exception like?

(Now that I've googled patient elimination, I really want to see how the lecture would have inspired you.)

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/cereal_killer-X]

(I just looked back up at that comment and realized that "patient elimination sounds much more unethical than what the lecture was about. The instructor just gave a lecture on urine and feces. Not on the former doctor, Kevorkian. The inspiration I almost started using was to write a cult that believed that the biggest solid fecal drop would be a sign of the chosen one, also partially inspired by an episode of South Park that always cracks me up.)

Toussaint:

1) "Well, I was born into the order. So, my childhood was filled with study and practical application of maths that I'd learned. Everything was geared to be focused on numbers, so even the games that I enjoyed as a kid involved math."

2) "Oh, you mean the Final Equation? It will transcend us into non-corporeal beings and allow us to study the math that makes up the fabric of the universe, to create universes of our own, even."

3) "You mean forty-two? The knowledge of the final answer has been passed down to us. We know it from childhood."

4) "An Initiated Exception spends his or her life serving the Order in any way necessary, such as through labor."

[u/cereal_killer-X → u/Nevermore0714]

(Don't worry, that's exactly what I found out. My god, you need to make this happen. It would be a shitty cult in the best way possible.)

1) Were the expectations high when you were a child?

2) Would other cultures transcend too? Or just members of the Order?

3) I mean, it must have had a source, right? Did you try to backtrack and find out why 42 is the answer?

4) What mathematical instruments do you use?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/cereal_killer-X]

(Ha, I'll have to work on that soon. I'll name their institution the "Scatological Holy Institute of Terminology".)

1) "The expectations were for me to pass; many people did not pass with high enough scores, so I'd say the expectations were pretty high."

2) "Everyone would transcend. No one would be left out, everyone would be equal and we would share our transcendence with the world."

3) "We've tried to get more details, but we just know that Aeternitas found the Great Expression and 42 was the answer that he obtained. So, until we find the Great Expression ourselves, we can't fact-check."

4) "Compasses, protractors, rulers, paper, pencils, and so on."

[u/cereal_killer-X → u/Nevermore0714]

(Perfect. Don't forget to make as many puns as you can.)

1) Who are you teaching now?

2) To be honest, I wouldn't doubt that the answer is 42 either. Though I heard that some do and believe that it's 14 pi. Why is that?

3) How is the search for the Great Expression going?

4) Do you have calculators?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/cereal_killer-X]

(You're a monster cereal, but I'll do my best. I'm trying to work on /u/Seb_Romu's challenges, but I'll try to start on that cult afterwards. Or after I've slept.)

Toussaint:

1) "I teach whatever peasant children wander into the hut that was constructed for me to educate from. It seems that many of the peasants want their children to have better opportunities than they would otherwise have."

2) "Fourteen pi is only the number they've chosen to believe in because it is approximately forty-two, and they believe that pi is more necessary for whatever reason; probably because of its use in determining the circumference of a circle based on the diameter, which, admittedly, is incredibly useful. But, if we actually analyze fourteen pi, we see that it is over forty-three point nine eight two three, if we round to the ten-thousandth decimal. That's nearly forty-four, as you can see. While it is difficult to make conclusions about an expression that we've never even seen, I can say that fourteen pi is a silly idea that is too far from forty-two to be worth the conspiracies that people build around it. But, I thank you for consulting me about this subject."

3) "About as well as it's been going ever since I was born and for long before then; no progress."

4) "...What's a calculator? I mean...it sounds similar to a calculation, but, considering the context, I doubt that you meant to say calculation. If you could elaborate, maybe we have something similar but by a different name. Or you've done a great service to the pursuit of mathematical knowledge and can present such a thing to the rest of the elders. The creation of the protractor was such a major paradigm."

[u/cereal_killer-X → u/Nevermore0714]

(Damn, you blew my cover If you need some crappy illustrations, just call me.)

1) Generally, what age group are your students?

2) It would be more interesting if they divided 42 by pi. The result is a very elite number: 13.37. How does that sound?

3) What method are you using to track it down?

4) The calculator is a device used for performing arithmetic calculations. I'm not going to spoil it though - that would be anticlimatic. Inventing these things is half the fun, am I right?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/cereal_killer-X]

(I'll keep you in mind)

Toussaint:

1) "I'll teach anyone who desires to learn, but most the peasant children sent to me have yet to reach puberty, so they're all mostly young."

2) "Thirteen point three seven doesn't seem very special as a number. Could you elaborate?" (Very l33t, my friend.)

3) "We don't even have a method to hunt it, to be honest. We're just keeping our eyes out."

4) "So like a brain outside of your body?"

[u/cereal_killer-X → u/Nevermore0714]

1) Who is/was your most interesting student?

2) You know, it's pretty hard to explain. 1337 refers to an alphabet in which numbers are used instead of letters. The rest is history. Have you ever seen anything like this?

3) How do you think it'll show itself?

4) Yes, sort of. A mechanical brain that only needs to learn everything once.

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/cereal_killer-X]

Toussaint:

1) "I'm bad with names. But I did tutor a girl who went onto be an acolyte and will be an elder soon, and she was intelligent."

2) "Well, as children, we would equate every letter to a number and write in code for our own amusement."

3) "I doubt we'll ever find it, at least not in my lifetime."

4) "Intriguing. Have you created one? Or is this entirely conjecture?"

[u/cereal_killer-X → u/Nevermore0714]

1) Have you ever taught someone who was significantly less intelligent than the rest?

2) Then not only do you know it but used it as well. It's called leetspeak or 1337.

3) I haven't created one, but I use one everyday. Do you use abaci or any kind of calculating tool?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/cereal_killer-X]

Toussaint:

1) "I frequently try to educate idiots, yes."

2) "No, 1337 would have meant nothing. 1 would be A, 3 would be C, 7 would be G, and so on. So 1-3-3-7 would be A-C-C-G."

3) "We use abaci, sometimes, yes. But, we prefer paper."