OT: Simple maths question

[notX]

What if you dropped the first .5 you came across, and forgot to pick it up.

[Mark Lloyd]

123?

Essentially I applied the "distributive property of multiplication over addition" rule (but it was much easier, since I wasn't explaining it too). I separated 99 into 100 and -1, numbers easy to divide by 2, and then put them back together.

BTW, "where's the 44.5?" reminded me of the 1980's Burger King commercials where someone was saying "Where's the beef?".

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

When doing maths in my head, I often forget numbers, but I know I've forgotten them and start again, much like when typing I can feel I've hit two keys or ther wrong key.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Yes. Eighty, ninety, tenty, eleventy, twelvety.

Yes, same here.

Dunno, I always fast forward ads.

[Max Demian]

It was originally a plural. This, and the Math vs Maths debate is covered in the Radio 4 More or Less programme:

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

It's not a debate. The language is English. From England. We say what's right, the Americans just f*ck it up.

[rbowman]

It must be some obscure Scottish logic that makes it forty and four.

[The Natural Philosopher]

you dont go into a store and say 'ten mathematics, please' either.

[Brian Gaff]

I've no idea I don't have any problem with the sum, but then I'm not one for off the cuff estimates. I always look at the nearest whole number. Oh and you are in the wrong groups for this sort of mental issue. I have paired it down to the one I'm in, but crossposting to a list of groups without actually using one which fits might be of more interest in researching your reasons for posting it here in the first place.

Brian

[whisky-dave]

halve 100 then

I always though it was mathematics because mathematics is algebra, calcula s, trigonometry, simulanous equatuions, intergraqtion etc i.e more than on e thing. Which is differnt from arithmetic which only deals with numbers. So there is no arithmetics and if math exists it would refer to just one di sapline say trigonometry.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Mathematics is the same as Physics, they're both collections of methods. Therefore are plural. It may be illogical to speak about only one of those methods at a time, but so what, Mathematics is still plural.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Because I don't think there is one, and if there is I'm not subscribed to it. There's no law against off topic posts, especially when prefixed with OT in the subject line.

[Mark Lloyd]

You don't. There are some nouns (for example "ball") where numbers can be applied, and that have singular and plural forms. Then there are nouns that don't take a number, and singular/plural don't make sense.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Correct, as in mathematics, which is always plural.

[rbowman]

But you can say 'give me a physic, please.'

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

You can if you like, but nobody's actually heard of that word.

[rbowman]

'Nobody' was determined by a poll of yourself and the mouse in your pocket.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

And everybody I've ever met in 42 years, plus everyone on TV I've seen. None of them ever said physic.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I have, and I suppose the plural could be "physics". This is still a different word that the one for the science.

[Tim Streater]

Is 'physic' not an obsolete synonym for medicine? Used in Shakespeare's day, perhaps?