this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2025
11 points (100.0% liked)
Science Memes
17736 readers
2049 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Yes, it is.
Quote the part where I said you didn't.
They are the same.
No, they're not.
Mnemonic without understanding what you're doing doesn't help. Which is why people get confused and argue online that you must do addition before subtraction, or the other way around, depending on what the mnemonic they learned was.
Understanding that subtraction is just the addition of a negative number solves this problem.
No it isn't 😂
The part where you said to leave it out of the mnemonic "It should be limited - like Orders - to only Multiplication and Addition"
Nope. 2/2 is not the same as 2*½. Do you need glasses or something??
Because 2-2 came first, before we started using Brackets in Maths, by several hundred years
You glibly ignoring the history and rules of Maths 🙄
Still wrong 😂
That's EXACTLY what the mnemonics are for! 😂 Don't need to understand it, just follow the steps
No-one gets confused or angry about that. 😂 There are textbooks that specifically teach to do it that way
I have never seen any textbook say to do Subtraction before Addition, everyone is taught Addition first
Understanding that you can do them in any order proves there is no problem 😂
Yes it is.
If you understand what is multiplication and what is addition, then you know what this doesn't suggest ignoring division or subtraction at all.
OK, teach me. What's the result of
2/2and what's the result of2*½?Explain how is that relevant to the discussion. Or to the example I gave, where brackets are only used for readability sake, they're not changing the results in any way. You might as well note that as
-2+2- see? No scary brackets anymore, same result.Well... yes, because we're not talking about the history, we're talking about the current rules.
This whole thread stemmed from the fact that some people were taught PEMDAS while others where taught PEDMAS.
Are you suggesting that the order of operations depends on your maths teacher?
Wow, let me be the first to welcome you to the Internet! I know it might be jarring at first, but give it time and you'll get used to the weirdness! Glad to see you joining!
Great! Now find one that actually talks about that, instead of one that talks about the addition of similar monomials, which is a different thing altogether.
Actually, you know what? Never mind - instead just read the part you posted, but slower. Here, let me highlight the important bit:
"Addition of similar monomials is performed by taking the arithmetical difference between the total of the positive and the total of the negative coefficients, giving it the sign of the numerically greater total, and annexing it to the common literal part"
Which actually reinforces my point.
See? This is exactly what I was talking about. Addition is NOT first, unless it's the first on the right. If subtraction is first, you do subtraction first.
Again, let me extend a warm welcome on behalf of everyone on the Internet. I believe you'll have a great time here.
This guy thinks 3(2+1) gets the wrong answer if you do 3(3) instead of 3*2+3*1. They will never learn anything and they will never shut up about it. This trolling bullshit is the only thing I've ever seen them comment.
Proceed apace if slapping that down entertains you - but proceed knowing it's all you're going to get.
Oh, I realised that a long ago, but it's actually a kind of "mental exercise" for me. :) Cheers!
Yep, mental gymnastics left, right, and centre 😂
Don't worry, friend! One day you'll look back at this and think "damn, I really was an idiot back then!"
Says person who has run out of mental gymnastics that can be applied. I'll take that as an admission of being wrong then
You do you, friend. Whatever makes you feel better about your ignorance.
Says person who proved themselves wrong, and is now withdrawing from the conversation to hide their ignorance 😂
I know that you finally understood what I was talking about, as shown by your replies in the other comment, but it's OK to keep it all to a single thread.
other way around dude, as proven by screenshots
So you want to keep it here, because the other is full of screenshots proving you wrong and you want to ignore them?? 🤣🤣🤣
Again with the reading comprehension issues? No, friend, I'm suggesting you keep responding where we were already talking, instead of here.
No I don't, liar. Hilarious that now you're having to resort to making things up 😂
Which can definitely give wrong answers
1/3(2+1)=1/(6+3)=(1/9)
1/3(3)=1/(3x3)=(1/9) same answer
1/3x2+3x1=(3/2)+3 Oops! WRONG ANSWER 😂
All you're going to get from me is facts, correct, as opposed to you who can't come up with any facts! 😂
Calls me a liar, then says exactly what I said they think. Troll.
Fuck off.
Nope! I never said you get the wrong answer with 3(3) - noted you were unable to show where I supposedly said that - so no, I did not say what you said I think 🙄