Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnvs
"Well, I think 2 + 2 = 5! Those arrogant mathematicians are trying to squelch the opposing view! Why don't we teach the kids that 2 + 2 = 4 OR 2 + 2 = 5 and let them decide for themselves? They should hear BOTH theories!"
|
Well if you really want to press it, 2+2 can equal 5.
2.4 + 2.4 = 4.8
When rounding 2.4 = 2 and 4.8 = 5
Wikimedia Error
Significant digits
In measurement in physics, the number of significant digits is usually encoded in the way a number is written. That is, unless otherwise specified, "2" has only one significant digit, which means it represents a measurement with a margin of error of 0.5, which means the actual value may lie between 1.5 and 2.5. When adding such measurements together, the margins of error are also added, so 2 ± 0.5 + 2 ± 0.5 = 4 ± 1.0 . And since "5" actually means 5 ± 0.5, these margins clearly overlap and one could jokingly argue that the numbers are the same. A popular phrasing of this statement is "2 + 2 = 5 for large values of 2 or small values of 5". When adding more precise measurements, for example 2.0 + 2.0, the margin of error is smaller and the maximum number that could be "reached" would in this case be 4.1. See also approximation and floating point.