5 ms·

> "This is not just twice as difficult as any typical Mars mission; it's twice squared" So, four times as difficult?

by pansa2 6y ago

cynicalreason 6y ago
it was a test .. you're hired
_petronius 6y ago
Or maybe (2n)2 as difficult?
- ben_w 6y ago
  Fun fact I realised only recently: 2 ∘ 2 = 4 for any operator ∘ in the Ackermann sequence other than the zeroth (successor) operator. 2+2 = 2×2 = 2² = … = 4 At least, unless I messed up my proof. My highest qualification is two A-levels in maths and half of brilliant.org… https://kitsunesoftware.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/hᵤ2-2-4-for-all-u0/ https://kitsunesoftware.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/hᵤ2-2-4-for...
  - MartinMcGirk 6y ago
    Tangential to the topic of this post, but how have you found brilliant? I’ve been considering it but don’t know if it’s worth adding another subscription to my monthly spend when I could presumably get a lot of the same knowledge from YouTube (albeit in a less structured way). Any thoughts?
    - ben_w 6y ago
      Plus: Brilliant’s computer science courses cover slightly more than my actual software engineering degree from Aberystwyth university, and their maths courses cover more than I did at A-level. The various introductions to matrices (in different contexts each time), are better than the introduction I had in my A-levels (with a good teacher!), and I would say they are of comparable goodness to 3blue1brown. Only, all of it is that good. If you get stuck because a topic assumes knowledge you don’t yet have, they have a course to teach you what you need to learn. I can’t comment on the levels of Brilliant’s physics, chemistry, or biology as I have only GCSEs in those subjects — but I can say they’re well-described and engaging. Negatives: Limited practice materials, e.g. I still suck at probability because I’m not groking the broader implications of their simpler lessons.
      - MartinMcGirk 6y ago
        Thanks for replying! Sounds like I should try it out. My maths could use a refresher and I could use an engaging way to learn it. Much appreciated.
      - treeman79 6y ago
        This is neat. I was taking a Trigonometry course online. Was great at first but I kept running it references to “as we learned in Algebra or Geometry” Well dang it, I aced trigonometry in college, but apparently I have completely forgotten some basic building blocks. So I need to start back at basic algebra and work my way up to find the missing gaps.
  - skykooler 6y ago
    I figured this out when I discovered hyperoperators and spent a good day or so telling everyone "two and two are always four!"
sandworm101 6y ago
>> So, four times as difficult? Or, by "twice squared" they mean to say "It has been squared ... twice". That would be 16x, which is probably more in line with the total deltaV requirements.
- jmkerr 6y ago
  Did you just linearize squaring?
  - sandworm101 6y ago
    "not just twice ...; it's twice squared" So "twice"(2) and "twice squared" (x^2^2) = 2^2^2 = 16
    - whatshisface 6y ago
      Where are you getting the third two to put in for x? Your number would be phrased as "twice squared twice."
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
      - AshleyGrant 6y ago
        English is a strange language. "Twice squared" could be interpreted both as "Twice as hard, squared" or "Twice as hard, squared two times." Think of the sentence, "A man, twice fooled, shall not be fooled again."
        cgriswald 6y ago
        If x is the difficulty, the phrase either means “twice the difficulty, squared”: (2x)^2 or 4x^2. Or “the difficulty squared and squared again”: (x^2)^2 or x^4. The GP is asking why x == 2 in the second example rather than just “the difficulty”. English interpretation doesn’t explain that.
      - 6y ago
nothis 6y ago
Even in the most obnoxiously nerdy interpretation, it would be (2*n)^2, not 2^2.
BurningFrog 6y ago
I see the urge to avid the tired cliche of "exponential", but being creative has risks.
Ericson2314 6y ago
twice = (* 2) squared = (^ 2) twice . squared = (* 2) . (^ 2) (difficult * 2)^2
stormdennis 6y ago
Mmm, easier than I thought so.
TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
Pretty sure it's just a metaphor, and not literal rocket surgery.
klyrs 6y ago
Squared twice? x -> x^2^2 = x^4 Doubled and squared? x -> (2x)^2 = 4x^2 Difficulty factor of 2 is squared? x -> (2^2)x = 4x Or was that squared twice? x -> (2^2^2)x = 16x All of these functions agree at x = 0, so can we conclude that it's gonna be way easy?? Lesson: don't handwave your math when you're talking to lay journalists, because nerds are gonna read it and be horrified.
lhorie 6y ago
> compile error: figure of speech is not a number

> "This is not just twice as difficult as any typical Mars mission; it's twice squared" So, four times as difficult?

by pansa2 6y ago

> "This is not just twice as difficult as any typical Mars mission; it's twice squared" So, four times as difficult?

cynicalreason 6y ago

it was a test .. you're hired

_petronius 6y ago

Or maybe (2n)2 as difficult?

ben_w 6y ago
Fun fact I realised only recently: 2 ∘ 2 = 4 for any operator ∘ in the Ackermann sequence other than the zeroth (successor) operator. 2+2 = 2×2 = 2² = … = 4 At least, unless I messed up my proof. My highest qualification is two A-levels in maths and half of brilliant.org… https://kitsunesoftware.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/hᵤ2-2-4-for-all-u0/ https://kitsunesoftware.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/hᵤ2-2-4-for...
- MartinMcGirk 6y ago
  Tangential to the topic of this post, but how have you found brilliant? I’ve been considering it but don’t know if it’s worth adding another subscription to my monthly spend when I could presumably get a lot of the same knowledge from YouTube (albeit in a less structured way). Any thoughts?
  - ben_w 6y ago
    Plus: Brilliant’s computer science courses cover slightly more than my actual software engineering degree from Aberystwyth university, and their maths courses cover more than I did at A-level. The various introductions to matrices (in different contexts each time), are better than the introduction I had in my A-levels (with a good teacher!), and I would say they are of comparable goodness to 3blue1brown. Only, all of it is that good. If you get stuck because a topic assumes knowledge you don’t yet have, they have a course to teach you what you need to learn. I can’t comment on the levels of Brilliant’s physics, chemistry, or biology as I have only GCSEs in those subjects — but I can say they’re well-described and engaging. Negatives: Limited practice materials, e.g. I still suck at probability because I’m not groking the broader implications of their simpler lessons.
    - MartinMcGirk 6y ago
      Thanks for replying! Sounds like I should try it out. My maths could use a refresher and I could use an engaging way to learn it. Much appreciated.
    - treeman79 6y ago
      This is neat. I was taking a Trigonometry course online. Was great at first but I kept running it references to “as we learned in Algebra or Geometry” Well dang it, I aced trigonometry in college, but apparently I have completely forgotten some basic building blocks. So I need to start back at basic algebra and work my way up to find the missing gaps.
- skykooler 6y ago
  I figured this out when I discovered hyperoperators and spent a good day or so telling everyone "two and two are always four!"

sandworm101 6y ago

>> So, four times as difficult? Or, by "twice squared" they mean to say "It has been squared ... twice". That would be 16x, which is probably more in line with the total deltaV requirements.

jmkerr 6y ago
Did you just linearize squaring?
- sandworm101 6y ago
  "not just twice ...; it's twice squared" So "twice"(2) and "twice squared" (x^2^2) = 2^2^2 = 16
  - whatshisface 6y ago
    Where are you getting the third two to put in for x? Your number would be phrased as "twice squared twice."
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - AshleyGrant 6y ago
      English is a strange language. "Twice squared" could be interpreted both as "Twice as hard, squared" or "Twice as hard, squared two times." Think of the sentence, "A man, twice fooled, shall not be fooled again."
      - cgriswald 6y ago
        If x is the difficulty, the phrase either means “twice the difficulty, squared”: (2x)^2 or 4x^2. Or “the difficulty squared and squared again”: (x^2)^2 or x^4. The GP is asking why x == 2 in the second example rather than just “the difficulty”. English interpretation doesn’t explain that.
    - 6y ago

nothis 6y ago

Even in the most obnoxiously nerdy interpretation, it would be (2*n)^2, not 2^2.

BurningFrog 6y ago

I see the urge to avid the tired cliche of "exponential", but being creative has risks.

Ericson2314 6y ago

twice = (* 2) squared = (^ 2) twice . squared = (* 2) . (^ 2) (difficult * 2)^2

stormdennis 6y ago

Mmm, easier than I thought so.

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago

Pretty sure it's just a metaphor, and not literal rocket surgery.

klyrs 6y ago

Squared twice? x -> x^2^2 = x^4 Doubled and squared? x -> (2x)^2 = 4x^2 Difficulty factor of 2 is squared? x -> (2^2)x = 4x Or was that squared twice? x -> (2^2^2)x = 16x All of these functions agree at x = 0, so can we conclude that it's gonna be way easy?? Lesson: don't handwave your math when you're talking to lay journalists, because nerds are gonna read it and be horrified.

lhorie 6y ago

> compile error: figure of speech is not a number