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> President Nixon announced that the rate of increase of inflation was decreasing. This was the first time a sitting president used the third derivative to adva
by nullc 4y ago
> President Nixon announced that the rate of increase of inflation was decreasing. This was the first time a sitting president used the third derivative to advance his case for reelection.
I can't think of a more fitting jerk.
(though arguably Nixon was actually talking about a fourth derivative (of price)...)
- echelon 4y agoAw, snap. Amusing thread topped off with a good math joke. Almost wish it hadn't been set in italics, though I may have missed it otherwise.
- MichaelDickens 4y agoBy my thinking: - price is 0th derivative - inflation is 1st derivative (change in average price) - rate of increase in inflation is 2nd derivative - that rate of increase is decreasing — 3rd derivative So I think Nixon is talking about a negative 3rd derivative of price. Am I missing one?
- nullc 4y agoAh, my thinking was that since the "rate of increase" is something changing, Nixon was taking about the next derivative being non-zero. :)