Re: Smarter Scots


"uNkulunkulu" <izulu@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Mad Prof" <mad@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Are Scots any smarter than other nations? We often laugh at the Yanks
who's
knowledge of geography is sadly lacking but if you went on the streets
of
a
major Scottish town and asked a person at random to point to say 'South
Dakota' or Luxemberg on a map would they be able to do it? I doubt it.
Ask
them to solve a simple algebra problem

sin(x)+x^2=0

As this equation ha a trigonometric function (sin(x)) it has to be a
trigonometric problem and not algebraic. At first glance it is obvious to
those with even a smattering of high school maths that the answer can not
be
zero unless x=0


Fraid not - that is the trivial solution - there is also another solution.
You can see this by drawing the graph of sin(x) and x^2 and looking at the
intersections.(one of which is your solution at x=0) But other than a
graphical solution how to find x?

M.P


.

Relevant Pages

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