When am I ever gonna use this stuff?

At SouthTube I had a conversation with someone where we ended up talking about the quadratic formula (after revealing that I was a math major). I was asked "When is the average person ever going to use something like the quadratic formula?" Put on the spot, I couldn't immediately think of a situation where the average Joe might need to use it, but a few days later I had a situation where that exact thing happened--I needed to use the quadratic formula. This video is the result.

As you can see, mathematics can come in handy in ways you might not expect.

Also--the pimped out compass I have, I originally bought to create scratch holograms ( if you've never heard of scratch holograms, you MUST check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUy8lELWhJg --no laser, no special equipment, just an ordinary compass and a scratchable surface. Most awesome thing I've ever seen on YouTube! )

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• nate
• math
• mathematics
• guy
• quadratic
• formula
• circles
• pythagorean
• theorm

[captainfury2007]

Dude this was pretty cool. Do you have lower level stuff you can teach so I can catch up and understand exactly how many of your brains will fit on a poster of Tina Turner?

[TheMathGuy]

Well, seeing as how the average surface area of a human brain is about 2.5 square feet, I'd say you could probably fit at least one, maybe even two or three depending on how big the poster is. Tell you what--you send me that poster and I'll give you my estimate free of charge! =P

[TheClayPidgeon]

@t0nito Math hates you more than you hate it.

[11Agamemnon235]

Hey, there's an article by Martin Gardner on circle packing that you might really enjoy. Just google Martin Gardner, Circle packing.

[11Agamemnon235]

circle packing is awesome. There's an article by martin gardner that you might be interested in. Google 'martin gardner, circle packing.'

[RyanTreadwell]

Ever heard of making change? Tipping? Hobbies? Units such as miles per hour? Kilocalories? Seconds?

Yeah, no real world uses for math.

[DrNitro168]

You should try working with metric, it works with the decimal system better.

[coolstream1]

No, it's gay because this math problem feels the emotion of romantic love towards other math problems of the same gender!

[KernsNoel]

Ouch, my head... Cool though.

I'm sure most could do this, Excluding the problem of coming up with the correct theories and Formula to sue.....

Cool though, very much so.

[Muvlonion]

also programmers

[t0nito]

God I hate math...

[hiswayornoway]

Awesome! An actual, day-to-day use for both Pythagoras' theorem and quadratic equations.

Although maybe not. I would have done is just cut around the sand paper. Or used more than one sheet of paper. :D

If you bought a ruler especially because of its tens of inches, wouldn't it have been more sensible just to have bought a metric ruler? I mean, kudos for still using Imperial measures, best system of measures ever invented I agree ;)