Ok, this is my example. The mathematical definition of a diagonal is "Two adjacent lines that bisect from a polygon." Why are they making this sentence so complex!?!? Why can they not say "A line at an angle."
2006-11-16 06:51:14 · 7 answers · asked by Albert J 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
For everything that is unnecessarily complext, there is an enterprising businessman who has thought of a way to make money.
2006-11-16 06:54:25 · answer #1 · answered by ramshi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe it is just that particular textbook. Definitions vary from book to book, so it may have nothing to do with American society. Besides your defition for a line at the angle can be interpreted in many different ways and you may get a line that is a diagonal. For example someone may interpret that statement as a tangent line to the polygon, so the line would be outside of the polygon.
2006-11-16 08:19:23 · answer #2 · answered by raz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
Because then it wouldn't be right. You need to be very careful when changing words to mathematical symbols and vice versa. It's almost like the legalese that you hear on television shows.
If you're not very clear what you're talking about, it can get confusing down the line. Better a slight confusion at the beginning where it can be worked out easily than doing a bunch of work to proove several theorems that rely on a definition that turns out to describe something that you didn't mean for it to.
Hope that helps,
Matt
2006-11-16 07:09:46 · answer #3 · answered by Matt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they think "verborrea" (spanish term to refer to excess of words that lack substance) makes them look philosophical.
Sometimes less is helluva LOT more and straight to the point.
Another example is that series of what-the-hell for dummies.
I have a decently high IQ and I don't understand crap with those books. Can't imagine how the average Joe/Jane will put up with those.
2006-11-16 07:04:59 · answer #4 · answered by M'lady 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not American society, it's the education establishment. I remember tutoring a girl in geometry & she couldn't understand parallelograms. I looked at hte definition in her book & immediately understood why. I told her that if all I had was that definition, I wouldn't have understood them either.
2006-11-16 08:01:42 · answer #5 · answered by yupchagee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
those are mathematical terms, my guess is that they think they thought they were making it clearer for the student, but instead it was the other way around, lol.
2006-11-16 06:54:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because then it wouldnt be math
2006-11-16 06:53:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋