re: #385 reuven

You can’t divide by a-b because a=b and you’re dividing by zero. That’s where the whole thing falls apart.

(I have a B.A. in Mathematics!)

oh dear, I actually missed that. 2b=b -> b=0 was my solution (nowhere did he state that a=b!=0) but you nipped it in the bud a few lines before that.re: #401 Cato the Elder

You need algebra to do your taxes?

Many Americans will be surprised, shocked, and perhaps even nonplussed to learn that.

You must be into some arcane fucking finances, O God of Math!

okay, I laughed out loud at that. picturing LVQ here, wearing a Big Pointy Hat (c) with embroidered stars and a purple robe doing his taxes with a fluffy pink magical wand while leafing through “ye olde arcane IRS tax code”.
somehow, after what could possibly be the most boring 5 weeks of my education (on tax law) that was very, very funny.

re: #405 LudwigVanQuixote

And what about simple interest? How do you calculate that?

that formula is so simple that applying it doesnt exactly require much knowledge of the deeper intricacies of algebra. you’re sort of arguing semantics.