I can't figure out how to solve for this equation and I feel like an idiot.

[KevinCU]

:whiste:

Plumbers and electricians usually make over 100k a year? The only way I see that happening is if they own the business themselves and have several people working under them over a wide area in which case they would still use math (or hire people to do calculations) to find the most cost effective way to run the business.

 

[Mixolydian]

Plumbers and electricians usually make over 100k a year? The only way I see that happening is if they own the business themselves and have several people working under them over a wide area in which case they would still use math (or hire people to do calculations) to find the most cost effective way to run the business.

A LOT of them do, yes. Running a business you earn even more.

 

[KevinCU]

A LOT of them do, yes. Running a business you earn even more.

Could you provide some statistics? A simple salary search shows an average of 51k a year for a plumber with 5+ years of experience and ~40k with 0-2 years experience. There are always outliers but clearly the average plumber is not pulling in six figures a year.

http://www1.salary.com/Plumber-III-salary.html

 

[Mixolydian]

Could you provide some statistics? A simple salary search shows an average of 51k a year for a plumber with 5+ years of experience and ~40k with 0-2 years experience. There are always outliers but clearly the average plumber is not pulling in six figures a year.

http://www1.salary.com/Plumber-III-salary.html

That's probably non-union wages.

 

[shortylickens]

I'm really fucking sorry I brought it up.
Just ticks me off when people dont understand why developed nations gets and keep jobs.
Or lose jobs to other, better educated nations.

 

[KevinCU]

It's possible. In any case your basic electrician needs to know Ohm's law (V = IR) which can be manipulated with basic algebra.

 

[Mixolydian]

It's possible. In any case your basic electrician needs to know Ohm's law (V = IR) which can be manipulated with basic algebra.

basic algebra != calculus/trig.

 

[KevinCU]

basic algebra != calculus/trig.

That stuff in the OP isn't exclusively trig. It's mostly arithmetic simplification/algebra.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

basic algebra != calculus/trig.

I think you're missing the point. No one is arguing that basic logic and arithmetic aren't necessary in everyday life. What is NOT necessary for many are things like trigonometry and calculus.

The trigonometry is not, apparently, the problem here. The problem is that OP had trouble understanding that when dividing two fractions, you effectively 'flip' the divisor.

:whiste:

 

[Papageo]

This is the saddest thread I've ever read. I really hope people are just trolling.

 

[SKORPI0]

http://www.xpmath.com/careers/topicsresult.php?subjectID=5&topicID=1

There are 35 jobs that use Calculus and Higher Math.

Management Management occupations
Engineering and natural sciences managers
Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers
Funeral directors
Industrial production managers
Medical and health services managers
Property, real estate, and community association managers
Purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents

Business and financial operations occupations
Insurance underwriters

Professional Computer and mathematical occupations
Actuaries
Computer software engineers
Mathematicians
Statisticians

Engineers
Aerospace engineers
Chemical engineers
Computer hardware engineers
Electrical engineers
Environmental engineers
Mechanical engineers
Nuclear engineers
Petroleum engineers

Life scientists
Biological scientists
Medical scientists

Physical scientists
Chemists and materials scientists
Environmental scientists and hydrologists
Physicists and astronomers

Social scientists and related occupations
Economists
Social scientists, other

Education, training, library, and museum occupations
Instructional coordinators
Teachers-adult literacy and remedial and self-enrichment education
Teachers-postsecondary
Teachers-preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary

Health diagnosing and treating occupations
Registered nurses

Service Personal care and service occupations
Animal care and service workers

Construction Construction
Roofers

Production Metal workers and plastic workers
Computer control programmers and operators

 

[reallyscrued]

http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=math

 

[l0cke]

http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=math

Damn, I was going to link to this.

 

[natto fire]

Again that's not the point. Many fields rarely if ever use calculus and trig for the kind work that they do, such as trades like plumbers, electricians, etc. I never said that it was useless, but it's not necessary for everyone.

I am an electrician and use trigonometry when bending conduit, there is also lots of math involved with load calculations.

While I agree that it is not something I use everyday, and there are a myriad of guide books to help, it is nice to know it off the top of your head. I have never been that great at math, so it feels good to crunch some numbers and use those to make a nice multi-shot rack that you can see the math in the pipe.

 

[Leros]

That stuff in the OP isn't exclusively trig. It's mostly arithmetic simplification/algebra.

I use math like in the OP when doing basic wood working at home.

 

[Pulsar]

What kind of real world situation would need to use such math?

What's the practicality? Give me a real world example. I'm honestly curious.

Engineering.

Civil. Mechanical. Aeronautical.

Inclined planes. Friction. Pulley systems. Motors. Robotics. etc. etc. etc.

I'm sure you could get into optics and lasers and see that too.

Finish carpentry. Every tried to cut crown molding without knowing what angle to set your saw (32.5 degrees...)?

It's basic trigonometry with a bit of algebra. It's 9th grade math. But I don't expect every person on the planet to know it. Does a mechanic need to know it? An opera singer? A dancer? Medical Doctor? Electrician? Programmer who isn't working in a math field? Hell, even a machine designer, autocad user, or 3D modeler doesn't need to know how to do trig: the programs handle it for them.

I certainly can't play a saxophone. It isn't my line of work.

 

[jagec]

If people weren't idiots about math, the economy probably wouldn't be crap today.

"5% for 5 years, then rising up to 2% a year after that? Math is hard, just tell me how much I have to pay today to get the house!"

Mind you, the problem in the OP is stated in a retarded way.

 

[Cerb]

Dafuq is that shit? Looks like something 99% of the population will never need to use in life.

Damn those 1%ers, routing our wires and pipes, filling in out concrete, putting together our houses, and...

But, worse, it's written out half as text.

The stuff/sqrt(2)/2 allows you to consider the top 196-(T/2) ("stuff") as (196-(T/2))/1 for the purposes of simplifying the fraction (so that it stays following one rule, rather than (a/(b/c)) and ((a/b)/c) being treated differently), which then makes multiplying by 2 just part of simplification, not really an added step.

I found http://www.codecogs.com/latex/eqneditor.php, to do them in, if anyone is interested.