26 lines
1.3 KiB
Plaintext
26 lines
1.3 KiB
Plaintext
2(1 + 2x) + 3(x - 4)=11
|
|
|
|
This problem.
|
|
|
|
Many a child faces it, in the wee hours of the morning, or in the afternoon,
|
|
depending on who you ask. On the surface it appears to be a typical algebra
|
|
problem that means nothing. Nay. This problem has a much deeper meaning.
|
|
It seems that all there is to it is to find whatever 'x' is. If you take the
|
|
time to figure it out, x equals 3. Whats deep about that? Many things. For
|
|
one, can we really be sure that x equals 3? You may make it *seem* that x
|
|
equals 3, but you can never be sure. How do we know that this isn't just all
|
|
a dream? In $Reality$, x may equal 5. Or 78. Mabye even 42. Who knows?
|
|
Most people don't. The people who do must not come around often, cause I've
|
|
never met one.
|
|
|
|
To be absolutly sure of the answer we'd have to determine if this is really
|
|
reality. If it is, mabye x really §Does§ equal 3. If $Reality$ as we think
|
|
it is as false as a man with six heads and a platapus for a chin, then x may
|
|
very well not equal 3.
|
|
|
|
I could go on for days about this, but the ultimate answer (if you like
|
|
jumping to conclusions), is that we can never be sure that x really equals 3.
|
|
Mabye the publishers of the book with the problem in it knew, but they are
|
|
mindless drones bent on producing algebra problems to make me stay up late at
|
|
night doing math homework. .
|
|
|