Failing at basic maths

[dowie]

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_metre

yes I know what a square meter is thanks, that is the correct unit - do you understand why your previous post is incorrect?

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/58423.html

hmmm and here is a later post by the same person

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/57209.html

It's written as 12 m^2 (that is, with an exponent of 2), but is better
read as "12 square meters" than as "12 meters squared."

The reason for this is as you say, that the latter sounds as if it
means (12 m)^2, the square of 12 meters, rather than 12 (m^2), as it
really is, 12 times one meter squared.

The fact is, however, that you will find both forms used; I think it
is generally agreed that "12 square meters" is better, in order to
avoid that problem, but both are "correct." That is, the problem is
not that "12 meters squared" MEANS the area of a 12-meter square, but
that it can be taken either way, and is thus ambiguous. We simply want
to avoid the ambiguity.

seems Dr Math has contradicted himself, and that post used for the wikipedia article....

Some people say "would have", or think that they can say anything they want under the guise of it being their opinion and it becomes protected.

maybe they do, but if you go back to your previous post you'll see that you're wrong - 1m² is the same in cm² regardless of which interpretation you use

 

[dowie]

Riiiiiiight. I was mainly trying to highlight that people are reading m² wrongly, but OK!

Sorry, I know it was pedantic but if we're arguing about units then we've already reached a low as far as being pedantic is concerned... and frankly the only way to go is to be really really pedantic

 

[spoffle]

UGHHH MY BRAIN

 

[TommyV]

the answer is potato

 

[areksnumbr1sxylady]

Too complicated.