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2 yr. ago

  • If AB = i and BC = 0, then B would be in the same 2D space as C, but one of them would be "above" the other in 3D space (which doesn't exist in this context, just as sqrt(-1) doesn't exist in the traditional sense).

    So this triangle represents a 2D object that is "standing up" on the page.

  • The short version is: we use some weird abstractions (i.e., ways of representing complex things) to do math and make sense of things.

    The longer version:

    Electromagnetic signals are how we transmit data wirelessly. Everything from radio, to wifi, to xrays, to visible light are all made up of electromagnetic signals.

    Electromagnetic waves are made up of two components: the electrical part, and the magnetic part. We model them mathematically by multiplying one part (the magnetic part, I think) by the constant i, which is defined as sqrt(-1). These are called "complex numbers", which means there is a "real" part and a "complex" (or "imaginary") part. They are often modeled as the diagram OP posted, in that they operate at "right angles" to each other, and this makes a lot of the math make sense. In reality, the way the waves propegate through the air doesn't look like that exactly, but it's how we do the math.

    It's a bit like reading a description of a place, rather than seeing a photograph. Both can give you a mental image that approximates the real thing, but the description is more "abstract" in that the words themselves (i.e., squiggles on a page) don't resemble the real thing.

  • This is pretty much the basis behind all math around electromagnetics (and probably other areas).

  • It can tell 'cause of the way it is.

  • Yeah, we did stuff like that too. Then people started breaking contracts, and things got ugly.

  • yeagh

    Jump
  • Some majors are straight-up pyramid schemes. If the only thing you can do with a major is to teach it to others, it's a pyramid scheme.

  • Settlers can be played pretty competitively--stuff like building a settlement in a "bad" position just to mess up someone working to build next to that spot, stuff like that.

    The friction in Monopoly mainly comes down to our table rules, specifically that you can make any deal verbally you want (though there's no guarantee the other party will follow through).

  • Monopoly and Settlers. Both very cutthroat at family gatherings.

  • Monopoly. My oldest two siblings are absolutely cutthroat when playing it.

  • Ah, that would definitely make a difference. A debit transaction uses some form of "password" like a PIN or the data embedded in a card chip. A credit transaction technically only relies on easily available data and sometimes a signature, much more common for fraud (it's pretty easy to read and replicate the data from a magnetic strip--one of my classmates did a project to read magnetic strips, and they had to stop letting people swipe their own cards on it because it popped up tons of confidential data).

    My CU's website definitely looks like it's from the early naughts, but they at least kept things up to date and security practices seemed legit, and I don't think I ever tripped the fraud detector. I guess everyone's mileage will vary a bit.

  • Yeah I'm on board, I was attempting some mild satire.

  • Yeah, I was being mildly satirical. Insulting any people group seems like it should be a losing move. I wish it were.

  • They can't vote, so why would they care? Easy targets, no apparent consequences.

    Edit: /s

  • I think the question "do the ends justify the means" is meant to invoke exactly what you're describing. What you call the "desired end state" is what the question means by "the end." The question is framing exactly what you're saying: the path of reaching a desired outcome includes everything it takes to get there--is it still a desirable end? Is the entire path justified, given the intermediate consequences?

    I'm guessing it's worded this way because we apply this question/principle to situations where the "end" is altruistic but the "means" are not, and it's specifically asked because people want to separate the two to ignore the moral/ethical implications of the means. The entire point of the question/principle is that the end cannot be separated from the means with regard to whether it is ethical.

  • They're common in Canada as well. In my experience, they're much better than larger banks for things like fees and interest rates.

    Historically the main advantage of a larger bank was having banks and ATMs everywhere, but lots of CUs have formed mutual agreements for ATM access, and internet banking being ubiquitous has rendered any advantage the big banks have had moot (in my opinion, at least).

  • What does he do with them when he catches one?

  • Ending a game of Munchkin is almost impossible to do without upsetting the rest of the players. If you felt bad, that's fair, but what you described is very much in the spirit of the game.

  • That's totally on them for ignoring you. Sounds like getting knocked down a peg might have been good for that guy.

    Related, Settlers is one of the two games that are banned at my family gatherings.