# Homework Help: (51/36)x180=255 AND 1.25x180=255 ? help please

1. May 20, 2008

### brandy

[SOLVED] (51/36)x180=255 AND 1.25x180=255 ???? help please

i was just working out some simple calculations and came across this anomaly . 51/36 (equalls 1.416666...) multiplied by 180=255. but 1.25 multiplied by 180 also equals 255 (note that its not 1.416666...and when multiplied by 180 it still equals 255) can someone exlpain this to someone of Inferior intelligence. how can 255=180x1.25 AND 180x51/36!!!!

2. May 20, 2008

### cristo

Staff Emeritus
180*1.25=225

3. May 20, 2008

### brandy

? *raises eyebrow* that doesnt answer my question....

(51/36)*180=255 AND 1.25*180=255. is that better?

4. May 20, 2008

### cristo

Staff Emeritus

5. May 20, 2008

### _Mayday_

Look a bit more carefully!

Do the calculation again.

6. May 20, 2008

### brandy

eek. i dont understand. sure 1.25*180=255. but so does 51/36*180. what are you trying to get at? 51/36 does not equal 1.25.

7. May 20, 2008

### _Mayday_

Do the calculation again, and pay great attention to the numbers that come up on the screen. 1.25 x 180 is not 255.

8. May 20, 2008

### Physicsissuef

180*1.25=225

51/36*180=255

$$225 \neq 255$$

Do you understand now?

9. May 20, 2008

### brandy

eeek. am so stuipid. goodby selfesteem. geez. sorry to waste ur time :s

10. May 20, 2008

### _Mayday_

Brandy don't worry about it, I had to do the calculation twice! I thought you were onto something massive there haha!

11. May 20, 2008

### cristo

Staff Emeritus
I've found that, even when doing the most complicated and frustrating calculations, more often than not the mistake is in the first line. For example, a few months ago I was doing this one calculation that, after spending ages on looking through my pages and pages of algebra, just wouldn't work. I then looked at it one day and said to myself "hey, there should be a minus sign in that definition." Anyway, the point of my boring story is that it is quite easy to overlook the foundations of one's argument, and think there is something wrong elsewhere when it is often the bare foundations that are wrong.

You don't have to apologise for "wasting people's time"; hey, at least you've learnt this the easy way

12. May 20, 2008

### _Mayday_

Well I find most of my errors in maths tend to be in the most fundamental aspects of it. Like say in the equation $a=2+b$ I will rearrange it to $\frac{a}{b}=2$ and silly things like that. I guess the moral of the story is to check over your work! If Cristo's story was boring I would hate to know what people think of mine!