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  3. A gentle puzzle I was just asked.

A gentle puzzle I was just asked.

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  • Richard Andrew x64R Richard Andrew x64

    Infinity - if you're talking about real numbers.

    The difficult we do right away... ...the impossible takes slightly longer.

    OriginalGriffO Offline
    OriginalGriffO Offline
    OriginalGriff
    wrote on last edited by
    #12

    Oh? Is -2 bigger than -1 now? :-D

    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

    P D 2 Replies Last reply
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    • R Rich Leyshon

      Undefined, tending to infinity???

      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriff
      wrote on last edited by
      #13

      So which is bigger: -1 or -2?

      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

      R L 2 Replies Last reply
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      • A Amarnath S

        Smallest positive integer = 1 Largest negative integer = -1 Difference is 2.

        OriginalGriffO Offline
        OriginalGriffO Offline
        OriginalGriff
        wrote on last edited by
        #14

        Dat's de bunny! :thumbsup: Surprising how many people think -2 is bigger than -1. :-D

        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
        "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

        B 1 Reply Last reply
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        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

          What is the smallest positive integer minus the largest negative integer?

          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

          P Offline
          P Offline
          PIEBALDconsult
          wrote on last edited by
          #15

          Is zero positive?

          J OriginalGriffO R M M 5 Replies Last reply
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          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

            Dat's de bunny! :thumbsup: Surprising how many people think -2 is bigger than -1. :-D

            "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

            B Offline
            B Offline
            Brisingr Aerowing
            wrote on last edited by
            #16

            Also what I got, mostly as I've had to solve this puzzle in multiple math classes, and was usually the only person to get it right (sadly).

            What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question? The metaphorical solid rear-end expulsions have impacted the metaphorical motorized bladed rotating air movement mechanism. Do questions with multiple question marks annoy you???

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            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

              What is the smallest positive integer minus the largest negative integer?

              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

              CPalliniC Offline
              CPalliniC Offline
              CPallini
              wrote on last edited by
              #17

              10. Or, possibly, 42.

              "In testa che avete, Signor di Ceprano?" -- Rigoletto

              In testa che avete, signor di Ceprano?

              J 1 Reply Last reply
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              • P PIEBALDconsult

                Is zero positive?

                J Offline
                J Offline
                Jeremy Falcon
                wrote on last edited by
                #18

                From a comp sci and data representation perspective, yes. Not sure about the math perspective.

                Jeremy Falcon

                OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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                • CPalliniC CPallini

                  10. Or, possibly, 42.

                  "In testa che avete, Signor di Ceprano?" -- Rigoletto

                  J Offline
                  J Offline
                  Jeremy Falcon
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #19

                  It's always 42; we just didn't invent the math yet to get us there.

                  Jeremy Falcon

                  OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • J Jeremy Falcon

                    From a comp sci and data representation perspective, yes. Not sure about the math perspective.

                    Jeremy Falcon

                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                    OriginalGriff
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #20

                    From a math perspective, zero is neither positive nor negative: Negative number - Wikipedia[^]

                    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • P PIEBALDconsult

                      Is zero positive?

                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriff
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #21

                      From a math perspective, zero is neither positive nor negative: Negative number - Wikipedia[^]

                      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • J Jeremy Falcon

                        It's always 42; we just didn't invent the math yet to get us there.

                        Jeremy Falcon

                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                        OriginalGriff
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #22

                        We did: fractional bases[^] - but it makes my head hurt trying to think of them ... :-D

                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                        "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • P PIEBALDconsult

                          Is zero positive?

                          R Offline
                          R Offline
                          RainHat
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #23

                          It can be positive, negative or unsigned depending on the representation and how it is used. Fnu

                          P 1 Reply Last reply
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                          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                            What is the smallest positive integer minus the largest negative integer?

                            "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                            honey the codewitchH Offline
                            honey the codewitchH Offline
                            honey the codewitch
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #24

                            at what bit depth? ;P

                            Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

                            OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                              at what bit depth? ;P

                              Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

                              OriginalGriffO Offline
                              OriginalGriffO Offline
                              OriginalGriff
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #25

                              Start with two bit signed numbers and work your way up from there ... :-D That always made me laugh - back in the day when CD players were the Bee's Knees they proudly announced the kit contained a "1 bit DA converter" on the adverts (and the player, normally).

                              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                              "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                              P J 2 Replies Last reply
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                              • P PIEBALDconsult

                                Is zero positive?

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                MarkTJohnson
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #26

                                1 - (-1) = 1+1 = 2

                                I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated. I’m begging you for the benefit of everyone, don’t be STUPID.

                                raddevusR 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                  What is the smallest positive integer minus the largest negative integer?

                                  "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Member 11561335
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #27

                                  Isn't it just 2? I mean the smallest positive int is 1. The largest negative int is -1. (-1 is bigger than -2) so it's just 1 - (-1) which is 2.

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                                  • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                    What is the smallest positive integer minus the largest negative integer?

                                    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                                    K Offline
                                    K Offline
                                    k5054
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #28

                                    The question is ambiguous in terms of what "largest negative" means. In a strict mathematical sense, that number is -1. But in an natural language sense, "largest negative" would mean "most negative". For example, when my bank account hits $-500, I owe a larger amount than when its only $-10!

                                    "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" Chuckles the clown

                                    OriginalGriffO J 0 D P 5 Replies Last reply
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                                    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                      What is the smallest positive integer minus the largest negative integer?

                                      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                                      M Offline
                                      M Offline
                                      Marc Clifton
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #29

                                      This is why I hated math word problems. To me, the "largest negative integer" is -infinity because, for example, -3 is "larger" than -2 on the "negative" scale. "Largeness" to me is ambiguous. But my brain works in weird ways when it comes to converting words into math expressions.

                                      Latest Articles:
                                      A Lightweight Thread Safe In-Memory Keyed Generic Cache Collection Service A Dynamic Where Implementation for Entity Framework

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                                      • K k5054

                                        The question is ambiguous in terms of what "largest negative" means. In a strict mathematical sense, that number is -1. But in an natural language sense, "largest negative" would mean "most negative". For example, when my bank account hits $-500, I owe a larger amount than when its only $-10!

                                        "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" Chuckles the clown

                                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                                        OriginalGriff
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #30

                                        Yes, you owe a larger amount - which means you have a lower bank balance!

                                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                        "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • K k5054

                                          The question is ambiguous in terms of what "largest negative" means. In a strict mathematical sense, that number is -1. But in an natural language sense, "largest negative" would mean "most negative". For example, when my bank account hits $-500, I owe a larger amount than when its only $-10!

                                          "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" Chuckles the clown

                                          J Offline
                                          J Offline
                                          jschell
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #31

                                          k5054 wrote:

                                          question is ambiguous in terms

                                          I agree. It needs better term definitions to provide a correct answer. But I can see that some of the answers above taking it to mean the question is phrased to taken as a trick question and so rather simple.

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