Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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Wimple
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Wimple »

Les Paul is being featured on the local (LA) news tonight. I guess his guitar collection is being auctioned off or something.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jpahk »

i knew "ordinate" would be a triple-stumper—definitely undervalued at $800. (i was expecting "abscissa" when i got the $2000 DD in "A" in math.) but when they didn't go in for "quadratic" at $2000, i laughed. that category was just a mess.

but yeah, this was Another Joel Game (TM). played well, not great, and single-got FJ. congrats to him.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by alietr »

I will embarrassingly admit that I wasn't thinking "quadratic" but said "parabola" instead. Judges?
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by econgator »

alietr wrote:I will embarrassingly admit that I wasn't thinking "quadratic" but said "parabola" instead. Judges?
No. A parabola is y=ax2+bx+c and y cannot be made equal 0.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Volante »

econgator wrote:
alietr wrote:I will embarrassingly admit that I wasn't thinking "quadratic" but said "parabola" instead. Judges?
No. A parabola is y=ax2+bx+c and y cannot be made equal 0.
Sure it can! If x^2 = y, and x=0,then y = 0. A parabolic function is just the quadratic without constraining it to one (or two) solution(s).

The clue explicitly set y to 0, though, and that's the quadratic. Can't make a parabola with (at most) two points.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by OrangeSAM »

Volante wrote:
econgator wrote:
alietr wrote:I will embarrassingly admit that I wasn't thinking "quadratic" but said "parabola" instead. Judges?
No. A parabola is y=ax2+bx+c and y cannot be made equal 0.
Sure it can! If x^2 = y, and x=0,then y = 0. A parabolic function is just the quadratic without constraining it to one (or two) solution(s).

The clue explicitly set y to 0, though, and that's the quadratic. Can't make a parabola with (at most) two points.
This thread is bordering on unreal.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by econgator »

Volante wrote:Sure it can! If x^2 = y, and x=0,then y = 0. A parabolic function is just the quadratic without constraining it to one (or two) solution(s).
But if x=0, then it's just a linear function, no?
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Volante »

econgator wrote:
Volante wrote:Sure it can! If x^2 = y, and x=0,then y = 0. A parabolic function is just the quadratic without constraining it to one (or two) solution(s).
But if x=0, then it's just a linear function, no?
No, because where x = 2 or -2, y = 4.
(I tried putting a link to wolfram alpha here, but it's a finicky little twerp... )

A linear function I guess would be y = mx+b?
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Vanya »

alietr wrote:I will embarrassingly admit that I wasn't thinking "quadratic" but said "parabola" instead. Judges?
If I were a judge, I would allow it (close enough for Jeopardy mathematics/science standards). In a major brain malfunction I said quadrilateral.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by econgator »

Volante wrote:
econgator wrote:
Volante wrote:Sure it can! If x^2 = y, and x=0,then y = 0. A parabolic function is just the quadratic without constraining it to one (or two) solution(s).
But if x=0, then it's just a linear function, no?
No, because where x = 2 or -2, y = 4.
(I tried putting a link to wolfram alpha here, but it's a finicky little twerp... )

A linear function I guess would be y = mx+b?
But if x= +/- 2, then it doesn't equal 0, like I said it did. ;)

If x=0, then y=bx+c, which is linear.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by TreehugginCowgirl »

I loved the Double Jeopardy board today. And since Alex corrects everyone on their pronunciation. At least where I come from, Alex, it's pronounced BOW-lynn, not BOW-line :P
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Woof »

econgator wrote:
Volante wrote:
econgator wrote:
But if x=0, then it's just a linear function, no?
No, because where x = 2 or -2, y = 4.
(I tried putting a link to wolfram alpha here, but it's a finicky little twerp... )

A linear function I guess would be y = mx+b?
But if x= +/- 2, then it doesn't equal 0, like I said it did. ;)

If x=0, then y=bx+c, which is linear.
???? If x=0, you're evaluating the function at x=0 and what you've got is no longer a function. A quadratic at x=0 evaluates to y=c where c is the y-intercept (duh!). A parabola is a particular subset of quadratic equation where b=0 (i.e., y=ax^2 + c). As the clue explicitly laid out the equation as ax^2 + bx + c = 0, parabola would not be a correct answer.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

econgator wrote:
Volante wrote:
econgator wrote: But if x=0, then it's just a linear function, no?
No, because where x = 2 or -2, y = 4.
(I tried putting a link to wolfram alpha here, but it's a finicky little twerp... )

A linear function I guess would be y = mx+b?
But if x= +/- 2, then it doesn't equal 0, like I said it did. ;)

If x=0, then y=bx+c, which is linear.
y = ax^2 + bx + c (for nonzero values of a) is a parabola. x = 0 is just one point on that parabola (x being a variable means that we look at more than one value of it). You might as well be saying that if x = 2, then y = bx + c + 4a, which, with c and a as constants, is linear. Once you have a value for x, you follow it through until you have a value for y. If x = 0, y = c, and you've got an ordered pair, a point on the graph where the equation is true, not a line.

In short, no.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Volante »

Woof wrote:
econgator wrote:
Volante wrote: No, because where x = 2 or -2, y = 4.
(I tried putting a link to wolfram alpha here, but it's a finicky little twerp... )

A linear function I guess would be y = mx+b?
But if x= +/- 2, then it doesn't equal 0, like I said it did. ;)

If x=0, then y=bx+c, which is linear.
???? If x=0, you're evaluating the function at x=0 and what you've got is no longer a function. A quadratic at x=0 evaluates to y=c where c is the y-intercept (duh!). A parabola is a particular subset of quadratic equation where b=0 (i.e., y=ax^2 + c). As the clue explicitly laid out the equation as ax^2 + bx + c = 0, parabola would not be a correct answer.
ax^2 + bx + c = 0 where a != 0 and b != 0 is also a parabola, it just moves the vertex off the y-axis.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Woof »

Volante wrote: ax^2 + bx + c = 0 where a != 0 and b != 0 is also a parabola, it just moves the vertex off the y-axis.
Yes, correct you are. b!=0 removes the symmetry about the y-axis.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by dhkendall »

I just want to say that I am no good in algebra (came within one point on my grade 12 final algebra exam of failing it, and with it, high school), but just seeing this conversation going on makes me realize why I love this board so much (the sheer intellectual quality of the posts).

Carry on, fellow nerds. Carry on.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jpahk »

dhkendall wrote:I just want to say that I am no good in algebra (came within one point on my grade 12 final algebra exam of failing it, and with it, high school), but just seeing this conversation going on makes me realize why I love this board so much (the sheer intellectual quality of the posts).

Carry on, fellow nerds. Carry on.
odd. i'm just fine in algebra, and i've had the exact opposite reaction—just shaking my head sadly at most of this and hoping it would stop. (seaborgium has got it right, unsurprisingly, but almost everything posted both before and after has been wrong.) since i haven't seen it summed up quite succinctly enough for people to get it, here is my one and only contribution:

y = ax^2+bx+c is an equation that expresses a relationship between two variables, x and y. you can plot it on a cartesian graph and (for nonzero a) you would get a parabola. it is a quadratic equation, because it expresses a quadratic relationship between y and x. but it is also true that this is the equation of a parabola. if the clue had asked about what kind of equation this is, "parabolic" would be acceptable.

ax^2+bx+c = 0 (the equation in the clue) is an equation with a single variable, x. you cannot plot it on a cartesian graph. you can solve it for x; there are 0, 1, or 2 real solutions, depending on the values of a, b, and c. this is a quadratic equation, but there is no parabola here. so "parabolic" cannot be a correct answer to the clue on the show.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by dhkendall »

jpahk wrote:
dhkendall wrote:I just want to say that I am no good in algebra (came within one point on my grade 12 final algebra exam of failing it, and with it, high school), but just seeing this conversation going on makes me realize why I love this board so much (the sheer intellectual quality of the posts).

Carry on, fellow nerds. Carry on.
odd. i'm just fine in algebra, and i've had the exact opposite reaction—just shaking my head sadly at most of this and hoping it would stop. (seaborgium has got it right, unsurprisingly, but almost everything posted both before and after has been wrong.) since i haven't seen it summed up quite succinctly enough for people to get it, here is my one and only contribution:

y = ax^2+bx+c is an equation that expresses a relationship between two variables, x and y. you can plot it on a cartesian graph and (for nonzero a) you would get a parabola. it is a quadratic equation, because it expresses a quadratic relationship between y and x. but it is also true that this is the equation of a parabola. if the clue had asked about what kind of equation this is, "parabolic" would be acceptable.

ax^2+bx+c = 0 (the equation in the clue) is an equation with a single variable, x. you cannot plot it on a cartesian graph. you can solve it for x; there are 0, 1, or 2 real solutions, depending on the values of a, b, and c. this is a quadratic equation, but there is no parabola here. so "parabolic" cannot be a correct answer to the clue on the show.
But you, see, Joon, that's why I love the thread. It's the simple fact that people are debating algebraic equations. You ain't gonna see that on Free Republic or reddit.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by alietr »

jpahk wrote:this is a quadratic equation, but there is no parabola here. so "parabolic" cannot be a correct answer to the clue on the show.
Aw, crap, Joon. I preferred when I had a chance at being right.
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Re: Monday, May 28, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Paucle »

dhkendall wrote:But you, see, Joon, that's why I love the thread. It's the simple fact that people are debating algebraic equations. You ain't gonna see that on Free Republic or reddit.
Over there, it only looks like that's what's going on. (No! U=r 2b a loosr!)
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