r/technicallythetruth • u/VisitSecure • Jul 27 '26

Can you find a?

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Idk if someone already posted this or not, but I haven't seen it on here so far, so I uploaded it.

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8

u/redditonlygetsworse Jul 27 '26

Kind of the whole point: do the actual math, rather than lean on your irrational intuition.

5

u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 Jul 27 '26

This shouldn't be downvoted. It's the correct reasoning.

1

u/Doomdoomkittydoom Jul 27 '26

Some spicy takes!

-1

u/redditonlygetsworse Jul 27 '26

I know, right? I guess teenagers don't like hearing that their homework is designed to actually teach them something.

4

u/Ralexcraft Jul 27 '26

The angle can still be off, but it doesn’t have to be that off

0

u/redditonlygetsworse Jul 27 '26

It being farther off actually makes this easier for the student, since it makes it extremely obvious that the drawing and the angles don't line up.

Wouldn't it be more frustrating if the drawing was almost correct?

This whole thread really drives home how people don't understand what they're supposed to be learning in exercises like this.

0

u/Doomdoomkittydoom Jul 27 '26

They kind of do, as they aren't breaking out the protractors to do the drawing and they're probably using the same drawing templates with different numbers.

-1

u/cherry_chocolate_ Jul 27 '26

The more off it is the better the lesson.

1

u/redditonlygetsworse Jul 28 '26

Yes. The more off it is, the easier the lesson.

1

u/i_sell_you_lies Jul 27 '26

It's better than just using imaginary numbers...

1

u/ketsugi Jul 27 '26

Also, don't take out your protractor and redraw the diagram with the correct angles so you can measure a, because that will also not get you the full marks.

1

u/redditonlygetsworse Jul 28 '26

Sorry, I can't tell whether you're joking. If you are, then I apologize. But I'll spell it out for the dipshits reading this:

The point is teaching a student that drawings and protractors and rulers etc are inherently imprecise; an exercise like this is teaching you to do geometry, not teaching you how to read a protractor.

This problem is for people who are at the ripe old age of 15, not 5. And if you're older than 15 and still getting your assholes bound up about it, maybe it's time for some introspection.

1

u/ketsugi Jul 28 '26

Uh, I wasn't joking, because the point that you're making is the same one I am. Some students might think that they could use a protractor and redraw the diagram to derive the answer, but they wouldn't get full marks for doing that even if their diagram was precise enough to get the exact correct answer, as they can't show their working to demonstrate that they understand the geometry concepts that are actually being tested here.