MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
if you time 33 by 32 how many powers of 3 are there?
can anyone explain this?
one
33 = 3x11
32 = 2x2x2x2x2
33x32 = 3x11x2x2x2x2x2
power of 3 = 1
power of 11 = 1
power of 2 = 5
ahh shucks.
simple logarithms here
33*32=3^n
log(33*32)=log(3^n)
Log(33*32)=n*log(3)
n= log(33*32)/log(3) = 6.337..
sorted!
n= log(33*32)/log(3) = 6.337..
forgive me, but doesn't "how [b]many[/b] powers of 3 are there?" imply an integer power and hence the factorisation? Had the question been "to what power would 3 need to be raised to equal this ?" the fractional power would be the right answer. To me, "many" implies a discrete number, and "much" an amount possibly including a fractional part.
Well if the question itself was open to interpretation it was a bad question. I'm sure the OP will be able to tell which of our answers is the one they need, we did both show working 😛
Well if the question itself was open to interpretation it was a bad question
question: write a question incapable of misinterpretation
I've got one, but it's got a naughty word in it.
Isn't that just being a little pedantic? I only offered a possible solution 🙄
Isn't that just being a little pedantic?
hmmm, surely when it comes to maths there are only right and wrong answers and a pedantic attention to detail is the default ?
True enough, however I was pointing out with that comment that you were being pedantic over the semantics of the question, not the maths involved.
But this argument is a little redundant until the OP replies anyway..
you were being pedantic over the semantics of the question, not the maths involved.
can they be separated ? The question isn't mathematical but the answer is ? In my opinion, you answered a different question.

