WTF 🤦

x + 2 = x - 2

I found x, twice even. EZ

That is probably the most correct answer.

I find this meme and this comment section distressing. Y’all are bad at basic algebra.

Carry on, I guess.

Do enlighten us.
- Subtract x from both sides of the equation. You get 2 = -2 which is incorrect and nonsensical.

2 = -2, easy

Can someone smart explain it to dumb me

Explanation: How did they get from

x + 2 = x - 2

to

(x+2)(x-2)=0?

That's not a valid step.
- To further clarify,
  
  (x+2)(x-2) means to take the result of X+2 and times it with the result of x-2.
  
  While it is common in algebra to bring the other side over, in order to simplify it, this isn't how you'd do it.
  
  Here, you'd either cancel out the X (by removing it on both sides) or the -2 (by adding 2 to both sides) over to make 2=-2 or X+4=X respectively, which are both nonsense equations.
- they start off with S' though... looks like they pretended to try to derive?
Almost everything is wrong in his answer.

The correct answer is, it's unsolvable.

X + 2 = X - 2

X - X = - 2 - 2

0 = - 4
- The real correct answer is that it only works mod 4
- Only the first step is wrong.
It’s not solvable using traditional algebra.

Typically you would try to get all of the variables on one side, and all of the numbers on the other.

So in this instance, you’d start by moving them around to get things together:
x+2 = x-2
x+2-x = -2
x-x = -2-2

But then you simplify, and cancel out any variables that need to be cancelled. In this case we see “x-x” so that cancels out to 0. And we see -2-2 which simplifies into -4. So the end result is:

0=-4

Which is obviously a nonsense answer. In the original post, homeslice did the first step wrong, moved everything over to the left incorrectly, (inadvertently setting the whole equation equal to 0) and the whole thing was downhill from there; Since the first step of their solution was wrong, everything behind it was also wrong.
- You know how you sometimes make a mistake in one line, but after doing a few lines, you go back to actually writing the equation correctly? Happened to me all the time in uni. It's basically because you were thinking of doing the next line or whatever, and you just forgot that a var or const was somewhere in there, or you just didn't copy (or copy it correctly) in the next line, but the memory of that var/const remained in your brain, so after doing a few lines, the equation is now simple enough so your brain knows something should be there, but it's missing. Sure, we almost always caught up with the mistake, go back, correct the last few lines and carry on. But, every once in a while, you don't, and you carry on solving the equation, and you get a correct solution, but from a purely mathematical standpoint, yes, that solution is not correct.
  
  My math proffesor in uni had an interesting take on this. He said, you didn't do 1 mistake and then correct it to get the right answer, but you actually made 2... which is worse... according to him. And I have to say, at that time, I didn't agree, but let's be honest... he is correct. So, he went a lot harder on those students that did this type of mistake than the ones that just made 1 and carried on solving the equation like nothing happened.
There isn't a valid answer to the question.

Ignore the numbers, and just think about this:
Is there a number that you can add 2 to, that would equal the same about as if you subtracted 2 from it?
The answer is no.

So the person, who is pretending to be smart, just did a bunch of fake math.
Also √4 = 2, so the "answer" they have is just them trying to re-write the question x + 2 = x - 2.
- √4=+-2

Right there:

Would it be a rabbit hole to try and find any merit in this solution when interpreting it as: "if x is in a superposition of 2 and -2, the x + 2 = x - 2 would be true in 1/4 of the observations", or something like that?

It is the closest thing to a "solution" that I can imagine, but doesn't fit any laws that I know of or understand, and would probably break down on any scrutiny, but it feels like something is there.

x cant be both values at the same time, not under what most people consider to be math. Feel free to write your own logical system and see where that takes you, though.

I think the only “solution” that works is addition/subtraction under mod 4 (or mod 2 I suppose) like another poster suggested. Then we’d have:

X + 2 = x - 2

X + 4 = x (Add 2 to both sides)

X + 0 = x (4 = 0 mod 4)

X = x (True for all x)
- (True for all x)
  
  But not true for any rational number if you try it in the equation.
  
  Thus, this is not a solution. The equation is unsolvable with rational numbers.
Don't overthink it, it's made to be unsolvable on purpose, just to test how much math your average Joe knows.
- Haha I got that :) @[email protected] is right, I was halfheartedly looking for a logic system in which it could make sense. Still, I would have major issues with the first step as it is shown, but I am wondering about systems where, say, each x <- {..}, then what would be the set, and the probability of the correct solution.
  
  Something I need to be more awake for, and it may be easier to solve without resorting to powers and roots, haha.

I know we're supposed to assume x is a real number, but this could be true if x is a sinusoidal waveform with period = 4. The question didn't specify the range or what set of numbers on which x is defined.

You mean irrational and real axis?

Clearly X= |2> + |-2> 😅

⬆️ this poster didn't normalize their linear combination of wave functions

x=4/0