this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
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[–] [email protected] 218 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)

What a deviously misleading diagram.

The triangle on the left isn't actually a right angle triangle, as the other angles add to 100°, meaning the final one is actually 80°, not 90°.

Therefore the triangle on the right also isn't a right angle triangle. That corner is 100°.

100+35=135°. 180-135=45°. So that's 45° for the top angle.

X = the straight line of the joined triangles (180°) - the top angle of the right triangle (45°). 180-45=135°

X is 135°, not the 125° it initially appears to be.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It also doesn't say that the line on the bottom is straight, so we have no idea if that middle vertex adds up to 180 degrees. I would say it is unsolvable.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This is what I was thinking. The image is not to scale, so it is risky to say that the angles at the bottom center add up to 180, despite looking that way. If a presented angle does not represent the real angle, then presented straight lines might not represent real lines.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Eh, I think @sag pretty well nailed it.

Looks like an outer triangle with inner triangles so x = 180 - (180 - (40 + 60 + 35)) = 40 + 60 + 35 = 135

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Can you clarify what you mean? this doesn't make sense to me. There isn't an "outer" triangle. There's one triangle (the left one) that has the angles 40, 60, 80. Both triangles are misleadingly drawn as they appear to be aligned at the bottom but they're not (left triangle's non-displayed angle is 80, not 90 degrees). So that means we can't figure out the angles of the right triangle since we only have information of 1 angle (the other can't be figured out since we can't assume its actually aligned at the bottom since the graph is now obviously not to scale).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I mean to me it looks like there are two connected triangles with an implied 3rd where x is the degree measure of its apex. IFF that is true, them you can assume 180 degree totals for each triangle individually and one for the "outer triangle".

I totally get it if you take the perspective that none of it is to scale, but it seems unreasonable to me that a straight line is not a straight line connecting the two triangles shown. Either it's unsolvable from that premise, or you can assume 3 triangles that compose one larger triangle and solve directly. And it seems weird to share something that is patently unsolvable.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago

I used to have teacher who deliberately made disproportionate diagrams. His reasoning was that people trust too much what their eyes see and not enough what the numbers tell them. He would've loved that diagram.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

With proper punctuations: There are three words in "the English language". The other half of it is supposed to be a misdirection.

But yeah, the original joke was really bad in the first place. I don't blame the second guy for his reaction.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It literally explains it in the comic? People who communicate badly and then act smug when they're misunderstood are annoying. The other user is saying that the same applies to the OPs post; because the angles don't match the graphic, they're communicating badly

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yes but what is communicated badly ? What did the riddle man mean by the three words in english language that end in "gry" ?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

The "Riddle Man" wants the answer to be 'language' because the question he claims to have asked is what's the third word in "the English Language."

If we credulously try to answer the implied question, it's better to just link this page, but you should read the whole thing.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-third-common-gry-word

[–] tyler 5 points 1 month ago

As the explain xkcd notes, it’s badly told by cueball so it’s impossible to answer. https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/169:_Words_that_End_in_GRY

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's a geometry puzzle. Of course they aren't going to get out a protractor to carefully get the 80° drawn to scale. The point of these puzzles isn't that we actually want to know what the angle is. The point is to navigate a maze of logic. (A very short maze in this particular case.)

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago

Yes, and in this case, the puzzle was poorly presented and likely unsolvable.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Leave it to the Grand Nagus to spot a clever ruse.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

12th rule of acquisition : let assumptions work in your favor

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

I looked at that "90°" angle and went "that doesn't look right..."

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I thought is was wierd that my math didn't make sense, thanks!