Random Questions curiosity thread ('-' )

[LilBee91]

I think I understand why GPA counts for so little (or should). Are colleges as bad about grade inflation? I know mine tries to prevent it (half my classes have a required C average), but I don't know what it's like anywhere else. Though it was a rude awakening for me to have to actually study....

I'm also happy to report that my school's valedictorian definitely deserved it. He got A's in all of his AP classes with only the benefit of a few test curves, and he was in sports all year round. Our number two wasn't too bad about grade-grubbing either. But then again, maybe our school was just too easy.

I think most of my extra credit was offered in easier classes. My AP ones rarely got extra points beyond bumping up everyone's test grades.

[powerfulcheese04]

We're hosting our UIL invitational for academics teams within our area. I've worked it for the past two years, usually announcing awards. And I absolutely love it. And now we get extra credit if we work it? I'm okay with that!

Awwwww, UIL! I miss UIL!

[steph]

My school was really dumb about Valedictorian. Anyone who had a 4.0 or above was a Valedictorian, so we had about 14. I think it really made it mean less.

[Mich]

My school was really dumb about Valedictorian. Anyone who had a 4.0 or above was a Valedictorian, so we had about 14. I think it really made it mean less.

I've always thought this, what with the 4.0 meaning less and less. "Take an honors course? An A is 4.2!" I don't understand anything anymore.

[zeroguy]

And some places just have some kind of 5.0 GPA system, where normal classes are out of 5 (AP or whatever being even higher). I never knew that existed until some college thing or other asked me if my GPA was based on a 4.0 system. "Eh? What else is there?"

[Dr. Mobius]

There are certain situations where 102.4% is awesome, however most of the time anything over 100% is really silly.

[CezeN]

So yeah, got a 0 on this AP Chem test I just took. . .

[CezeN]

Next question, have any of you experienced sleep paralysis before?

I think I did yesterday - and it was kind of a disappointment.

I mean, in various places on the internet, I've heard the experience described as terrifying and heartpounding. And, I'd have love to have experienced that fear.
However, mine was a letdown. I wasn't afraid.

To be fair: The dream I had prior was about zombies. Slow moving zombies. All I did to get away from them, was climb onto higher ground. And I pretty much just laughed at them, when they tried to climb up, because they were moving so effing slow.

So then, during what may have been sleep paralysis or what may have been part of a dream, I was lying on my bed looking from the normal angle of the room as when I'm awake. And like, since it's a bunk bed, my vision is blocked.
But then.... a monster/zombie hand started stretching out from behind the back of the top bunk of the bed.

However, it was stretching incredibley slow. So I was pretty much like(in my mind) "lol zombie hand, I'll just climb to the higher ground of the top bunk".
So after watching it for like 10 or 20 more seconds, I tried to get up.

But I couldn't. I chalked it up to the fact that when I'm sleepy, I'm really reluctant to get out of bed. So I just wasn't trying hard enough.

While I was thinking this, the hand kept slowly growing longer and poking out from behind the bed.

So then I was like just like, "okay, get up now" in my mind, to myself. But my body wasn't reacting.

So I kept trying. And then I was like, "okay motor neurons, get to working" because I don't know I thought that knowing how my body moves will like I don't know get it to start moving.

Eventually, randomly I managed to get out the bed. And soon as I did, the "zombie hand" disappeared by kinda like morphing into one of the shirts hanging off the top of the top bunk of my bed. Similar to like, you know when you desync your vision and the image of your left and right eye start seperating? And then when you stop, the images just warp back together. It was like that.

So yeah, it's possible that was a dream. However, the whole "motor neurons" thing makes me think otherwise, recalling real life knowledge is never something I do in my dreams. And, after that I just went back to sleep, as I do on Sundays where I wake up for brief moments at a time, and then fall back asleep. (I think it has to do with my school week sleep cycle)

Of course, there's always the possibility that that monster was real.

Weirdest thing was throughout the whole thing I wasn't afraid at all. I was nonchalant.

But yeah, anyone else ever experienced sleep paralysis? If so, describe what you experienced, please.

[starlooker]

Why is Paul using Ali's avatar? My poor little brain is being blown away with confusion.

[Jayelle]

It was a joke in the Complete Randomness thread.

I'll make him change it soon.

[starlooker]

That's what I get for having non-functioning Internet. My ability to keep up with pweb obsessively has been severely compromised.

[LilBee91]

I guess this can go here. I think there's the thread somewhere that's more related, but I couldn't find it, so yea...

Do all guys attach way more meaning to something a girl does than she intended? Or do I just attract oddballs? Apparently my current boy thought me talking to him after class this one time meant I really liked him, when I was just kinda flirting. And my ex told me that the first time I grabbed his hand he thought it was a sign that I really wanted to be with him, which it admittedly was, but I didn't think I was giving that strong of a vibe.
So does this make me an oblivious tease? Or do these guys read more into things than they should? Am I making moves I'm not aware of?

[zeroguy]

This is high school, right? It may just be the geeky guys or something, but I'd tend to say "probably".

However, looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you were one of the girls I knew in high school, I certainly wouldn't want you to stop.

[Eddie Pinz]

Well if the guy is already into you, then he is going to be looking for a sign. He might read too much into something because he wants it to be something. Also, "kinda flirting"? Isn't flirting a sign that you might be into someone?

[megxers]

I'm an obnoxious tease, not so much an oblivious one. However, I can also tell you that some guys do NOT catch on at all. (And I've also been told I'm actually more subtle now, at least, than I ever thought)

However this means the only boys who put up with my crazyness/non-committal nature are annoying frat boys. I need to work on this. Because I really do like the nerd boys...

RANDOM SEMI-RELATED QUESTION

How do you tell if a boy who you talk to all the time likes you? The whole, he's my best friend, we talk about everything, much of what we do seems like flirting...but the one time things could have happened, he tried to set me up with his cute, but not him friend...hopes, dreams torched. heh.

[locke]

males tend to interpret any female attention as romantic interest by default. It's an evolutionary adaptation that yields greater reproductive dividends with the side effect of a lot of false positives. Not responding to female attention as though it had a sexual aspect is a learned social behavior. male nerds would probably learn this later due to a tendancy to self select out of social interactions with females at the onset of puberty. Males that self select into social interactions with females at the onset of puberty will learn not all attention is romantic interest sooner, and they also may not care in the slightest, having figured out that false positives aren't a bad tradeoff for getting laid more often.

[human.]

I'm not sure I agree with that. I am surrounded by nerdy males, and half of the time they seem oblivious. It feels more like nerdier guys just usually view actions by one end of the spectrum or another--that is they read into everything or they're oblivious to everything. (Of course not completely, but you get the point.)

But then again nearly every nerdy guy I know is either in college or high school. So that might bias my observations.

[Eddie Pinz]

How do you tell if a boy who you talk to all the time likes you? The whole, he's my best friend, we talk about everything, much of what we do seems like flirting...but the one time things could have happened, he tried to set me up with his cute, but not him friend...hopes, dreams torched. heh.

This might be a crazy theory, but...ask him? If he does then awesome. If he doesn't, then you are still friends. I find a direct and honest approach is really the best way to go.

[Gravity Defier]

How do you tell if a boy who you talk to all the time likes you? The whole, he's my best friend, we talk about everything, much of what we do seems like flirting...but the one time things could have happened, he tried to set me up with his cute, but not him friend...hopes, dreams torched. heh.

If he doesn't, then you are still friends.

It tends to be healthier to put that on hold, if that is the case. Remaining friends with someone who doesn't return your feelings is painful and difficult, depending on the strength of said feelings. Taking a break allows you to deal with the mental shift that moves him from Romantic Interest to Friend without more hurt feelings along the way.

Just my opinion, of course.

[Gravity Defier]

Double post but I was in a hurry this morning.

Isn't flirting a sign that you might be into someone?

"Might" is the operative word in that sentence.

I'm not saying Shannon does this but plenty of women will flirt just for the attention, not caring one lick about the guy so long as it is a guy.

[Eddie Pinz]

"Might" is the operative word in that sentence.

I'm not saying Shannon does this but plenty of women will flirt just for the attention, not caring one lick about the guy so long as it is a guy.

Agreed, which is why I used that word. And, believe me, I know some girls don't care, but these same girls also shouldn't be blown away when you are flirting with a guy and he takes it a certain way.

It tends to be healthier to put that on hold, if that is the case. Remaining friends with someone who doesn't return your feelings is painful and difficult, depending on the strength of said feelings. Taking a break allows you to deal with the mental shift that moves him from Romantic Interest to Friend without more hurt feelings along the way.

This could be true depending on the situation. I find this most true after a "good"* breakup. Mainly you want to stay friends after dating. Me personally, I don't have a hard time moving passed someone not having those type of feelings for me. Mostly because I find out in the earlier stages of said feelings. If I start to develop feelings, I make a move/ask/whatever. I try not to let them fester until the point that I will be crushed if I'm rejected. That way, after the initial awkwardness of them finding out I felt a certain, we move on and are still friends. If the person can't be friends with me after finding out the way I feel/felt, then maybe we weren't really friends in the first place.

* There is no such thing as a good break up. But no matter how much you want to still be friends, you need a break because there are still going to be feelings and old habits die hard. At least in my experience.

Note: These are my experiences. I find these are the best practices, but they may not be for everyone.

[Mich]

It tends to be healthier to put that on hold, if that is the case. Remaining friends with someone who doesn't return your feelings is painful and difficult, depending on the strength of said feelings. Taking a break allows you to deal with the mental shift that moves him from Romantic Interest to Friend without more hurt feelings along the way.

This could be true depending on the situation. I find this most true after a "good"* breakup. Mainly you want to stay friends after dating. Me personally, I don't have a hard time moving passed someone not having those type of feelings for me. Mostly because I find out in the earlier stages of said feelings. If I start to develop feelings, I make a move/ask/whatever. I try not to let them fester until the point that I will be crushed if I'm rejected. That way, after the initial awkwardness of them finding out I felt a certain, we move on and are still friends. If the person can't be friends with me after finding out the way I feel/felt, then maybe we weren't really friends in the first place.

As for rejections, most reject-ees that I've known immediately lose romantic feelings as soon as they find out the other person actually doesn't reciprocate (keep in mind I mostly know meek and/or nerdy types), so they either want to a) Stay away forever and never be around the other person because they're too embarrassed, or b) Actually maintain the same friendship they had before without losing anything. So I suppose the important thing is to not be embarrassed and find out, and if you were wrong, hey, they'll probably still want to play Smash Bros with you.

[CezeN]

Just the other day, though it's happened in the past a couple of times, I was soo bored in my AP Chem class, that I was yawning constantly, really hard.

And then, I went off with this really hard yawn and I felt like a sharp pain in my throat and felt like a bulge sticking out of my throat.

Briefly, for like a minute or two, part of my throat swelled up and it felt weird, and at first it was really painful. It was like an inch or a little bit more in diameter. I think.

Anyone else ever experienced that?
Or know what it is?

[Gravity Defier]

Or know what it is?

Sounds to me like you put your foot in your mouth. I advise you keep it shut for a few days, see how you feel.





No, joking aside, that doesn't sound good but while I haven't experienced that, I did have the feeling for about a week that there was a lump in my throat; that was uncomfortable. If it happens again, might be something to take to a doctor.

[zeroguy]

I'm not sure I agree with that. I am surrounded by nerdy males, and half of the time they seem oblivious.

Or they're like this.

Edit: now that I actually read the comic I linked, you might think that "If I were even slightly interested, I'd have shown it" would make a difference. Yet somehow, it often seems not to.

[Mich]

I'm not sure I agree with that. I am surrounded by nerdy males, and half of the time they seem oblivious.

Or they're like this.

I have an alternate ending to that comic! I sat next to this cute girl who was wearing a funny plushy hat. I mentioned that it was cute to her, hoping to strike up a conversation, and lo! she conversed. For the entire bus ride. About everything. And she turned out to be really, really annoying, and have an annoying voice.

So there are at least two bad endings to that comic. Both are still not bad risks to take.

[Syphon the Sun]

How do you tell if a boy who you talk to all the time likes you? The whole, he's my best friend, we talk about everything, much of what we do seems like flirting...but the one time things could have happened, he tried to set me up with his cute, but not him friend...hopes, dreams torched. heh.

If he doesn't, then you are still friends.

But if we started dating, it would ruin our friendship where I ask you to do things and you do them...

[Gravity Defier]

Who here has not seen "No Retreat, No Surrender"?

[Rei]

Never heard of it.

[neo-dragon]

Who here has not seen "No Retreat, No Surrender"?

Having read the summary on wikipedia it sounds like something I may have seen as a kid but I have no specific memories of it.

[Luet]

Also never heard of it but my husband has seen it.

[CezeN]

It's only happened like three times, last time being a year ago in a class that somehow managed to be even more boring than AP Chem, so I wouldn't really consider a doctor visit for it.

After some internet research, it might and is most likely a neck cramp. I mean, apparently I'm not the only one who gets them. And the people described things exactly similar to it and what I should do when I get it.
(Tilt my head back to stretch my neck)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Next question:

Word around the math community is that you can't divide by zero. That's like a mathematical law, right?
So, what's wrong with this proof?

a = b
a^2 = b^2
a^2 = ab
a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2
(a - b)a + b = (a - b)b
a + b = b
2 = 1

Since a = b, then the part in red(a - b) equals zero.
And thus, you are dividing by zero.
QED

Now, when my teacher showed us similar proofs in the beginning of the year, there were always errors that invalidated them.
I'm assuming this one has one - especially since 2 =/= 1 - and guessing it has something to do with the factoring. Maybe some specifics in that are the difference between dividing and factoring. *shrug* I'm not a math person.

[neo-dragon]

(a - b)a + b = (a - b)b
a + b = b
2 = 1

I see a problem right here. You can't get rid of (a - b) on both sides like that unless the left side was (a - b)(a + b). The lack of brackets makes a difference.

Let's say (a - b) is x.
You have: ax + b = bx.
For x to cancel out on both sides you need: (a + b)x = bx

[jotabe]

Well, you can divide by zero, look:

1/0 = infinity

See? right there What happens is that you can't divide by zero in R (the set of the real numbers) or in any subset of R (like N).

Infinity is not a real number. Actually, it's not a number at all, it's a limit. You still can treat it formally, but you require calculus.

In the demonstration (and yes, neo-dragon, it should read "(a-b)(a+b)=(a-b)b"), you reach 2=1 because you didn't realize that:

(a-b)*(a+b)/(a-b) = infinity = (a-b)*b/(a-b)
both sides of the equation are infinities, and you can't remove infinities, because if you divide infinity/infinity, now you have what we call an indetermination. Meaning that infinity/infinity can be equal to any real number.

Let me digress a bit: in physics, sometimes the fundamental laws give out infinities as result. One notable example is Quantum ElectroDynmics (QED lol). The solution, that makes mathematicians cringe, is, in a manner of speaking, dividing by infinity and chose as the result of the indetermination certain physical fundamental values. This is called renormalization, and while it works and gives exceptionally good predictions for experimental results, makes a lot of people think that this theory isn't good enough.

[CezeN]

All of that went straight over my head. (Well, half of it) Though, I didn't know 1/0 = infinity.

How does that work?

Nor do I understand how (a-b)*(a+b)/(a-b) yields infinity.

On another note, this QED thing reminds me of an Episode of this show called Flash Forward.
They had this big equation, and QED at the end. Uneducated guy was like, "that which was to be demonstrated".
Educated guy was like "or Quantum Electro Dynamics."

lol