Originally Posted By: paul
Quote:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=4+feet+to+the+fourth&lk=1


above I posted the link to the interpretation of
4ft^4


Actually, that link is to the expression: (4 ft)^4
which is different from: 4 ft^4

When you use the words: "4 feet to the fourth"
it's ambiguous - there are two possible meanings. It picked one of them and it happened to be the first one instead of the second one.

Originally Posted By: paul

are you saying that 256 ft^4 is the correct answer?
to
2ft^2 * 2ft^2 =



No. If you cut and paste "2ft^2 * 2ft^2" it gives the same result I gave which is 4ft^4.

You wrote: if so then why stop at 4
Why stop "what" at 4?

Originally Posted By: paul

lets make math even more stupider than it is becomming so that even more time is wasted teaching crap like this to students as they are trying their best to learn math.

It's not stupid just because you don't understand the reason for it. Kallog mentioned "dimensional analysis" a while back. That's a basic science concept. You can't get answers that make any sense at all in the real world if you don't keep the dimensions on both sides of the equation the same.


Originally Posted By: paul

why not make it 4 ft^400000



I have no idea how you conclude this. This stuff would be so much easier if you tried to understand it BEFORE you criticize it.