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Expert: - 5/11/2009


Question
I need a definition of complex events for a 6th grade student.

Answer
The definition of complex events is when there is something you need to know and there is data you must derive it from.

Q: Suppose in the store an item was 5/$20.  How much are they each?
A: Well, take 20/5 = 4$ each.

Q: A rectangle has a 42 squre foot area.  It is known the the length is 7.  How wide is it?
A: It is known that length * width = area, so 7 * width = 42,
so the width is 6 since 6*7 = 42.

Q: Tommy is 4' tall.  Each of his 3 older brothers is 2" taller.
What is the sum of the hegiht?
A: They are 4', 4'2", 4'4", and 4'6".
Adding these up give 16' + (0+2+4+6)" = 16' 12" = 17'.

Q: Sam is 1/2 of Jim's age.  Jim is 1/2 of Bill's age.
Adding up the ages gives 28.  How old is Sam?
A: If Sam were 2 => Jim was 2*2 = 4 => Bill was 2*4 = 8.
2 + 4 + 8 = 14, that's too low.
If Sam were 3 => Jim was 2*3 = 6 => Bill was 2*6 = 12.
3 + 6 + 12 = 21, still too low.
If Sam were 4 => Jim was 2*4 = 8 => Bill was 2*8 = 16.
4 + 8 + 16 = 28.  Bingo - that's it!

Now higher math has a different meaning when it speaks of complex, but I didn't get there until high school.  It refers to that number n such that n*n = -1.  When those numbers are added to real numbers, the result is what is known as a complex number.  I don't think that is what this is about though.  If it is, let me know again.

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Scott A Wilson

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I can answer any question in general math, arithetic, discret math, algebra, box problems, geometry, filling a tank with water, trigonometry, pre-calculus, linear algebra, complex mathematics, probability, statistics, and most of anything else that relates to math. I can even tell you it takes me over 2,000 steps to go a mile, but is that relevant?

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Experience in the area; I have tutored people in the above areas of mathematics for almost two years in AllExperts.com. I have tutored people here and there in mathematics since before I received a BS degree almost 25 years ago. In just two more years, I received an MS degree as well, but more on that later. I tutored at OSU in the math center for all six years I was there. Most students offering assistance were juniors, seniors, or graduate students. I was allowed to tutor as a freshman. I tutored at Mathnasium for well over a year. I worked at The Boeing Company for over 5 years. I received an MS degreee in Mathematics from Oregon State Univeristy. The classes I took were over 100 hours of upper division credits in mathematical courses such as calculus, statistics, probabilty, linear algrebra, powers, linear regression, matrices, and more. I graduated with honors in both my BS and MS degrees. Past/Present Clients: College Students at Oregon State University, various math people since college, over 7,500 people on the PC from the US and rest the world.

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My master's paper was published in the OSU journal. The subject of it was Numerical Analysis used in shock waves and rarefaction fans. It dealt with discontinuities that arose over time. They were solved using the Leap Frog method. That method was used and improvements of it were shown. The improvements were by Enquist-Osher, Godunov, and Lax-Wendroff.

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Master of Science at OSU with high honors in mathematics. Bachelor of Science at OSU with high honors in mathematical sciences. This degree involved mathematics, statistics, and computer science. I also took sophmore level physics and chemistry while I was attending college. On the side I took raquetball, but that's still not relevant.

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I earned high honors in both my BS degree and MS degree from Oregon State. I was in near the top in most of my classes. In several classes in mathematics, I was first. In a class of over 100 students, I was always one of the first ones to complete the test. I graduated with well over 50 credits in upper division mathematics.

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