difference*

I was taught that the answer to a problem of addition is a sum, subtraction is a difference, multiplication is a product, and division is a quotient.

Wait a minute. Why does OP need a calculator at all? Wouldn't any cash register figure out the change for you?

You deserve it for not being able to realize that 40 - 25 = 15. Jesus Christ...

Well, technically, a subtraction is just adding a negative number so it could be either. The buyer had a balance of $-15 and she added $40 to it.

...Wait, what? Customer bought a $25 ticket and paid $40. Starting balance is $25, apply $40 payment and new balance is -$15 (negative implying change owed back).

Oh, sorry. I meant to say she had a balance of $-25.

If everyone wants to throw stones everything is actually addition. Subtraction is actually addition of a negative number (i.e. 4 - 2 = 2 is actually 4 + -2 = 2); multiplication is multiple additions (2 x 3 = 6 is actually 2 + 2 + 2); division is just removing multiples. Thus the original commenter and others are correct in both assertions but sum can be used for all of it at the very basic level.

Well iKaite.... were you taught that water runs uphill? Because that is wrong too.

guys, there's TAX. Even then, I'd be too lazy to figure it out in my head.

i don't know if this is the case where you live, but at the movie theatre here, there isn't a tax on movie tickets, it's 9$ straight.

YDI for seperating the red sea.

Stfu Kaite. Zurg's [correct] amendment was no more pathetic than your harebrained correction. It's a ******* difference, not a sum - stop being a bitch. Also, die for not knowing something a six year old could do mentally, OP.

Wouldn't anyone with 2 brain cells be able to compute that difference without either?

It's sum. As in math problem, not sum as in answer to an addition problem. A lot of countries say that.

There *is* tax, but it's already calculated into the total, they just make it so it's a nice round number.

A sum is acting, a difference is subtracting. OP: There's no reason why you should be unable to subtract 40 - 25. That's ridiculous.

Are you guys even aware other countries exist? Not everybody speaks English the same way. I feel like an idiot for joining in this whole sum/difference correction, but I will anyway. A difference is the result of when you subtract. A sum is the result of when you add. A sum is ALSO what some people call math problems in other countries. You complete a sum. That's why he said, "It's not a hard sum (problem)." NOT "It's not a hard sum (result)."

Which countries would those be? The OP is from New Jersey, btw.

THANK YOU number 115! My god, and after both she and I explained it.

what about tax

u were taught wrong. its def. a difference lol did/do u attend public school as well? and OP ya YDI, its a reallyyy easy problem and thts more of a joke 4 younger ppl anywyz. gotta b careful!

@122 New Jersey IS another Country.

Kaite, did you take your Midol, yet?

England is one of those countries, Jamaica is another ( I know from living in both ) I use that term but presently if I were an OP I would say I was from MA.

The "lonely little life" part of your comment does not make you look clever, it makes you look like an idiot. Also, many people learn that subtaction problems are finding the difference and addition is finding the sum. I am not better or worse than any of you because of what this comment says. I know that sounds sarcastic because no one says things like that, but it's true.

In the UK maths problems are often called "sums". And since the English language was exported to America, I'd say your version is least likely to be truly correct...

what movie theater sells a ticket for $25!!! what a rip off!

they were joking hense the "laughing i grabbed"

Anilans I bet you used a calculator jk :D

ok why does it matter? the point is, OP is an idiot who can't do simple math.

2+2=5. there.

You didnt get it, right?

They aren't being proud of it, it's a defense mechanism. You don't demonstrate reading in public, and people would **** up subject/verb agreement hang out with other people that don't notice it and make the same mistakes. Still, YDI.

They should complain to your supervisor that you are a "Stupid ****" and should be replaced with a third grader!!!

#10: Maybe you're right about OP, but I've definitely seen the exchange of "I'm majoring in physics" "OH WOW, that's way too much math for me! I'm not good at math. lol!"

You don't demonstrate reading in public? Signs, menus, bus schedules, ads, street names, building names, so on and so forth?

Please go back to grade one to learn how to count. Seek further assistance in grade 2 for the fudamentals of basic mathematics. You may then proceed to work in the box office with full capabilites of subtracting without humiliating yourself. Furthermore, the FML should be directed towards your failure to calculate a simple mathematical problem not because two public school teachers no not find humor in your statement. Your sense of shame is highly distorted.

You know, I agree. Even though I work at a job where a moron could handle it (I'm a cashier), I still take the time to challenge myself a little, and refuse to let the machine do the math for me unless I'm in a hurry. So, I've actually gotten to the point where I can get the change calculated before my register can (it has preset buttons for round numbers like $1, $5, $10 and $20). So, when someone gives me $20 for their $18.43 purchase, in one second I find the answer to be $1.57, whereas my register takes about 3 seconds to calculate it. Just saying, challenging yourself once in a while really helps. You really only need to memorize 10 individual operations: 10-1=9 10-2=8 etc. The rest are just variations of that. I.e. $20.00 -$13.43 is really just: "what do you add to 3 rounded up to get 10?" The answer is 6 'and some change' So you know you over $6 so far. Then you get to the 4, and ask "what do you add to 4 rounded up to get 10? The answer: 5 and some change. Then you get to the last number, and this time you don't round, but rather bluntly ask, "what do you add to 3 to get 10?" The answer's seven. Thus, $6.57. It sounds difficult on paper, but once you get my theory down (I call it the "tetris trick") you can do almost any 'even number' in a second or less. It's a little trickier with things like $10.23-$4.50, but it's still pretty similiar. $5.73 if my trick worked correctly.

You might want to rethink your trick, because you're over $2 off base.

I was under the impression he was making fun of public school kids...guess not.

His method seems a little cumbersome to me, but it's correct. His results are too. Sometimes it can be a little annoying when the cashier feels the need to hone his math skills. Recently I had to pay $2.87, and the cashier told me giving her $3.37 "didn't make any sense". So I told her to just let the cash register figure it out.

Should've told her it WOULD make cents. About 50, in fact.

"Nobody goes, "teehee, I read at a 6th-grade level!" "I struggle with subject/verb agreement and homophones in my native language!"" Black people do.

"Nobody goes, "teehee, I read at a 6th-grade level!" "I struggle with subject/verb agreement and homophones in my native language!"" Black people do.

And I think you should learn English. "should have...", not "should of..."

It's the internet, you can pull that grammar stick out of your behind. However, if you're going to correct grammar on here: I think you should learn English too. You always start a sentence with a capital letter, even if it's in quotations. Oh, and punctuation goes inside the quotations marks. "Should have," not "should of..." not "should have", not "should of..." ::thumbs up::

Different countries, different grammar rules. England has commas outside the punctuation. Though, the capitalization comment I can't really argue.

I think the main reason people mess up "should of" is because they don't read. As such, they're so used to hearing "should've" that they have no clue that it's really a contraction of "should have". Not that I'm condoning them; I mean they're morons for not reading once in a while. Not to mention in elementary school our teacher spent WEEKS teaching us the difference between Their/They're, Your/You're, It's/its. Though I'll admit I'm not perfect. I'm still confused as to when you're supposed to say who/whom/whose/who's. I'm pretty sure whose is used to indicate ownership ("Whose umbrella is this?"); who's is used as "who is" (who's coming with me?); and whom is used in the rare instance that someone wants to sound like a smart ass ("To whom does this umbrella belong?"). Note that saying "whom does this umbrella belong to" is a no-no due to the preposition at the end of a sentence law. And now, feel free to flame me.

I really hate the, "it's the internet - it doesn't count," argument. While in this case, I knew what the person was trying to say when they said, "should of," there are many times where I have to read something 5 times just to figure out what someone is trying to say. If everyone would type intelligently, not only would they not appear to be stupid, it would be easier for others to understand them.

Also, you're not supposed to start a sentence with "and".

#6 -The OP wasn't laughing because she found it funny. She laughed because when some people are nervous, they laugh. I do the same thing and I know where she's coming from. OP - I have a bit of a hard time with basic math as well. It wouldn't take me too long to figure out that problem, but I just have little brain farts. I can do trig out the ass, but simple math....it just gets a little confusing sometimes. To all the haters - everyone thinks differently. You shouldn't dog on the OP just because she has trouble with math. Everyone has their weak points and math is obviously one of those for the OP. Maybe she could figure out the change, but being put on the spot like that makes her nervous. You don't know and will never know the whole situation.

....So, what is it asshole?

Today, I made fun of a bunch of public school kids, and then I made an a$$ of myself. FML?

No, I just wondered why he didn't complete his thought. After I got out my slide ruler, I determined it was approximately 14.9999879 dollars.

She never specified what the ticket was for.