{Math} ∩ {Facebook}=∅

You know what really grinds my gears?

Plain and simple: Facebook Questions. Ever since Facebook decided to add the Questions option, which flood my News Feed with nonsensical nonsense, people feel the need to get other people's opinions on topics, like who looks better and what browser do you use. Really? Like I need your opinion, when I have my own.

However, there is one thing where your opinions do not matter, and that is the Facebook Questions that are math problems. Math, being the universal truth, needs no arguing, at least for basic algebra. Basically, for my readers living without the internet, Facebook randomly will have math questions, like "What is 6+7×2×0?" or "What is 1+1+1+1+1+1+1-1+1+1-1×0?"and people will respond with what they think is the answer. Regrettably, not all people have the best math skills, and so they will respond with an answer that is incorrect, for example, 0 in both cases. And of course, since Facebook is stalker heaven, the answer you put down will be available for everyone to see. So imagine how embarrassing it would be to answer a 3rd grade math question incorrectly when you're in high school?

There are a few reasons why this whole math question thing grinds my gears. One, it just gives me little faith in the math skills of our nation. While we are answering simple algebra expressions incorrectly while surfing Facebook, students in other countries are working on complex equations while surfing a textbook. Hello? It's called the order of operations. Remember PEMDAS, that silly thing with Aunt Sally? Well, it actually means something that has daily applications. And the whole "Well, it's multiplication, then division" argument? Yeah, no. It's multiplication and division grouped together as an operation, and they are performed reading left to right. Remember, division of two numbers is the same as the product of the multiplicative inverse of the divisor. And just because you see a ×0 in the problem doesn't mean the answer is zero! Parentheses matter! Call me a math elitist all you want (I'll take it as a compliment), but that's my opinion.

Another reason why the whole math questions thing grinds my gears is that the problems are so easy! I mean really? Algebra? And not even good algebra, just basic pre-algebra. The math connoisseur in me needs to be challenged while I'm wasting the majority of my life on Facebook. We could be using Facebook as a tool to teach people math instead of embarrassing them when they can't solve simple problems. We could have calculus problems, linear algebra problems, and other types of questions that would challenge me, and when people get them wrong, it won't be as awkwardly hilarious.

I would post more reasons for my anger, but I think I've established a strong enough syllogism to prove my point. Maybe not a sound mathematical proof, but it's good enough for me.

So please, stop with the math problems, Facebook and Mr. Zuckerberg. I think you've embarrassed America well enough.

And that is what really grinds my gears.