Verify That a + b + c = c + b + a
A stickler demands step-by-step verification that a + b + c = c + b + a, forcing a careful derivation using commutativity and associativity.
Use this cartoon
Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2024-01-01-verify-that-a-b-c-c-b-a/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
A: "Please verify that a+b+c equals c+b+a." B: "It does! No worries." [Pause] A: "Verify! Verify!" B (writing: (a+b)+c = (b+a)+c = b+(a+c) = b+(c+a)…): "Ugh. You're being so paranoid…"