How, if at all possible, can 2+2=7?

[alexander]

Just talking to a friend of mine, and he asked me an interesting question, and although the context of the discussion was theological, he basically asked that how can anything make 2+2 equal to 7... Well, i dont consider myself a math person, nor do i know physics well enough to come up with a logical answer, so perhaps someone could explain to me why or whether at all, is it possible for that to happen. ( "probability makes everything possible" , that i understand, but if anyone goes there, i'd really like to see equations and 3/4 of a way decent explanation)

 

P.S. purposely didnt post this in theology, frankly because in the the way that he asked that, it sounded like "... how can God make 2+2 to equal to 7? " and "well, god can do anything" is frankly not an answer i am seeking, but i feel i'd get a lot out there :hihi:

[C1ay]

Although I've never really encountered fractional bases, the number 22 in base 2.5 would equal 7 in base 10. Just an abstract thought....

[alexander]

thought of that already, i forgot to mention that it has to be 2+2 in base 10, no base shifting

Thanks for the input though, Clay :hihi:

[Erasmus00]

thought of that already, i forgot to mention that it has to be 2+2 in base 10, no base shifting

Thanks for the input though, Clay :hihi:

 

Then it is an impossible statement, short of redefining 2 or 7.

-Will

[C1ay]

2^2+2+2/2 ...

[UncleAl]

Yours is a trivially simple problem. Start with sufficiently large values of 2. For instance,

 

2 boy rabbits + 2 girl rabbits = 7 rabbits total

 

7 strikes me as being ridiculously conservative. I'd peg it more toward 12.

[alexander]

so in other words it is impossible under any conditions for 2+2 to equal to seven, which makes god not all powerful?

 

ok, how about if you have any kind of base shifting, time dialation, space/time continuum rips... everything is game, can the equation still be true where 2+2 can equal something other then 4?

[C1ay]

ok, how about if you have any kind of base shifting, time dialation, space/time continuum rips... everything is game, can the equation still be true where 2+2 can equal something other then 4?

See post #2...