Logical Fallacies
Ad hominem
"to the man" ; a personal attack or attempt to degrade a person's character, having no relevance to the argument at hand
Simplify:
16 + 16(2) / 2
32
Line segment
A part of a line consisting of two endpoints and all points between them
Appeal to Authority
An attempt to ground the validity of an argument in the merit of an irrelevant authoritive figure or establishment
Simplify:
6 - (-6) + (-6)(6)(-2)
84
Absolute value
The distance (necessarily positive) of a number from zero on a number line.
Red herring
An attempt to divert attention away from an important argument, question, or subject
Simplify:
(2/3)^4
16/81
Angle
A figure formed by two rays with a common endpoint.
Straw Man
Mischaracterizing an argument so as to attack it instead of the actual argument being made
Simplify:
(2/4)(2/4)(16/4) + (5-6)
0
Irrational numbers
Numbers that cannot be written as the quotient of two integers. In decimal form, irrational numbers neither terminate nor repeat.
Non sequitur
"It does not follow" ; a conclusion that is irrationally disconnected from it's premise.
Ex: "We didn't win any games last year, so that means we'll definitely win this year."
(9/54 + 63/42)^2 - 17
-128/9
Postulate
A statement that is accepted as true without proof.