Is there an intuitive way to understand why Euler’s number is 2.718, especially for n...?

Compound interest. Let's say that I deposit $1 million in the bank at 100% interest per year. (Yeah, this is not realistic, but it makes the numbers easier to understand.) If the bank computes…

Top stories for Long   Is there an intuitive way to understand why Euler's number is 2.718, especially for non-mathematicians? Jack Brennen, professional problem solver (a/k/a Engineer) • Answered June 20 Compound interest. Let's say that I deposit $1 million in the bank at 100% interest per year. (Yeah, this is not realistic, but it makes the numbers easier to understand.) If... Read more » 1K 36   What is the most ludicrous feature you were asked to code as a software engineer? Harry Zitzelberger, Computer Programmer • Updated November 4, 2019 In programming, there is a simple data type known as a boolean. It is a simple yes or no, true or false. I was working a contract for the Federal government, and there was a... Read more » 1.7K 150   How long does it actually take for daily drinking to start seriously damaging your liver, and why does it differ from person to person? Chris, Writer at Medium The Company (2021-present) • Answered September 17 Every hard core drinker is worried about the liver. The liver is one resilient little fucker. It can take a vicious beating and keep on ticking. But everyone forgets the oth... Read more » 155 30   How do hotels decide which room to give a guest? Example, I'm on the road, I stop at a Hampton Inn for the night, and ask for the standard king bed, non-smoking, and they have 20 of those open. How do they decide if I stay in room 219, 407, 333 etc? Charlie Rand, worked at U.S. Census Bureau • Answered September 20 Several years ago, I was cooking at a restaurant hotel and I asked the front desk guy this exact question. It was a fairly small hotel with fewer than 100 rooms. He explain... Read more » 3.3K 138   When cops drive slower than the speed limit, are they playing a game to see who will pass them? I see this a lot, and many people won't pass, even though passing would still be within the speed limit. Bob Farris, former IC1(SS) at United States Navy • Answered July 23, 2024 I heard of one officer that was traveling about 4 mph under the limit in the right lane with a line of traffic behind him. One person pulled into the passing lane and passe... Read more » 3K 237   Why is the end of Windows 10 making more people consider Linux than Windows 11? Is Windows 11 really that bad? Mihhail Gotovtsev, MBA Electronics & Cybernetics, Tallinna Tehnikaülikool/Tallinn University of Tec... • Answered September 4 Yes, it is that bad. Main issue everybody have with windows 11, is that you can not trust your computer anymore. Plain and simple. You can not see all the background task and... Read more » 257 34   I found a loaded gun in the woods, Should I keep it or report it? Dale Raby • Answered August 10 Years ago a man came into my gun shop with a stainless steel S&W .22 Magnum revolver. It had just a bit of rust, but was in otherwise serviceable condition. After just a bi... Read more » 3.5K 241   Who told Trump his IQ is 130? Did Trump tell us this? Judy Rofe, An Australian who never lost sight of the bigger picture. • Answered July 23, 2023 When donald trump was ostensibly referred to as a "moron" by his Secretary of State, he reportedly claimed he would be more than delighted to share the results of his IQ te... Read more » 4.5K 731   Why do many men get grumpy as they get older, like their personality changes? Steve Waddington, lives in Australia (1963-present) • Answered August 22 I was just talking with a mate about that the other day. We are both 62 this year. Our conclusion about what sucks getting older comes down to two things; constant low level... Read more » 4.6K 592   Why does farming not work well in a free market? Steven Haddock, B.A. in Political Science • Answered August 12 Say you grow tomatoes here in Ontario. People like tomatoes. They're in all the stores. There are industrial canneries. People buy them all the time. But you don't have tomat... Read more » 3.5K 203   Two numbers are added and divided by two, then the same two multiplied and the square root is taken. You end up with two new numbers. If repeated, the two will converge on a single number. Is there any practical application for this number? Alon Amit, PhD in Mathematics; Mathcircler. • Answered June 15, 2021 You're describing the Arithmetic-Geometric Mean [math]M(a,b)[/math] of two given numbers [math]a,b[/math]. It's a very cool function that has been explored since at least the 18th century, and is cl... Read more » 228 8   What rights do you have if a car dealership refuses to return your personal items during a visit? Karen Tannery, Educator, Writer, Mom and Fellow Human Being • Answered August 24 OH, this is fun. I had this experience once. I wanted to leave and the dealership would not return my car keys. I asked several people and then called the police. I explained... Read more » 2.9K 78 Read more in your feed

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