If you think of "2" as a symbol that represents precisely the value 2, then yes 2+2 is always precisely 4. Except values are not always that precise. 2 might be 1.9999, or 2.0001. Those tiny deviations in value are usually not significant, but there are edge cases where the symbol 2 represents a value greater than 2.25 ot less than 1.75. In those situations, 2+2 could equal 5 or 3, respectively.

In math classes, we're expected to ignore this variation and just give the "right" answer. But the world is more complicated than that, and the more you know, the less certainly there is.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

So what you're saying is, 2+2=5 for extremely high values of 2?

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

That's a bingo.