# Bogus Puzzler Answer **URL:** \ **Category:** The Show\ **Created:** [January 12, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658 "2015-01-12T21:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PantherJim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PantherJim](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PantherJim)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/1 "2015-01-12T21:46:11Z")
You will hear from a lot of mathematicians about the answer you provided for the puzzler involving polynomials. You have confused variables and constants. In the given polynomial you have 26 constants (one for every letter in the alphabet. The equation will have 26 roots, which occur whenever the variable equals one of those constants (or its negative value). To avoid confusion in stating a problem such as this, perhaps you should use a Greek letter for the variable. The equation is valid (probably unsolvable (I think it would have 64 million terms, or so) and non-zero except at the roots. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/2 "2015-01-12T21:49:11Z")
> **You will hear from a lot of mathematicians about the answer you provided for the puzzler involving polynomials** You mean HEARD from mathematicians…since the show has been in reruns for a couple years now. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/3 "2015-01-13T01:16:12Z")
Call the waaaaaaaaaaambulance, Jim. You’re just mad 'cause you didn’t figure it out. ;-] ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/4 "2015-01-13T05:53:12Z")
Speaking of “Zero at the roots”!!! You must have missed the disclaimer that the show is in re-runs and to not call in. How many mathematicians does it take to??? Yosemite ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/5 "2015-01-13T18:56:28Z")
> **You must have missed the disclaimer that the show is in re-runs and to not call in.** I still listen to the show (since I probably missed 70% of past shows)…but I rarely listen from start to finish…I think I’ve heard the disclaimer once since they’ve been in re-runs. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 9:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/6 "2015-01-14T09:13:29Z")
OP, if you re-read the puzzler question, neither of the words “variable” nor “constant” are mentioned. I think you may be overthinking this one a bit. Do you understand why the product of the terms, and it doesn’t matter whether the letters are variables or constants, why the product must equal zero? ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 9:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/7 "2015-01-14T09:30:38Z")
Yep, this isn’t a math journal, just fun and games. ---
**Author:** ![David\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@David\_L](https://community.cartalk.com/u/David_L)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/8 "2015-01-14T19:29:46Z")
Since “X” is used as both the constant and the variable, it is a purely mathematical pun. Those are hard to come by. I just recently finished writing a Tango. As instrumental pieces can be difficult to name, it took me a while to name it. As of now, I’ve settled on a really bad (good) math pun. I call it “Radical Ivy”, which is the square root of four in roman numerals. Why the square root of four? Because it takes TWO to Tango. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bogus-puzzler-answer/88658/9 "2015-01-15T00:59:27Z")
Music is basically math…well done.