9 Confusing Concepts Only 30% of People Understand

Spelling, correct present tense usage, understanding multiple languages, and advanced algorithms are only a few impressive life skills to master. Regarding confusing concepts, nine were voted top of the list.

1. ‘Advanced' Math

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Thank you to Euclid for geometry, Hipparchus for trigonometry, and Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi for algebra. Are we truly grateful? “Any math harder than basic algebra,” was one Redditor's post. We agree.

2. Chopsticks

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“How to use chopsticks. My fingers lose all ability to finger the minute I pick them up.” “My fingers lose all ability to finger,” was a joking response. To some, the art is teachable. For others, the skill is lost.

3. Social Cues

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Reading the room is truly important. “There are so many, they are very nuanced, and they don't often make logical sense. So I can understand why it would be challenging,” read one comment.

4. Magnets

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“How do they work?” The answer another brilliant mind provided: “The magnetic field is always there. Magnets let you feel this field by bending the lines of force that exist in every direction of space. This field is the same field in which objects with mass exert their gravitational effects. By changing the lines of force, the normally hidden background field allows objects with mass to behave differently.” That is news to us.

5. Cryptocurrency

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While relatively new, the concept of bitcoin and other virtual currencies confuses the highest of intellectuals. “It was supposed to be a method of separating money from the hands of manipulators of its supply, or the state. A predictable and limited supply asset. That idea kinda went out the window for the most part though.” Status of concept: needing to be understood.

6. Grammar

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Think back to freshman English. Utilizing the correct words is still puzzling. “When to use effect and affect,” was a popular comment. “This is how I remember, can't remember where I heard it: Affect is the Action; affect is only ever used as a verb. The effect is the result; effect is only ever used as a noun.”

7. Time Zones

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While this doesn't apply to every state, majority rules in this case. “Time Zones. If I start on the east coast of the US, and I constantly travel west at the rate of one hour per time zone, wouldn't the time stay the same forever? At what point does the date change?” “There's a date change line somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. So if you go a small distance by boat, your clock will change to 1 hour later and one day ahead. It's whack.”

8. Calculus

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Remember when teachers said we wouldn't have calculators in our pockets ‘all the time?' Boy, were they wrong. “Calculus. I had such a hard time with advanced math in college. I knew any field heavily based on advanced math would not be for me,” one Redditor commented. “Basic calculus is just finding the slope of a curved line at a specific point on that line. It's taught so badly, though, especially at the university.”

9. The Value of Money

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Regulating currency is a struggle for the world. “The value of money, and why can't we print more?” “I mean, it's pretty logical. Let's say you find a rare Pokemon card that almost no one owns, but then they start printing more of that card, and now most people have it. It no longer has value because of its abundance.” We hope you enjoyed these 9 Reddit picks!