A couple of Japanese math enthusiasts recently spent 24 hours covering the walls of an entire room with calculations in an attempt to find the ultimate answer to the ‘1+1’ formula.

It’s widely regarded as the easiest mathematical formula, but ‘1+1’ isn’t as simple as it appears. Well, at least not to math purists looking to apply multiple fields of mathematics while tackling this deceptively simple calculation. Popular YouTubers and math enthusiasts Hanao and Dengan recently proved this by spending a whopping 24 hours and covering the walls and floor of an entire room with calculations in one of their most intriguing projects yet.

Photo: はなおでんがん/Youtube

I was never good at math, but even I know that according to simple arithmetic 1+1=2. But what if we take the same mathematical expression and put it through just about all the areas of mathematics and physics usually taught in high school and college? That’s what Hanao and Dengan wanted to find out when they set out on one of their craziest challenges yet.

In their quest to find the ultimate answer to the ‘1+1’ formula, the two math enthusiasts used notions from the fields of “trigonometric functions”, “infinite series”, “geometry”, “physics”, “electromagnetism” and “thermodynamics”, among others.

 

“There are things that are unexpectedly fun to solve,” Hanao can be heard saying at one point, close to the 24-hour mark, with the room covered in calculations. That’s definitely something I cannot relate to…