Point $C$ is the midpoint of $\overline{AB}$, point $D$ is the midpoint of $\overline{AC}$, point $E$ is the midpoint of $\overline{AD}$, and point $F$ is the midpoint of $\overline{AE}$. If $AF=3$, what is the number of units in the length of $\overline{AB}$?
It means that they are an a o p s homework cheater who copied their homework from the site. Don't expect anything to be done about this though; moderators love encouraging dishonest students.
It means that they are an a o p s homework cheater who copied their homework from the site.
You do not know and cannot know the motivation of the poster. You do not know if this poster is an AoPS student. If the poster is not an AoPS student, then posting this is not cheating. This poster may have posted this as a mute counterpoint to the massive quantity of adulterated AoPS questions posted every single day.
Apparently the poster doesn’t know how to post inline LaTex so that it renders on this forum.
Allow me...
Point \(C\) is the midpoint of \(\overline{AB}\), point \(D\) is the midpoint of \(\overline{AC}\), point \(E\) is the midpoint of \(\overline{AD}\), and point \(F\) is the midpoint of \(\overline{AE}\). If \(AF=3\), what is the number of units in the length of \(\overline{AB}\) ?
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Don't expect anything to be done about this though; moderators love encouraging dishonest students.
You are very presumptuous! None of the moderators have ever encouraged dishonest students.
Over the years, Melody has trolled and barked at many obvious homework cheaters.
...And those who facilitate and enable homework cheaters.
Source: https://web2.0calc.com/questions/should-you-consider-anything-before-you-answer-a-question
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Why do you care if AoPS students cheat on their homework? They are only hurting themselves. It’s not the same as cheating on a test, where it affects everyone in the class.
You seem obsessed by this behavior. Maybe you should seek some counseling. You’re never going to stop homework cheaters.
GA
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How do you know they aren't cheating? How do you know this isn't a test? This is what you get when you copy-paste latex into a word editor. Assumption of innocence and good intent may work in courts of law, but is inpratical in academic situations.
How do you know they aren't cheating?
I don’t know. What I do know is this question as posted (with the easily corrected un-rendered Latex) is useless; it requires a diagram to answer it. Someone skilled and fluent in geometry could create a diagram (or several) that’s applicable to the text question, and solve that as an example. The student (and others who study this) could learn from this example and apply it to similar questions. In this case, everyone who wants to learn can learn –with no cheating.
The motivation behind the posting of the question could be any of the following:
*The poster is incompetent: beyond not knowing how to post renderable LaTex, the poster doesn’t realize the question actually requires a diagram. (This has happened quite often through the years.)
*An AoPS student posted this to annoy the instructors or other students who may search for a solution.
*An AoPS student or former student posted this to add to the useless questions spam.
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Assumption of innocence and good intent may work in courts of law, but is inpratical in academic situations.
It’s “presumption of innocence,” and “good intent” only applies to civil law, “intent” applies to the penalty phase of criminal law. Neither “good intent” nor “ignorance of the law” exempts anyone from prosecution. (Based on General US law and some European laws –not French law, which presumes guilt, until proven innocent.)
In any case, homework cheating isn’t a crime. Test cheating is a crime in China, with criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison. It’s also a crime some African countries. There are several documented cases of teachers summarily executing students who were caught cheating. Whether this was legal or not, I am uncertain. An archived news article from the mid 1980s describes a teacher, who after observing several students cheating on a test, left the classroom, returned a few minutes later with an assault rifle and shot six students, killing them all. He then told the remaining students to resume their testing. The article didn’t say how well the students scored. But I suspect test stress was a major factor for the low scores. For good measure, the teacher should have added some projectile-energy equations to the test. May as well make it a learning experience. 
GA
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Your assumption that the problem can't be solved without a given diagram just shows your limited understanding of math. It is possible to draw a unique diagram based on the given conditions. Your other ramblings are irrelevant.
It is possible to draw a unique diagram based on the given conditions.
I said as much ...and more; it was part of my relevant rambling. Any of the unique diagrams would not likely be the same as the one assigned to the original question, so the original question is not directly answerable. This should make you happy, because it stops homework cheating. But I suspect nothing makes you happy, except bitching, trolling, and warping the realities that you occasionally share with others...
My irrelevant ramblings are only irrelevant if your wonderfully thought provoking comments are irrelevant. Are they?
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I must leave this wonderful dialogue for awhile. I need to take a prophylactic dose of thorizine. Mental illness is sometimes contagious, just like Contagious Dumbness Disease, except more so...
GA
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Dear GA,
I am deeply saddened by your inability to continue this wonderful exchange. I must excuse your inability to recognize that a unique diagram can be derived from a problem statement, as you clearly lack experience in mathematical Olympiads and higher math in general. I really enjoyed reading your futile but elegant rants as you tried to dissuade the trolls with irrelevant material and red herrings, but ultimately your arguments are only as convincing as their relatedness to the discussion. Your exaggerated accusations and extravagant personal attacks made me chuckle, but they unfortunately lacked flavor and credibility. I fully respect your decision to abstain from engaging in such discourse to prevent spreading your -ah- -condition- which you claimed to be more contagious than mental illness. However, I do hope that you will return once you have suitably pruned yourself of the disease, as I have derived much pleasure from observing your prose.
Sincerely,
GA
