Same difference or No difference
Same difference or No difference
(OP)
People frequently use "same difference" to indicate that two things are comparable when they really mean "no difference"
Examples of correct usage:
"I can discern no difference in taste between the name-brand product and the gereric equivalent."
"The mathmatical expressions '5 - 2 = ' and '6 - 3 = ' have the same difference.
Examples of correct usage:
"I can discern no difference in taste between the name-brand product and the gereric equivalent."
"The mathmatical expressions '5 - 2 = ' and '6 - 3 = ' have the same difference.





RE: Same difference or No difference
RE: Same difference or No difference
Same Difference required a third baseline object, and mean that the difference between A and the baseline and is the same as the difference between B and the baseline. Just as you have shown in your mathematical expression, the third basline object in this case is the number 3.
No difference only requires the two objects being compared, and there are no differences between them just as your taste example of the brand name and generic product. But with respect to the "taste of chicken", the brand name and generic product have the same difference.
RE: Same difference or No difference
Although we all know what it means. No Difference is probably the correct way to express this.
Not sure --- just a guess.
ietech
RE: Same difference or No difference
No difference: X-Y=0
Same difference ΔX=ΔY
TTFN
RE: Same difference or No difference
But you guys went and got waaay silly. And thank you soooo much for doing so. especially stevenal, Cajun, & IRstuff. Now my tummy muskles hurts real good!
Jesus is THE life,
Leonard
RE: Same difference or No difference
Sometimes it's just more interesting to say it different.
(Go ahead... just try and tell me I need an adverb at the end of that sentence!)
BTW, what does sic mean?
=====================================
Eng-tips forums: The best place on the web for engineering discussions.
RE: Same difference or No difference
TTFN
RE: Same difference or No difference
RE: Same difference or No difference
OK I stand corrected if so be it that you are correct. Sorry for using or misusing as the case may be. Once I finally learned what SIC meant somewhere on this forum, I just could not help myself.
I had an employer who liked to mangle peoples' and companys' names and was a peach of a guy. He bought tons of plastic from Union Carbide among others and always referred to them as Onion Crabide. One of our co-workers was named Dick Gustin but Jack called him Disgustin and of course David Stanwood was David Standpipe, etc.
Jesus is THE life,
Leonard
RE: Same difference or No difference
IRstuff is correct. Saying "same difference" is indicating that the difference between two items when compared to a common third is the same. The saying is synonymous with "just as different.'
Best regards,
Matthew Ian Loew
"Luck is the residue of design."
Branch Rickey
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
RE: Same difference or No difference
"The mathmatical expressions '5 - 2 = ' and '6 - 3 = ' have the same difference."
The result of a subtraction operation is called the difference, and both of the above expressions do have the same difference.
RE: Same difference or No difference
Always a difference, never a product or a sum? Then why tell us twice?
The mathmatical expressions 5 - 2 and 6 - 3 = have the same rusult.