Additiots

Additiots is a colloquial term used to describe people who repeatedly make basic arithmetic mistakes or rely on simplistic additive reasoning to solve problems. It is a portmanteau of addition and idiots, and it appears chiefly in informal online discussions, memes, and educational humor rather than in formal mathematics or pedagogy. The term is typically used humorously or pejoratively and is not intended to target any protected group.

Origin and usage: The phrase circulated in online communities and math education humor during the 2010s, with no single authoritative etymology. It commonly appears in forum threads, social media memes, and satirical articles to comment on perceived lack of mathematical rigor or overreliance on adding numbers as a default strategy. It is often used to illustrate cognitive biases, such as misapplying additive thinking to non-additive problems or to poke fun at students who forget order of operations.

Characteristics: Additiots is not a clinical diagnosis. The label describes behavior rather than identity, focusing on repeated arithmetic errors, a tendency to default to addition, or hesitation to adopt more robust strategies (such as subtraction, multiplication, or algebraic thinking). It is usually applied as a descriptive shorthand within a conversation rather than a formal assessment.

Reception: Some critics argue that the term stigmatizes learners and oversimplifies mathematical difficulties. Proponents view it as a lighthearted way to discuss common arithmetic pitfalls and to encourage clearer explanations and better problem-solving approaches.

See also: slang, memes, math education humor, cognitive biases.