Greeting maths

Greeting maths was a societal custom of the Givin species. As Givins were known for their mathematical prowess, it was considered polite in their culture to greet them by giving them an equation to solve, preferably one of some complexity to allow them to demonstrate their skill. It was considered extremely rude to ask them for any sort of approximation, as this would be taken to suggest that the greeter doubted their ability to solve an equation exactly. Upon provided the answer to the equation, the Givin would then respond with another equation for the greeter to solve. Since, however, the Givin had grown accustomed to dealing with species that did not possess their level of mathematical talent, they developed the custom of replying to members of such species with seemingly complicated equations that always had the answer of 3. This allowed the niceties to be observed without embarrassing the greeter, provided that the greeter was fully aware of the custom. If, however, the greeter wished to impress the Givin, they could ask for an actual equation to solve.

Appearances
Heir to the Jedi