Equivalent exchange. 

People cannot gain anything without sacrificing something. You must present something of equal value in order to gain something. That is the principle of equivalent exchange in alchemy.

"In the early days, we believed that to be the one truth in the world." -Alphonse Elric

Equivalent exchange. by The_Heartbreak_Kid June 13, 2005

equivalent exchange 

Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange.

"Alchemy: the science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down, then reconstructing it as something else. It can even make gold from lead. But alchemy is a science so it must follow the natural laws: to create, something of equal value must be lost. This is the principal of equivalent exchange. But I learned that night that some things cannot be measured on a simple scale. My brother and I knew the laws of science, of equivalent exchange. The game required sacrifice, that something had to be taken from us, but we thought there was nothing more we could loose....We were wrong."

~Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

equivalent exchange by one/and/only/truth December 20, 2010

equivalent exchange 

Everything and anything can be reversed as long as you replaced it with something that valuable to you or someone else.

Like turning lead to gold you need lead to make something that valuable thats equivalent exchange.

equivalent exchange by ElucidatorPulse July 5, 2015

Hypothesis of Equivalent Exchange

Abstract: For every lucky/unlucky event you experience, you will experience an unlucky/lucky even of similar magnitude in the future.

The Hypothesis of Equivalent Exchange is a theoritical phenomenon where, whenever something or someone experiences a lucky event, they will experience an unlucky event of similar magnitude in the near future, and vice versa.

The Hypothesis of Equivalent Exchange is connected to gambler's fallacy, where the latter is essentially an over-reliance on the former. This does not mean the Law IS gambler's fallacy; one is merely a stated hypothesis, the other is a mistake on the user's end.

The Hypothesis holds some physical value objectively. In most of society, if you do something bad to get something good (the lucky event), you will get caught and punished (the unlucky event). Additionally, going through hardship (the unlucky event) makes you work harder, thus making your future better (the lucky event). Of course, this is merely a hypothesis; inaccuracies are bound to happen.

"Did you hear how Little Timmy got into a car accident the other day? Apparently, his insurance paid him mad stacks after a bit of lawyering up on his end; the Hypothesis of Equivalent Exchange really saved him there."

Hypothesis of Equivalent Exchange by asdffrfrnocap November 8, 2025