[JxK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon7s /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm terrible at math, and would have to calculate 6x12 with pen-and-paper or a calculator. I don't see it as a problem. I'm just not a math person. I don't use it in every day life, except for basic arithmetic, so I don't have the practice that I once had in school. It's a matter of use it or lose it for me, and I haven't had to use much of it, so I've lost any memorized tables that I did have down years ago.

Use it or lose it definitely applies, but to me basic arithmetic is just so useful that I don't have a chance to not use it.

As for doing basic math in your head, you don't even have to memorize the tables for alot of it. You just use a couple of tricks to simplify the problem. Take your 6x12. First multiply 6x10. Anything x10 is easy as adding a zero. So then we just take 60 + (2x6) = 60 + 12 = 72. By breaking it up into two easy pieces, we can solve it with little difficulty.

Do so a few times when calculating groceries (just round up/down the change at first to simplify it) and it will become second nature.

 

[Audio Jester]

A friend of mine sent this to me today and I thought it related to this topic nicely.

A national newspaper called The Australian has a section called Number Crunch on the Mind Games page. Strangely enough the equations do not follow the normal mathematical order of operations. If the equation was 2+3x4 The Australian's solution was 20 instead of 14. Somebody rang into the newspaper and pointed out that the equations were wrong and the person from the newspaper agreed. The Australian continued to print incorrect answers for the next two weeks and the person rang them again and spoke with another empolyee (who was aware of their previous call) and told the caller that "The Number Crunches are made for normal people," and the editors might put in a sentence that states that these equations do not follow normal convention, but they need to get confirmation from someone higher up.

So there you go... aparently "normal people" don't have to worry about correct mathematics.

 

[SP Wild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio Jester /img/forum/go_quote.gif A friend of mine sent this to me today and I thought it related to this topic nicely. A national newspaper called The Australian has a section called Number Crunch on the Mind Games page. Strangely enough the equations do not follow the normal mathematical order of operations. If the equation was 2+3x4 The Australian's solution was 20 instead of 14. Somebody rang into the newspaper and pointed out that the equations were wrong and the person from the newspaper agreed. The Australian continued to print incorrect answers for the next two weeks and the person rang them again and spoke with another empolyee (who was aware of their previous call) and told the caller that "The Number Crunches are made for normal people," and the editors might put in a sentence that states that these equations do not follow normal convention, but they need to get confirmation from someone higher up. So there you go... aparently "normal people" don't have to worry about correct mathematics.

Thats terrible. I can't multiply 6X12 but I know that you multiply before adding or subtracting unless those are in brackets in which case you do those first.

That is real bad - all they have to do is point this fact out to the "normal" people so they can become "educated correctly"

.

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JxK /img/forum/go_quote.gif Use it or lose it definitely applies, but to me basic arithmetic is just so useful that I don't have a chance to not use it. As for doing basic math in your head, you don't even have to memorize the tables for alot of it. You just use a couple of tricks to simplify the problem. Take your 6x12. First multiply 6x10. Anything x10 is easy as adding a zero. So then we just take 60 + (2x6) = 60 + 12 = 72. By breaking it up into two easy pieces, we can solve it with little difficulty. Do so a few times when calculating groceries (just round up/down the change at first to simplify it) and it will become second nature.

Me and my roommate used to do this all the time. Each one of us would try to keep a running tally going in head while we got groceries and chatted. When we got to the checkout counter, we'd both announce our final number before the checkout girl started bagging the groceries and whoever was closest to the actual tally got dinner/lunch for the weekend paid for by the other.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif Me and my roommate used to do this all the time. Each one of us would try to keep a running tally going in head while we got groceries and chatted. when we got to the checkout counter, we'd both announce our final number before the checkout girl started bagging the groceries and whoever was closest to the actual tally got dinner/lunch for the weekend paid for by the other.

My family does this with dinner when we eat out. Except the parents pay no matter what

 

[linuxworks]

yesterday I was at target (general store like walmart) buying some plastic boxes for storage. I bought 30 of them and they were all the same. I get to the checkout stand and the cashier wants to scan them one by one. I really didn't want to wait while she counted 30 of them and did 30 scans! I asked her to just enter the quantity and scan the price once. she did not understand or kept saying that if I wanted to return any of them, it would be better to have individual scans.

well, if she wanted to scan them 30 times, at least just pick one of the identical units up and scan IT 30 times! but no, she had to undo all the boxes and scan each of the (identical) price barcodes one at a time.

the ultimate irony: even though she scanned them like she did, the receipt STILL summarized it as '30@1.89'

not really a math 'problem' but just a logic/thinking problem of the simplest form.

its a pet peeve of mine when people can't think logically. memorizing math tables is not thinking, its just storage i/o (grin) but how could she not know that its quicker to scan 1 item 30 times or even hit 'qty 30' and scan it once? she did not seem at all new, there. boggle...