Math Lesson

[needtoknow]

Couldn't resist this.

Teaching Math

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for
$1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register.

I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help.

While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this?
Please read more about the
"history of teaching math":

Teaching Math In 1950
************************
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960
************************
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970
************************
A logger exchanges a set "L" of lumber for a set of "M" of money. The cardinality of set "M" is 100. Each element is worth one dollar. Make 100 dots representing the elements of the set "M." The set "C," the cost of production, contains 20 fewer points than set "M." Represent the set "C" as a subset of set "M."
Answer this question:
What is the cardinality of the set "P" of profits?

Teaching Math In 1980
************************
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990
************************
By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger
makes $20. What do you think of this way of making
a living?
Topic for class participation after answering
the question:
How did the forest birds and squirrels feel
as the logger cut down the trees.
(There are no wrong answers)

Teaching Math In 2000
************************
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
cost of production is $120. How does Arthur Anderson determine that his profit margin is $60?

Teaching Math In 2005
************************
El hachero vende un camion carga por $100.
La cuesta de production es.............

 

[Pablo]

The answer is obvious, the girl should not have been put in such a stressful work situation. Lawsuit = $1.2 million US.

Extra credit: What portion of this judgement goes to the lawyers?

(good one)

 

[TooManyWheels]

I had a similar fast food conversation related to English usage.

Me: "I'd like a number one, and substitute onion rings for the fries".

Counter Guy (C.G.) - "It already comes with fries".

Me - "Yes, I know. I want onion rings to be substituted for the fries".

C.G. "But the number one HAS fries".

Me - Thats why I asked you to substitute.

At this point the manager overheard the conversation and stepped in. "Sir, the number one already has fries, but we can give you the rings".

Me - Thank You!

 

[needtoknow]

My wife sent me this because I had a recent similar experiance, only scarier. I bought an item in Lowes for $1.93 and gave $2.00 to cashier. Somehow she did not ring it so the computer gave her the change due. She looked for a time at the computer until I said she owed me 7 cents. She did not believe me and proceeded to take a piece of paper and pen to calculate $1.93 from $2.00. I let her work it out and she came back with the answer 6 cents!!!! A short remedial math lesson corrected her error. I laughed and shook my head all the way home. But I think it does demonstrate an ever increasing problem and that is the dumbing down of this country. My wife was a cashier while in school at a time when she actually had to punch in the numbers at a good speed with good accuracy as she had to cover any shortages and had to calculate the change herself. The grocery industry wanted to go to bar scanners for a number of reasons one of which was the unwanted reliance on skilled cashiers. So the dumb scanner now takes any brain work out of the operation. The use of calculators and computers in general takes away a persons understanding of how the calculations are derived so there is no depth of thought. How to solve????? but it can't be a long term good thing.

 

[Drew99GT]

This is funny. Just last night, I went to go get a double hamburger from MCDs for my mom. I asked for it, the guy said, you want a double cheeseburger. I said, no, a double hamburger. He said, we do not have that.

OK Numb Nutz, give my a double cheeseburger with no cheese. He paused a bit, said OK, double hamburger. Do you want cheese on that? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I just tore out of there and gave up. If there isn't a button on the register marked exactly what a person wants, then your screwed.

 

[sprintman]

MCD here are now more flexible. I've been ordering the vege burger but hold the mayo and beetroot and add the spicy salsa sauce from the chicken foccacia wrap they have. Not a problem and tasty as well as healthy. Add the 98% fat free berry crunch (fat free yoghurt with fresh berries and crunchy topping) for dessert. They are killing the KFC's, Burger Kings, Wendys etc

 

[Tim]

This is really curious.

I have a degree in Chemistry and I feel like one of the dummies at work half the time. I am surrounded by Chemical Engineers with MBAs...

My kids are literally learning stuff in 8th grade that I didn't learn until college. By the time they are 16 I won't be much use to them

What is going to happen when 10% of our population is super-educated and 90% are semi-literate? Or do we have that already?


Tim

 

[Dan4510]

In many ways we have that. Research is showing that the gulf between the educated and not educated is growing. the main thing spurring this is the use of computers. Being really poor stops access to a computer and slows down education radically.

Dan

 

[Dan4510]

People seem to be stupider than ever today. I have had the same thing happen so many times, I just love to do it for the entertainment.

However, this level of stupidity seems to postively affect fecundness. The higher the level of stupidity, the faster the rate of reproduction.

Math question of 2030:

You are too stupid to feed yourself. What do you do?

Dan

 

[XS650]

quote:

---

Originally posted by TooManyWheels:


Me - Thats why I asked you to substitute.

At this point the manager overheard the conversation and stepped in. "Sir, the number one already has fries, but we can give you the rings".

Me - Thank You!

---

It's your fault for using a big multi-sylable word like substitute.

 

[Schmoe]

Dudes, your scaring me. I got a 3 month old and you got me to thinking. May have to home school her. I had a "sales man" come out to my house yesterday to give me a free price quote on a concrete pad that I want poured. He was really young, complete with frosted hair, piercings and thumb rings

We measured it out (he "forgot" to bring his tape measure). Got to a part of the pad that I wanted poured to be triangle shaped, he measured it. So, I watched him calculate up how much square footage and then convert that into yards. He couldn't add it up in his head, he asked if I had a calculator, mind you, the pad was only 8 x 12. Then couldn't convert that into square yards. Then came the area of the triangle. He just guessed. This guy had to be about 23 or 24 years old. You know it's funny, you always here about how the children are our future and all that jazz, but if this is an indication as to how these "children"
are going to run America, my brothers.....WE GOT PROBLEMS.