Is this a problem with math, or a problem with English?
Poll
 | 17 votes (85%) | ||
| | 3 votes (15%) |
20 members have voted
For those who can't or don't want to watch it, a woman is asked the following: if you are traveling 80 miles per hour, how long does it take to travel 80 miles. The fact that the woman doesn't know the answer is clearly the reason the video exists. However, the entertainment value in the video is the various "logical" explanations she uses to try and come up with an answer.
The fact that this woman does not know the answer and/or is stupid/ignorant is without question. The question is, whose fault is this?
The link was sent to me with a comment that this woman doesn't know basic math. However, I countered with the argument that the girl doesn't know what the term "miles per hour" means, which is more of a language/grammar/English problem. The corollary of course is, which teacher is at fault? The math teacher? Or the English teacher?
I know arguments can be made that both math and English are at fault here, but the point of the poll is that you have to choose which subject is most at fault for this woman's incorrect answer. So pick the subject that you feel should take the brunt of the blame.
"No you don't understand, you cut that in half!"..."No, you don't understand...the 9's have to stop...in all reality"...
EDIT: to answer the OP's question, this is a math question.
Miles per hour, or Miles/Hour. If it were english, the question would be something along the lines of "What is the past-present participle of the following sentence"...
My argument for the fact that it is math, is the fact that, if you took the same question, but instead asked "If a person is traveling 39.111... yards per second, how long will it take to to travel 80 miles?"...
Is this math or english? The question is inherently the same, except mph has been converted to yds/s. The original question is the same, however the conversion step is just not needed.
I should state that this is more of my opinion, so if you feel it is more of a english question, I will disagree with you, but I wouldn't say you are wrong, as the question you posed doesn't really have a correct answer (unlike 0.999... which is equal to 1)...
With this same problem, she seems to be thinking "If you are traveling 80mph, how long will it take you to travel 60 miles"...or something to that extent
The reason I say this, is she keeps comparing everything to 1mile/minute.
Everyone with any basic math knows you just cancel units.
To get minutes, you take 60 miles / 80mph, to know that it would take 45 minutes to travel 60 miles @ 80 miles/hour
And to travel 40 miles at 80mph, would obviously take you 30 minutes...
Finally, the girl is stubborn in her thinking (like Mr jjj and JyByrd), and she is convinced that her husband doesn't know what he is talking about, and that his guess is just as good as hers, as the math must be more complicated.
Because of this, she refuses to accept his logic, and continues to argue with him...
Quote: konceptumThe link to this video was sent to me. I warn you that if you have a hard time standing stupid/ignorant people, this video is pretty brutal.
For those who can't or don't want to watch it, a woman is asked the following: if you are traveling 80 miles per hour, how long does it take to travel 80 miles. The fact that the woman doesn't know the answer is clearly the reason the video exists. However, the entertainment value in the video is the various "logical" explanations she uses to try and come up with an answer.
The fact that this woman does not know the answer and/or is stupid/ignorant is without question. The question is, whose fault is this?
The link was sent to me with a comment that this woman doesn't know basic math. However, I countered with the argument that the girl doesn't know what the term "miles per hour" means, which is more of a language/grammar/English problem. The corollary of course is, which teacher is at fault? The math teacher? Or the English teacher?
I know arguments can be made that both math and English are at fault here, but the point of the poll is that you have to choose which subject is most at fault for this woman's incorrect answer. So pick the subject that you feel should take the brunt of the blame.
IMO, the dude is an asshole. Why would you film something that makes your wife look so foolish, and then post it on the internet? Not to mention that he is driving down an interstate and holding a camera. Douche. Bag.
If you don't mind my asking konceptum, from where/whom did you find this link? I ask because it was posted on a different message board on which I'm a member, a message board unrelated to this one. For a youtube video with such a relatively small number of viewers, I'm curious how it popped up on 2 message boards where I participate.
Quote: AcesAndEightsIf you don't mind my asking konceptum, from where/whom did you find this link? I ask because it was posted on a different message board on which I'm a member, a message board unrelated to this one. For a youtube video with such a relatively small number of viewers, I'm curious how it popped up on 2 message boards where I participate.
Wow, I guess it's up to a million views now. Guessing it was slashdotted or reddited or something. Much fewer than when I first viewed it.
Quote: Triplell
By the way, for your standard 16 in tire, she was way off for the rotations, which would be roughly 1,320 rotations/mile
Actually toward the end she changed it, and said "no, more like a thousand." So that's a good guess. I wouldn't have estimated anywhere near the right number probably.
Not to get off topic, but THAT'S an English problem....Quote: TriplellIt actually seems to me like she is just thinking about it wrong. Like if you would ask her what weighs more, 14 lbs of feathers or 14 lbs of rocks, she would say rocks, when in reality they way the same.
Nowadays, people rely on GPS solely as their geography. But without a GPS, they're completely useless. They lose their logic process and focus on other things when driving. And if the GPS steers them wrong, they're lost.
Now, as for this case, it's a math problem. Not realizing how to process the question still makes it a math issue as the basic operation is division using the two facts that you know from the sentence.
Quote: TriplellLike if you would ask her what weighs more, 14 lbs of feathers or 14 lbs of rocks, she would say rocks, when in reality they way the same.
So here are two questions back at you:
(1) Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?
(2) Which weighs more, an ounce of feathers or an ounce of gold?
And two hints:
(A) The correct answer(s) won't be "they're the same."
(B) The two questions have different answers.
Most people, when presented with the puzzle: "What weighs more: A ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?", mistakenly think "ton" is a unit of volume rather than weight.
Quote: konceptumThe link to this video was sent to me. I warn you that if you have a hard time standing stupid/ignorant people, this video is pretty brutal.
For those who can't or don't want to watch it, a woman is asked the following: if you are traveling 80 miles per hour, how long does it take to travel 80 miles. The fact that the woman doesn't know the answer is clearly the reason the video exists. However, the entertainment value in the video is the various "logical" explanations she uses to try and come up with an answer.
The fact that this woman does not know the answer and/or is stupid/ignorant is without question. The question is, whose fault is this?
The link was sent to me with a comment that this woman doesn't know basic math. However, I countered with the argument that the girl doesn't know what the term "miles per hour" means, which is more of a language/grammar/English problem. The corollary of course is, which teacher is at fault? The math teacher? Or the English teacher?
I know arguments can be made that both math and English are at fault here, but the point of the poll is that you have to choose which subject is most at fault for this woman's incorrect answer. So pick the subject that you feel should take the brunt of the blame.
This video is f**cking hilarious :-)))))))))))
In additional there are a difference number of ounces that make up a pound for troy vs avoidupous.
(1) Feathers
(2) Gold
Quote: CrystalMathThat was a great way to start a great day: coffee, dumb blonde, then designing slot games.
I like to enjoy my dumb blondes before my coffee ;)
People frequently have that trouble. Someone asked me once why 2 divided by 1/3 equals 6. She said that when you divide a number by something it always gets smaller, so how could the answer in this case be a larger number?
I think I told her that she misunderstood the word "division". If she had 2 pieces and divided them into pieces where each piece was 1/3 of a pie, then how many pieces of pie would she have? That made more sense to her. By analogy if she had 12 pies, and divided them into groups of 4 pies, then how many groups of pies would she have.
Quote: s2dbakerThat "dumb blonde" is going to be the mother of his offspring.
She is pretty enough, and there are enough hits on that video that I think she will be invited onto a talk show (like Jessica Simpson and her "chicken of the sea" moment). I wouldn't be surprised if it creates a career for her.
Quote: pacomartinIt's like the classic joke question "Who's buried in Grant's tomb'.
I think most people get that one incorrect. I believe the correct answer is: Gen. and Mrs. Grant
Quote: pacomartinIf you ever teach a class, it is always surprising how many situations like this one turn up. It's like the classic joke question "Who's buried in Grant's tomb'.
Here the joke goes "What was the color of Napoleon's white horse?"
Quote: AcesAndEights
IMO, the dude is an asshole. Why would you film something that makes your wife look so foolish, and then post it on the internet? Not to mention that he is driving down an interstate and holding a camera. Douche. Bag.
I agree. My first response was "what a tool". It's bad enough you film your wife looking bad, but to then post it on the internet for all the world to see? I notice he disabled comments, probably because everybody would be commented about how stupid his wife is. He knows it's a bad idea to post it on the internet, and does so anyway.
Quote: AcesAndEightsIf you don't mind my asking konceptum, from where/whom did you find this link? I ask because it was posted on a different message board on which I'm a member, a message board unrelated to this one. For a youtube video with such a relatively small number of viewers, I'm curious how it popped up on 2 message boards where I participate.
It was originally sent to me via email, and then posted on my Facebook page. Most the email and Facebook post came from friends of mine who are teachers. They know I have strong feelings about the poor way mathematics is taught in schools. The video has also showed up on many websites, such as reddit and fazed. They may or may not have shown up on those prior to me getting the email, but I only browse those sites infrequently, so I'm not very timely.
As I said, I originally felt like this was an English language problem, and argued that the girl didn't know the meaning of the word "per". She can throw the phrase around "miles per hour" and "MPH", but without actually understanding what it means. However, I also see the point made in this thread that the concept of what miles per hour means should have been explained in a math class. I also thought of the fact that this woman is old enough to at some point have had to sign up for some kind of bill, like a cell phone, in which she was told she would have to pay $50 per month, and that she probably perfectly understood what that meant. She should be able to logically deduce that $50 per month, and 80 miles per hour, are the same phrasing. I think a part of me still wants to argue that it's a language problem, but I do believe that logic falls under the category of mathematics.
And I suppose I should be happy that yet another video exists to show how badly mathematics is taught in the schools.
On the flip side, this morning I had to stop at the UPS Store in order to ship some items. The owner's son was there, being Spring Break, who proudly told me that he was 6 years old, and could do this "times" up to 12. I quickly asked him what 12 times 9 is, and he fairly quickly told me. I think asked him what 20 times 9 is, and he said he hasn't learned that high. I whipped out a piece of paper, told him to write down 2 times 9, then add a 0 to the end. His eyes lit up. And he understood how it applied to multiplying 20 to any number. Now he's excited to go back to school and show what he can do.
I do believe that we need to get to kids early and interest them in math, and show them how useful and fun it can be. If we do so, we'll engrave a love of math onto them that will last them the rest of their lives, and make future classes easier. I'm not saying that all kids should grow up to be mathematicians or, Friar forbid, an actuary (just kidding, don't ban me), but they should all at least be taught that math isn't hard, it's not boring and lifeless, and it has many, many uses.
Quote: konceptumI quickly asked him what 12 times 9 is, and he fairly quickly told me. I think asked him what 20 times 9 is, and he said he hasn't learned that high. I whipped out a piece of paper, told him to write down 2 times 9, then add a 0 to the end.
You might (or might not) be amazed at how few people know how to do that. I've taught a few hundred people how to deal blackjack over the years and that concept is integral to understanding how to pay blackjacks and any other non-even-money bet quickly. If I had to guess, I'd say around 95% of the students didn't understand that concept in slightest at first. We'd usually need to spend at least two hours on that single topic alone. Here's how it usually played out:
"Ok, 4 dollars pays 6 dollars, so what would 4 pesos pay?"
<long pause>"um, 6 ruples?"
"Yes! Now what does 4 million pay?"
"6 million?"
"Great, now 4 hundred?"
<long pause> "6 hundred?"
"Yup, now what does 40 dollars pay?"
"I have no idea."
Even after they understood the concept, around 30% of students wouldn't be able to estimate if the number they came up with was incredibly wrong. A common example might be someone thinking that $450 pays $6075 and then sticking to that answer when questioned about it.
There's also the problem of basic adding. The majority of students don't have the single digit addition values memorized. I had a great practice technique using cards I'd make them do at home, and by the second week it was always very obvious who had practiced and who hadn't.
Quote: PopCanOh, and along those same lines: If you ever want to absolutely blow a dealer's mind point out that to figure out a 15% tip on a bill just figure out the blackjack payout of the bill and move the decimal over to the left.
Everyone does math differently, and there are all sorts of little tricks that work for different people. With that said, everyone also processes things at different rates.
Whenever I go out to eat, I always tip 20%. If my girlfriend or my family decides they want to pay the bill, they always stare at the bill for a long time, look up at me, and say "How much should I tip"...
Of course, someone who is good at math is instantly able to figure out the bill. Everyone I know knows the trick, they just can't compute it at the rate that someone who is good with numbers can.
To someone who is not good with numbers, being able to do quick calculations in your head is impressive. But if I'm in a room full of graduates with Bachelors of Science degree's, I wouldn't expect to impress that many people...
I see your point as well.Quote: konceptumAs I said, I originally felt like this was an English language problem, and argued that the girl didn't know the meaning of the word "per". She can throw the phrase around "miles per hour" and "MPH", but without actually understanding what it means.
So often, I see in message boards, not just spelling and grammar errors, but complete misunderstanding of the words involved. A particular pet peeve is people who use the word "of" when they mean "have". I.E. "Should have" becomes "should of" because that's how they pronounce it.
Then again, I also agree that the MPH thing could be a math problem.
Just today I got a call from one of the salespeople in my building. I'm the computer system mananger. She asked how she can enter a price greater than $100,000. (It doesn't happen often, but occasionally we do sell stuff that pricey.) Our software can't handle unit prices over $99,999.99, but have no trouble with larger extended prices. She was like a deer in the headlights as I told her to cut the price in half and double the quantity. I coudn't believe how long it took me to explain it to her. And she's been on the job for years.
---
Kudos on showing that kid how to multiply 20 x 9.
If I were you, I'd go back tomorrow and see if he remembers it. If so, have him do 40 x 7, then 4 x 70, and finally 40 x 70.
I also think the guy shouldn't have posted it and let the world know how dumb his hot wife it. That being said, I'm not too worried about her, she'll be just fine.
Quote: DJ
Just today I got a call from one of the salespeople in my building. I'm the computer system mananger. She asked how she can enter a price greater than $100,000. (It doesn't happen often, but occasionally we do sell stuff that pricey.) Our software can't handle unit prices over $99,999.99, but have no trouble with larger extended prices. She was like a deer in the headlights as I told her to cut the price in half and double the quantity. I coudn't believe how long it took me to explain it to her. And she's been on the job for years.
Not a surprise. But don't forget, that sales order or invoice will probably be printed and sent to the customer. Hopefully the sales invoice will also show units of measure. So, I would create a new unit of measure called hundredths or thousandths and enter quantities of 100 or 1,000 for those items with an extended price of over 100,000. The lady is not just thinking about the amount that will be entered in the system and the revenue recorded, but the format of the invoice as well. On the customer side, they'll receive that invoice, and the payables department or the purchasing department will be trying to figure out how to match the invoice to the Purchase Order when the quantity is off by a factor of hundreds or thousands.
Better yet, fix the software.
Long story. Short version.Quote: boymimboBetter yet, fix the software.
I was at a user's conference when this problem was brought up. I made a suggestion to the software company to do a unit of measure thing very similar to what you're saying.
All the users in attendance liked my idea.
That was 11 years ago.
I was paying a bill for $2.12 . I put some quarters and small change down, and the girl said that it added up to $1.13 . I said sorry about that she should throw the penny in the penny jar. She said don't worry about it, the computer will figure it out. I reached in my pocket for a $1 bill, but I then realized I had no small bills so I said "I'm sorry" and handed her a $10.
She gave me my change back, $7.89 . I said I should get $9 back. She called her manager over and explained it to her manager which I could hear say
"He gave me $1.13 in change and a $10 bill, and now he says the change is incorrect ". I laughed with the older manager, and made some dumb joke about how we used to have to make change without computers. The manager shook her head and handed me $9 and one cent.
What struck me about the girl (looked to be in high school), is that she seemed to have no concept at all about how to make change.
Quote: pacomartin
What struck me about the girl (looked to be in high school), is that she seemed to have no concept at all about how to make change.
And McDonalds has a pic of the product right
on the register key for what reason again?
Yes, she does. It is YOU who think that she should over-rule the computer by exercising some sort of common sense or reasonable judgment. That is NOT the proper way to make change. The proper way is for her to look at the figure which is displayed and pay that amount, grin like an idiot, and in all other ways follow the proper procedures set forth in the manual, none of which invoke basic arithmetic or common sense.Quote: pacomartinWhat struck me about the girl (looked to be in high school), is that she seemed to have no concept at all about how to make change.
Honestly, I stood right there as she dictated to the manager. The bill was $2.12 ; he gave me $1.13 in change and a ten dollar bill. He says he got the incorrect change.Quote: awakefield1983this is obviously staged. No one is that dumb.
Quote: The Feeling Of Power, (February 1958) Isaac AsimovJehan Shuman was used to dealing with the men in authority on long-embattled earth. He was only a civilian but he originated programming patterns that resulted in self-directing war computers of the highest sort. Generals, consequently listened to him. Heads of congressional committees too.
...
He said, "This, gentlemen, is Myron Aub."
"The one with the unusual gift that you discovered quite by accident," said Congressman Brant placidly.
...
How much is nine times seven?"
Aub hesitated a moment. His pale eyes glimmered with a feeble anxiety.
"Sixty-three," he said.
Congressman Brant lifted his eyebrows. "Is that right?"
"Check it for yourself, Congressman."
The congressman took out his pocket computer, nudged the milled edges twice, looked at its face as it lay there in the palm of his hand, and put it back. He said, "Is this the gift you brought us here to demonstrate. An illusionist?"
"More than that, sir. Aub has memorized a few operations and with them he computes on paper."
"A paper computer?" said the general. He looked pained.
"No, sir," said Shuman patiently. "Not a paper computer. Simply a piece of paper. General, would you be so kind as to suggest a number?"
...
"Computing without a computer," said the president impatiently, "is a contradiction in terms."
"Computing," said the congressman, "is only a system for handling data. A machine might do it, or the human brain might. Let me give you an example." And, using the new skills he had learned, he worked out sums and products until the president, despite himself, grew interested.
"Does this always work?"
"Every time, Mr. President. It is foolproof."
..
Nine times seven, thought Shuman with deep satisfaction, is sixty-three, and I don't need a computer to tell me so. The computer is in my own head.
And it was amazing the feeling of power that gave him.
Another anecdote was when I once asked my 18 year old cousin (who was in her final year of high school at the time) to multiply and divide fractional numbers (ie 0.75) by 10, and 100, etc. She had no idea without a calculator. I showed her the 'trick' of moving the decimal to the left or right, accordingly, and she was gobsmacked. She claims she was never taught that and to prove it, she asked some of her school friends and they said they didn't know that 'trick', either. I assured her that, barring having the most incompetent math teacher on the planet, they were definitely shown how to multiply and divide by 10 etc, and probably many years earlier, but that her and her friends were probably too busy passing jokes and not concentrating.
Buy, hey, the electronic calculator is as much a tool as many other tools are (ie, we don't crank start our cars but just because we don't doesn't mean we have to know how a motor turns over in order to be able/allowed to drive) and knowing how to use one is important and we aren't going back in time to a society without such a tool so we'll just have to live with certain manual skills possibly deteriorating.
Quote: DJTeddyBearWow Flea. As F'd us as that is, you hit the nail on the head.
Yeah, unfortunately that's just the way it is. Your clerks go thru the motions and soon get so "brain dead" that they don't even realize what change is reasonable, they just stare fixately at the ultimate truth in the universe: the computer's response and say "would you like fries with that".
16" tire = 1260 5 Rotations/mile.
Quote: 98Clubsmy answer wasn't in the poll... it a marital problem.
Blonde Defense makes the matter worse.
Actually, I think that husband will make his wife famous in this narcissistic society of ours.
That is why the two of them scripted and staged the video in the first place.Quote: pacomartinActually, I think that husband will make his wife famous in this narcissistic society of ours.
Show your math. Is the tire a 225/60/r16 like a Monte Carlo or maybe a 195/45/r16 like a Fiat? For the Monte Carlo, I get only 800 rotations per mile. The Fiat will be somewhat higher.Quote: 98Clubsmy answer wasn't in the poll... it a marital problem.
16" tire = 1260 5 Rotations/mile.
(5280*12)/(16*pi) was my answer generically.
You wanna change the rules again?
Just curious, besides maybe a boat trailer, when is the last time you saw a tire with a 16" overall diameter on an automobile?Quote: 98ClubsThe tire size was NOT posted in OP just 16" tires. I did not bother with the video link.
(5280*12)/(16*pi) was my answer generically.
You wanna change the rules again?
So around 800 revolutions/mile
Quote: pacomartinQuote: The Feeling Of Power, (February 1958) Isaac AsimovNine times seven, thought Shuman with deep satisfaction, is sixty-three, and I don't need a computer to tell me so.
Of all the Asimov stories I've read (and I won't dare say I've read them all yet) that one's among my least favorites. There's nothing wrong with the story, but I had a persistent supesnsion of disbelief problem. If you recall, Shuman was a mathematician. I can't buy the notion that mathematicians would lose the ability to do simple arithmetic. But then I can't buy the notion everyone else would, either. Almost everyone else, yes, but not mathematicians, accountants, actuaries, engineers and a host of others who deal with numbers all the time.
You see, in some cases using a calculator is more trouble than doing a basic arithmetic operation in your head. You have to pause what you're doing, punch numbers and read results. As opposed to just making a simple operation and not interrupting the flow of your work at all. It's like that when I write. I leave spell-checking til the end, because otherwise I get distracted and my rythm gets interrupted.
On a related topic, I've little trouble making change most times, but when in the US and Canada I do have some trouble because of the 0.25 coins. I'm used to fractional coins being worth 0.10, 0.20 and 0.50 each, 0.25 confuses me. I'm also used to rounding up or down. I don't recall a 0.01 coin in Mexico at any time in my life.There have been 0.05 coins, but the latest ones, re-introduced in 1993, disappeared rather swiftly.
Related question, since coins in America are worth 0.01, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.25, why are banknotes not worth 1, 5, 10 and 25, but instead 1, 5, 10 and 20?
