Had two interesting mathematical experiences this weekend. Being a smart guy, it's always interesting to see when people actually pay attention to numbers.
The first was an email I got. One of those things your family forwards to everyone, and never deletes all the old header information. This one was a letter to the editor that had supposedly been published - and is now circulating the internet. Basically, it said there were 40 million people "ready to retire". Pay them a million dollars each. That will free up jobs, give people money to spend, and be cheaper than the current bailout. Apparently neither the letter writer, the newspaper, or anyone on this chain of emails bothered to do a little math. 40M * 1M is 40 trillion dollars, about 50 times more expensive than the 800 billion bailout. Maybe they just didn't know how to use big numbers.
The second was more fun. I asked the hardware guy to cut me 15 feet of chain. At the chain display it took him a minute to find the yardstick sticker that was stick to the shelf holding the chain. hmmm. Maybe there was a reason he was sweeping the floor...
So he starts measuring chain. 1 yard. 2 yards. 3 yards. He stops and goes for the cutters. I stop him and remind him I wanted fifteen feet. He points to the measuring sticker and say No, this is a yard, not a foot. I said Yes, I Know that's a yard. Then he gives me a bit of a "you silly customer you" looks. I retain any composure I might have and resist chuckling. Instead I resort to my fingers. and count for him 1 - three 2- six 3- nine and stop with three fingers raised. After way too long a pause, he finally realizes what's going on and laughs it off.
At the register he gave me a little discount. Hopefully that wasn't a math error either. Perhaps more broom is in his future...
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