[luftfluss]

Huh, the schools here in northern NJ must be better than elsewhere. I pay cash frequently, and don't recall ever having an issue with receiving change from a young 'un.

Last year, however, I was nearly double-billed at the grocery store by a cashier in her 60's... she somehow rang me up for 14 watermelons instead of one And the exorbitant total didn't seem to register with her, even after I pointed it out.

[WPRESTO]

Schools teach to add by subtracting. They say the new method is more intuitive and faster than just adding.

My grandson (very bright) was sent to the Counselor for disturbing the lesson because he asked - twice, “Why don’t we just add the real numbers?”

Some students at the college where I was taught never learned "math facts" = things such as the multiplication tables up to 12. A colleague did a survey of his freshman biology majors and found that 80% had never learned the multiplication tables, and could not do the "four functions" without a simple calculator. Also, I found some students who were being taught math that really was based on a more advanced concept. There isn't addition & subtraction, there is "combining" values some of which are positive and others negative, which is more the way mathematicians think of those two elementary functions. But that meant they couldn't add or subtract without a calculator (=enter a value after it's sign, positive or negative, then press = )

[Racer X 69]

Some students at the college where I was taught never learned "math facts" = things such as the multiplication tables up to 12. A colleague did a survey of his freshman biology majors and found that 80% had never learned the multiplication tables, and could not do the "four functions" without a simple calculator. Also, I found some students who were being taught math that really was based on a more advanced concept. There isn't addition & subtraction, there is "combining" values some of which are positive and others negative, which is more the way mathematicians think of those two elementary functions. But that meant they couldn't add or subtract without a calculator (=enter a value after it's sign, positive or negative, then press = )

I used an HP33c reverse Polish notation programmable calculator in college, and while working in civil engineering.

No way I would try to do that math by hand.

I always had a laugh when a coworker would borrow it, then struggle with using a calculator with no equals button.

[ivanvernon]

I have found that most folks cannot integrate Ln of X with or without a calculator. However, knowing how to do so is not necessary to make change in a shop.

[Racer X 69]

I have found that most folks cannot integrate Ln of X with or without a calculator. However, knowing how to do so is not necessary to make change in a shop.

Logarithms, trigonometry, calculus, all made my head swim. But the HP33c made it all easy and quick.

Descriptive geometry also got easier when using a decent calculator.

[monochrome]

Some students at the college where I was taught never learned "math facts" = things such as the multiplication tables up to 12. A colleague did a survey of his freshman biology majors and found that 80% had never learned the multiplication tables, and could not do the "four functions" without a simple calculator. Also, I found some students who were being taught math that really was based on a more advanced concept. There isn't addition & subtraction, there is "combining" values some of which are positive and others negative, which is more the way mathematicians think of those two elementary functions. But that meant they couldn't add or subtract without a calculator (=enter a value after it's sign, positive or negative, then press = )

Today I actually added 2 large numbers on paper because I was away from my calculator. The guy next to me asked why I didn’t just use my phone.

[ChrisPlatt]

I must have been playing hooky the week they taught the times tables in elementary school.
My bad timing, as usual...

Chris

[tim60]

Except that she had no idea I was going to be honest and not keep the cash. Had I done so it would have resulted in negative cash flow for the business, and I would have had a free meal and made a profit.

In Australia I have been to Chinese restaurants that would give a significant discount (~20%) if you pay cash, not card.


Need to be careful as a business to declare a plausible amount of real earning to balance the claims one makes for business expenses: supples and wages. Otherwise there will be a tax audit.

[tim60]

Schools teach to add by subtracting. They say the new method is more intuitive and faster than just adding.

My grandson (very bright) was sent to the Counselor for disturbing the lesson because he asked - twice, “Why don’t we just add the real numbers?”

Was that a sign of the teacher feeling insecure in their knowledge of what they were teaching?

[tim60]

Huh, the schools here in northern NJ must be better than elsewhere. I pay cash frequently, and don't recall ever having an issue with receiving change from a young 'un.

Last year, however, I was nearly double-billed at the grocery store by a cashier in her 60's... she somehow rang me up for 14 watermelons instead of one And the exorbitant total didn't seem to register with her, even after I pointed it out.

One time I was at a greengrocer, in Australia. At the checkout I was charged rather too much, so I asked, pointing at the stuff I was buying, "How much were the beetroot?" to which I got the answer "the rhubarb is …"


Last week at Sainburys we bought four boxes of 8 packs of soy milk. The checkout operator could not remember, or work out, that 8x4=32. (The soy milk was about 30% off, at 1 quid per pack.

[tim60]

I used an HP33c reverse Polish notation programmable calculator in college, and while working in civil engineering.

No way I would try to do that math by hand.

I always had a laugh when a coworker would borrow it, then struggle with using a calculator with no equals button.

I remember the days of the TI vs HP wars. Does anyone still make RPN calculators?

[c.a.m]

I used an HP33c reverse Polish notation programmable calculator in college, and while working in civil engineering.

Recent acquisition: new battery cells for my HP15C, which I got in ~1985. It's amazing how this terrific device just keeps on working. The buttons still have that distinctive HP click, the display is clear and crisp, and I love the design.

I don't do any programming on it now, but RPN is hardwired in my brain (electrical & aeronautical engineer).

- Craig

[slartibartfast01]

Schools teach to add by subtracting. They say the new method is more intuitive and faster than just adding.



My grandson (very bright) was sent to the Counselor for disturbing the lesson because he asked - twice, “Why don’t we just add the real numbers?”

How does that work? Tried google and couldn't find anything about it.

[luftfluss]

One time I was at a greengrocer, in Australia. At the checkout I was charged rather too much, so I asked, pointing at the stuff I was buying, "How much were the beetroot?" to which I got the answer "the rhubarb is …"

That's it. Now my new expression will be, "You don't know your beetroot from your rhubarb!" Can't wait to use it.

[Marcus Rowland]

Sort of an acquisition: The Canon Ixus 175 that I thought wasn't working is OK: I somehow put the battery in the wrong way round and didn't spot the mistake until today. Why Canon designed it so it could be put in the wrong way round is a question I probably won't try to answer... Nice little camera, but I really prefer SLRs and bridge cameras with eye level finders, so it'll be going onto eBay.

And one that wasn't: Finally got the charger for the Olympus E420 four-thirds SLR and it isn't powering on at all, regardless of battery orientation (another one that lets you put the battery in the wrong way round!). I could try to get it fixed but it's an obsolete system and really not worth it since you can get them for about £60, and I really don't see enough 4/3rds stuff to justify keeping it for myself. So I'm out £10 for the original camera and about a fiver for the charger and the special USB data cable Olympus use. I'm going to list the body, charger, and cable on eBay as spares/repairs, and hang on to the lens until I can borrow a body long enough to test it.