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Basic math?

slowSSer

mnoeky
Aug 14, 2002
553
0
Stepford
MMike said:
This thread makes me sad

probably has had papers graded with purple instead of red. :mumble: :angry:

(edit: is it sad that i had to edit this for spelling? huh. some good Colledge did fer me!)
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
LordOpie said:
5 ÷ 10 = 0.5

0.5 x 100% = 50%

And if you can't follow that formula, you can always use the % button on your caculator..!


:p:p:p:p:p


*Edit*
Who was the idiot that was always trying to get us to do his remedial math tests for him? Was it Mr. Tool here?
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
MMike said:
This thread makes me sad
I was getting ice cream at the local minigolf/driving range a while ago, and the total came to $2.80. I handed the girl behind the counter a $5. She looked over at her friend who was adding up another order on the calculator, smiled at me, and said, "Just one second, I need to wait for the calculator."

This girl could not give me change for my $5, without a calculator. :dead:
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
douglas said:
I blame the parents for allowing their kids to grow up lazy & stupid.
anyone can memorize formulas.

because someone doesn't have formulas memorized, they are stupid and lazy?

I work with a whole bunch of people that all have masters degrees and they are idiots.
 

Fathead

Monkey
May 6, 2003
433
0
SE TX
pnj said:
anyone can memorize formulas.

because someone doesn't have formulas memorized, they are stupid and lazy?

I work with a whole bunch of people that all have masters degrees and they are idiots.
I might be wrong, but I thought Douglas was responding to BVs story of the cashier who couldn't subtract $2.80 from $5.00. If either of my kids gets to "working at the mini-golf" age w/out being able to do that math in their head, I'm gonna ground 'em until they can.

It's not just 'cuz I wanna raise superior mini-golf cashiers either: If my kid is a customer and doesn't know how much change they should get back, they're in for a lifetime of gettin' ripped off by slimeballs who AT LEAST managed to learn some figgerin' in their head.

I wouldn't call someone stupid or lazy for not knowing how to calculate a percentage. Math-challenged or stoned, yes, but not stupid or lazy ;)

If you can't do 2-digit percentages w/out a calculator or Excel, so what. That's why we have the tools. But addition and subtaction--anything you'd carry cash for--are life skills.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Fathead said:
I wouldn't call someone stupid or lazy for not knowing how to calculate a percentage. Math-challenged or stoned, yes, but not stupid or lazy ;)

If you can't do 2-digit percentages w/out a calculator or Excel, so what. That's why we have the tools. But addition and subtaction--anything you'd carry cash for--are life skills.

I would... besides how are you going to figure how much are you going to save off of a 15% Off Sale at you LBS?
 

Fathead

Monkey
May 6, 2003
433
0
SE TX
N8 said:
I would... besides how are you going to figure how much are you going to save off of a 15% Off Sale at you LBS?
15% off at the LBS? Doesn't that put you at right about MSRP? :p
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
Fathead said:
I wouldn't call someone stupid or lazy for not knowing how to calculate a percentage. Math-challenged or stoned, yes, but not stupid or lazy ;)

Yeah, I have a Ph(goddamn)D and I am always screwing up tips and money matters. My wife loves to check my math after we go out to eat so she can make fun of me when I screw it up - which is often. I swear somewhere along the line my brain got so full that it shoved basic math out to make room for all the other crap I had to learn (that may or may not be good for anything - I've yet to determine that.)

Another humbling thing is to go to a foreign country where you don't know the langauge that well and try to pay for something. You either have to have them write it down for you or guess how much it should cost and pray they don't dick you over when they give your change back.
 

douglas

Chocolate Milk Doug
May 15, 2002
9,887
6
Shut up and Ride
if you cant do the percenatge for 5/10 or 3/4 or 7/10, yeah you are stupid (IMO) but if you want/need to use a calculator to add a 15% tip on a $42.87 meal, and determine how much it is each for the 3 of you, I guess thats ok
 

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,383
9,289
MTB New England
douglas said:
if you cant do the percenatge for 5/10 or 3/4 or 7/10, yeah you are stupid (IMO) but if you want/need to use a calculator to add a 15% tip on a $42.87 meal, and determine how much it is each for the 3 of you, I guess thats ok
$16 each. But leave $17.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
douglas said:
if you cant do the percenatge for 5/10 or 3/4 or 7/10, yeah you are stupid (IMO) but if you want/need to use a calculator to add a 15% tip on a $42.87 meal, and determine how much it is each for the 3 of you, I guess thats ok

Yeah that is a tough one... :p

For the tip:

10% of 42.87 = 4.28

divide 4.28 in half = 2.14

add back to 4.28 + 2.14 = 6.42


To split 3 ways divide by 3 or = 2.14 ea.
 

dhtahoe

I LOVE NORBA!!!!
Feb 4, 2002
1,363
0
Flying Low Living Fast
N8 said:
There are parents in the same boat as the kids, I'm sad to say.
Or you get my dad who taught you more that 8 years of college gets you, but the real world only acknowedges a degree and your screwed. Glad aviation doesn't see it that way.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
I've never understood what was so hard about calcuating tip. For $42.87, for instance:

Ten percent is a movement of the decimal point: $4.28, rounded to $4.50 or $4.00 if you can't handle the change. Five percent is half that: $2.14, or $2.25, or $2.00. Add the two together, to get $6.42, or $6.75, or $6.00. Even if you only work in big, round numbers, it's still within $0.50 of the real number!

I saw "tip cards" in Hallmark the other day, selling for a freakin' buck fifty each. I can't believe there's a market for that.
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
Yeah I can always get that far but when I go to add 42.87 with 6.42 I aways forget to carry the one and end up with 48.29 instead of 49.29. Doh!
 

luken8r

Monkey
Mar 5, 2004
564
0
Melrose MA
HTFR said:
that funny becuase calculators are rarely useing in calculus, but not haha funny.

i disagree. once you get into deep physics, calculus, differential equations, etc, its very handy to have a graphing calculator
Ti-86 = t3h 1337 (or was back in the day)
 

Brian HCM#1

MMMMMMMMM BEER!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 7, 2001
32,119
378
Bay Area, California
binary visions said:
I've never understood what was so hard about calcuating tip. For $42.87, for instance:

Ten percent is a movement of the decimal point: $4.28, rounded to $4.50 or $4.00 if you can't handle the change. Five percent is half that: $2.14, or $2.25, or $2.00. Add the two together, to get $6.42, or $6.75, or $6.00. Even if you only work in big, round numbers, it's still within $0.50 of the real number!

I saw "tip cards" in Hallmark the other day, selling for a freakin' buck fifty each. I can't believe there's a market for that.
I use the lazy method for calculating a tip. Our local tax is 8.75% so double it and then add or subtract depending on service.
 

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
Brian HCM#1 said:
I use the lazy method for calculating a tip. Our local tax is 8.75% so double it and then add or subtract depending on service.
I always try to leave 20% for good service so I just figure 10% of the total and double it.

ie: $35.80 = $3.58 X 2 = 7.16

I may round to $7.00 in a case like this.