Knowledge Seeker
  • Home
  • Articles

Does 2 + 2 = 4? (One Minute to Read)

4/24/2012

 
I’m getting ready to show you a few things that are strange about our numerical system. It’s because of these issues that two people can come up with different but accurate answers to the same problem. Let me show you what I’m talking about.

Three men check in to a hotel and say they will share a room to save money. The hotel clerk tells the men the room will be $30 so each man pulls out a $10 and gives it to the clerk and then goes to their room. 
 
A few minutes later a bellhop stops by and tells the men that the clerk made a mistake and their particular room cost $27. So they explain to the bellhop that each of them pitched in for the room so he pulls out some one dollar bills and hands one to each of them and after doing this they tell him to keep the remaining $2 as a tip. Since each man was given a dollar back they have now contributed $9 apiece for a total of $27. Since they paid $27 for the room and gave the bellhop $2, what happened to the other dollar since they original paid  $30? There is a way to prove the other dollar is there but the wild part is that someone could also prove that it isn't. 

Now I want you to consider this scenario. If one person is 20 years old and the other 10, then we’d say the younger person was half the other person’s age (basically 50% their age). Based on our system of math we’d have to agree with this. 

Now let's say  let’s say these two individuals are now 100 years old and the other is 90. Remember there was a ten-year spread in their ages years before and the age spread is still the same now. But now the younger person isn’t half the other’s age but 90% their age. In this case something was true years before and all the variables are still the same but the percent difference between the ages jumped dramatically. If math were perfect should we expect this? 

The bottom line is that our numerical system isn’t as cut and dry as we’re taught. I conducted research for years and definitely know numbers can be spun by both sides of an issue and in a lot of cases both can defend their position with the same data. In the business world we try to get away from spin by defining research methodoligies that everyone has to use, but in the political world they don't care. On our part we need to be very cautious about anything we hear or see. If something sounds outlandish we should probably write it off as attempted spin.

Rhonda
4/25/2012 04:08:29 am

The missing dollar freaks me out. Please blog the answer!

Tony
4/25/2012 02:55:53 pm

Your number examples blew my mind. I'll never look at math the same. Thanks for totally confusing me!

William
4/25/2012 02:56:52 pm

Definitely one of those "aha" moments!

Samantha
5/10/2012 08:40:03 am

Now Im' all screwed up...thanks! :)

Terri
5/14/2012 05:07:53 pm

Thus the term: "Fuzzy Math!"

Rick
5/26/2012 04:32:32 am

I've just thrown away my son's math book! :)

Matthew
5/27/2012 06:51:28 am

I love math and always found it interesting that you can get to the same conclusion at least two different ways. Kind of hard to say it's pure with this in mind!


Comments are closed.

    Author: John Mann

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly