Can people really be this illogical? (funny but sad story)

[Ann.without.an.e]

DH came home and told us a funny story.  He was working with a group of people and someone told a story about a guy who couldn't figure out a simple question about mph.  So another manager said that even her guys would know the answer to that.  She asked Dave, "hey, Dave, if you were traveling 80 miles per hour, how long would it take you to go 80 miles?"  And he looks bewildered and finally guesses "2 hours? No, wait, 3 hours?"  She was so embarrassed and frustrated that she sent him to discuss it with a group of five co-workers and they thought through it together for a solid 10 minutes and still couldn't come up with an answer.  Ya'll, you can't make this stuff up. 

Of course, after telling me this we called our 9 year old downstairs and asked him the question and he knew right away without even thinking it through.  

I am baffled.  DH was baffled.  6 grown men couldn't figure out the solution to this problem??????????

 

ETA - I understand that we ALL have moments where our minds just lose it.  What floored us was that he went back and talked this over with a group of guys and they still didn't have an answer.  

Edited September 19, 2018 by Attolia

[Kareni]

That is truly sobering, Attolia.  Kudos to your nine year old.

Regards,
Kareni

[Guest]

? I do think sometimes people “brain fart” on questions like this, though. It does make it more surprising when other people were also stumped. Usually, once it dawns on the person they are like, “Oh! Haha, duh!” 

[Ann.without.an.e]

2 minutes ago, Quill said:

? I do think sometimes people “brain fart” on questions like this, though. It does make it more surprising when other people were also stumped. Usually, once it dawns on the person they are like, “Oh! Haha, duh!” 

 

That was the perplexing thing, right?  For one guy to have a brain fart is normal, to go and consult 5 others and still not have an answer is truly boggling.

[ScoutTN]

Illogical or just stupid?!

[Ann.without.an.e]

3 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Illogical or just stupid?!

 

I honestly wanted to put dumb but felt it wasn't PC.

 

[Amber in SJ]

Just last week Dh & I attended an orientation for one of Dd's outside classes.  While explaining the attendance policy the teacher said if the student drops below 75% they get an incomplete. 

One parent raised her hand to ask how many days the students had to attend. 

Another parent said, "Duh!  She just said 75!"

 the teacher said, "Because there aren't 100 days in the semester, each day is worth more than 1% it's actually more like 1.5%"

A third parent said, "so they have to attend 50 days, right?

During this time I looked at the calendar & counted the days in the semester (68) found 75% (51) and just sat there. 

In their defense it is an early morning religion class so it was 6:15 am.

Amber in SJ

[lavender's green]

Not only have I witnessed that scenario 2-3 times, I've also been told that I'm dumb and don't know what I'm talking about when I try to explain it.

Edited September 18, 2018 by lavender's green

[Lucy the Valiant]

In my state, home schooled students have to score > 40th percentile on an annual standardized test (or submit a portfolio reviewed by a certified teacher) - I cringe EVERY time I hear a parent say, "We only have to score correctly on 40% of the test!" [I know this is not unique to home schoolers, but . . . still.]

[SKL]

Sounds like non-mathy people who recall being stumped by the question in this form:  "If you're going 80 miles per hour, how many miles can you go in 80 minutes?  Or some such.  The straight-forward version is almost a trick question.  A person who isn't good at math already gave up before he even really heard the question.

And I suspect that is what at least one of my kids would do.

When I was a teen, it used to amaze me how hard the store cashiers found it to count change.  Now that isn't even an issue - the machines count the change for them.

Whatever - some people just aren't cut out for math.  I'm not sure you can make someone mathy.

[SKL]

In my second year at a selective law school, I was the only person in class who knew immediately that a fourth of 100 is 25.  No lie.

Edited September 18, 2018 by SKL

[Ann.without.an.e]

2 hours ago, SKL said:

 

When I was a teen, it used to amaze me how hard the store cashiers found it to count change.  Now that isn't even an issue - the machines count the change for them.

Whatever - some people just aren't cut out for math.  I'm not sure you can make someone mathy.

 

 

This reminds me of the time when the computers were down and the cashier stopped, looked at the money in his hand, and didn't know how much to give back and my very mathy four year old shouted out "56 cents, mom, tell him that it's 56 cents".  Yep, it's ok this kid does it to me all the time too ?  Like the other day when we were playing a game and I had -4 points and I casually joked "hey, it's better than nothing" and he immediately says "mom, are you serious? "nothing" is more than negative". ? 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Attolia

[Terabith]

5 hours ago, Amber in SJ said:

Just last week Dh & I attended an orientation for one of Dd's outside classes.  While explaining the attendance policy the teacher said if the student drops below 75% they get an incomplete. 

One parent raised her hand to ask how many days the students had to attend. 

Another parent said, "Duh!  She just said 75!"

 the teacher said, "Because there aren't 100 days in the semester, each day is worth more than 1% it's actually more like 1.5%"

A third parent said, "so they have to attend 50 days, right?

During this time I looked at the calendar & counted the days in the semester (68) found 75% (51) and just sat there. 

In their defense it is an early morning religion class so it was 6:15 am.

Amber in SJ

Nobody should have to do math at 6:15 am.  

[BooksandBoys]

3 hours ago, SKL said:

In my second year at a selective law school, I was the only person in class who knew immediately that a fourth of 100 is 25.  No lie.

 

This makes me feel a bit better about having to explicitly teach this to my (usually very mathy) 5th grader this year. 

I’m the person who knows what my grocery cart total will be to within a dollar most days. My kids think it’s a cool trick. 

[gardenmom5]

along the same lines . . . the number of times I hear people say a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat . . . .

[Shoeless]

8 hours ago, Quill said:

? I do think sometimes people “brain fart” on questions like this, though. It does make it more surprising when other people were also stumped. Usually, once it dawns on the person they are like, “Oh! Haha, duh!” 

I almost always brain fart on easy math questions.  Or any easy question, really.  I over think them, expecting there is some sort of trick behind the simple question, and panic.

A book I bought had an error, stating Ben Franklin was president of the United States.  I thought "That's not true...wait a minute...is it true? How do I not know this?!", and had a moment of panic that I've been wrong about this fact for the last 35 years.    

[MeghanL]

I had to have some electrical work done once and got a quote from a contractor. The work was going to be $1500. He was offering us the 40% interest rate credit card to finance the work. When I told him I'd give him a call in a few months so we could pay cash instead, he said that if we just paid $100/month, that was more than the minimum payment on the credit card so we'd have it paid off in only 9 months! I said at $100 per month I was pretty sure it would take us at least 15 months to pay off..but he was not convinced at all. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

3 minutes ago, MeghanL said:

I had to have some electrical work done once and got a quote from a contractor. The work was going to be $1500. He was offering us the 40% interest rate credit card to finance the work. When I told him I'd give him a call in a few months so we could pay cash instead, he said that if we just paid $100/month, that was more than the minimum payment on the credit card so we'd have it paid off in only 9 months! I said at $100 per month I was pretty sure it would take us at least 15 months to pay off..but he was not convinced at all. 

 

 

You should have said "let's do it, draw up a contract where we pay you $100/month for 9 months" ?

[Ann.without.an.e]

8 hours ago, Terabith said:

Nobody should have to do math at 6:15 am.  

 

I can actually get behind this!   ❤️

[MeghanL]

2 minutes ago, Attolia said:

 

 

You should have said "let's do it, draw up a contract where we pay you $100/month for 9 months" ?

Totally would have...but didn't think it would carry water with the credit card company. Should have offered to leave out the "middle man" and just pay him the $900....I mean the full $1500 with interest...directly in the 9 month installments. ?

Edited September 19, 2018 by MeghanL

[Ann.without.an.e]

1 minute ago, MeghanL said:

Totally would have...but didn't think it would carry water with the credit card company. Should have offered to leave out the "middle man" and just pay him the $900 directly ;D 

 

That is what I had in mind too, draw up a contract and leave out the middle man ? .  For some reason, I don't think the credit card company would have fallen for that kind of math either ?

[DawnM]

He doesn't work in a field that requires numbers does he?  That would concern me.

[katilac]

14 hours ago, SKL said:

In my second year at a selective law school, I was the only person in class who knew immediately that a fourth of 100 is 25.  No lie.

 

I've given up on ordering a third or two-thirds of a pound of deli meat, it breaks their brains. They do seem to have conquered fourths. 

We were looking to buy a big appliance once, and they had a model in the store that was, say, $1,200. We asked the clerk to look up the next higher model (same brand) on the computer. He did, and said, oh wow, you don't want that one, it's $15,000! We tried to explain that it had to be a typo, but he wasn't having it. He saw it on the screen and didn't have the number sense to see that it wasn't reasonable for this mid-line appliance to cost that much. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

25 minutes ago, DawnM said:

He doesn't work in a field that requires numbers does he?  That would concern me.

 

His position requires a good bit of math (and he's great at math) but this crew of guys (that don't directly work for him) does not require math - thank the Lord! ?

Edited September 19, 2018 by Attolia

[school17777]

11 minutes ago, katilac said:

I've given up on ordering a third or two-thirds of a pound of deli meat, it breaks their brains. They do seem to have conquered fourths. 

 

Ds ordered lunch meat for the both of us last week.  I only wanted a 1/4 lb and he wanted 2 lbs.  Not sure how ds worded his order but we just got two 1/4 lb bags!

[vonfirmath]

2 hours ago, MeghanL said:

I had to have some electrical work done once and got a quote from a contractor. The work was going to be $1500. He was offering us the 40% interest rate credit card to finance the work. When I told him I'd give him a call in a few months so we could pay cash instead, he said that if we just paid $100/month, that was more than the minimum payment on the credit card so we'd have it paid off in only 9 months! I said at $100 per month I was pretty sure it would take us at least 15 months to pay off..but he was not convinced at all. 

 

Maybe he was offering a discount?

[Home'scool]

This happened to me a while ago. I was baking and needed "half of 2/3rds" of something. I completely blanked. I then asked my daughter, who just graduated with a degree in architecture, what half of 2/3rds was. She started doing a bunch of division in her head. Then we got silly because we couldn't figure it out, so we called my other daughter who has a degree in biology. She also started doing all sorts of "you divide 3 into 2......"

It was only when we asked my sister did we get the answer. I think it was so simple that we immediately thought it had to be more difficult, and once your brain starts down the wrong path it tends to keep going the wrong way.

We still giggle about it today.

 

[DawnM]

27 minutes ago, Attolia said:

 

His position requires a good bit of math (and he's great at math) but this crew of guys (that don't directly work for him) does not require math - thank the Lord! ?

 

Gotcha.  My husband's job is basically numbers all day long, and I will be honest, sometimes he still shakes his head at their math skills!  

[gardenmom5]

15 hours ago, SKL said:

In my second year at a selective law school, I was the only person in class who knew immediately that a fourth of 100 is 25.  No lie.

 you should feel better knowing a significant portion of a college chemistry class signed the petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide.

[SKL]

I decided to do an experiment and ask the people in my house the question in the OP.

Younger 11yo dd looked at me warily, like "are you for real," then provided the correct answer with a laugh.

59yo housemate did similar.

Older 11yo responded "I don't know.  Leave me alone, I'm trying to concentrate on my homework."  BTW her homework was 7th grade math, which she completed without mistakes.

57yo housemate heard all of this and laughed ... but if you ask me, she might have been stumped too by the straightforwardness of the question.

[TravelingChris]

My one dd is a tech writer but does not have a English degree rather in Social Sciences.  A fellow tech writer who does have an English degree was trying to convince her, an IT guy, and another engineer that the plural of mouse is mouses.  

[SKL]

Just now, TravelingChris said:

My one dd is a tech writer but does not have a English degree rather in Social Sciences.  A fellow tech writer who does have an English degree was trying to convince her, an IT guy, and another engineer that the plural of mouse is mouses.  

You mean computer mouse?  I have always wondered about that.  Does "mice" work with computer mouse-s?  Honest question!

[vonfirmath]

16 minutes ago, SKL said:

You mean computer mouse?  I have always wondered about that.  Does "mice" work with computer mouse-s?  Honest question!

 

Yes.

Common question at one time in our IT Department. "Where are the MICE?!"

 

[Library Momma]

I think it has something to do with names or expressions.  People often use names and/or expressions without actually thinking about what the words mean.  I one was listening to a conversation where people were talking about Nobel prizes.  They kept calling them the "Nobel Peace Prize for Physics" or the "Nobel Peace Prize for Medicine."  When I corrected them, it dawned on them that they didn't really realize what they were saying.  These were intelligent well educated people.

I also can't count the number of times I've heard people use the term African-American to refer to someone who isn't American.

 

[Ravin]

18 hours ago, SKL said:

In my second year at a selective law school, I was the only person in class who knew immediately that a fourth of 100 is 25.  No lie.

Everyone knows people go to law school because they can't handle the math to become engineers or doctors!

[Ravin]

3 hours ago, katilac said:

 

I've given up on ordering a third or two-thirds of a pound of deli meat, it breaks their brains. They do seem to have conquered fourths. 

We were looking to buy a big appliance once, and they had a model in the store that was, say, $1,200. We asked the clerk to look up the next higher model (same brand) on the computer. He did, and said, oh wow, you don't want that one, it's $15,000! We tried to explain that it had to be a typo, but he wasn't having it. He saw it on the screen and didn't have the number sense to see that it wasn't reasonable for this mid-line appliance to cost that much. 

You could take pity on them and tell them in decimals, since that's what's on industry-standard digital scales.

[TravelingChris]

22 minutes ago, Ravin said:

You could take pity on them and tell them in decimals, since that's what's on industry-standard digital scales.

That is what I always do because I have no idea how good at math the deli workers are.  

[katilac]

1 hour ago, Ravin said:

You could take pity on them and tell them in decimals, since that's what's on industry-standard digital scales.

 

Maybe I'll start saying it both ways and eventually it will sink in. 

[GailV]

5 hours ago, school17777 said:

 

Ds ordered lunch meat for the both of us last week.  I only wanted a 1/4 lb and he wanted 2 lbs.  Not sure how ds worded his order but we just got two 1/4 lb bags!

This type of thing happens to me, and it's usually because they can't quite hear what the customer said.  The powers-that-be re-designed the deli to look swankier, and the acoustics are now horrible.  I'd hate to work there. 

[Amber in SJ]

These are 2 real conversations I have had with other moms.  Adult human beings who tell me they think homeschooling is a bad idea because I can't possibly know all the things my kids need to learn at school.

1.  Watching our kids at TKD

Other Mom:  Oh drat, I wanted to buy strawberries from the guy on the corner but I only have a $20.  He wants $10 & he never has change.

Me:  I have a $10 and I need to go to the post office next door.  Take my $10, I'll take your $20 to the post office & bring back a $10.

Other Mom:  Why would you bring me back $10?  I only need $10 for strawberries.  

Me:  Because you gave me a $20.

Other Mom:  Right, but I don't need a $20, I need a $10.  Only one.  I don't need 2 flats of strawberries.

We went around and around, until I gave up and just took her $20 and gave her my $10 and went to the post office.  When I got back I handed her the other $10 without a word.

2.  Hanging out at the park

Other Mom:  I am supposed have the boys do a standing long jump for scouts tonight, but I didn't bring my measuring tape.

Me:  Well, how accurate do you need to be?  Dollar bills are just over 6" long, I have one of those.

Other Mom:  How will that help?  The measurement has to be in feet.

Me: Well, you could use the dollar bill like a 6" long ruler.......  you know, like two per foot.

Other Mom:  That would never work, I'd need like $6.

Yet Another Mom at the Park:  Well, I have a $5 so if Amber has $1 there's your $6

Me:  What?  Noooooooooo!

 

Amber in SJ

[Scarlett]

Ok I know this is not a numbers thing but I still can't believe it.  I asked an employee of a store, over the phone, if their building was on the north or south side of the street.  He said, ' well it depends on which direction you are coming from.'. 

[Junie]

23 hours ago, Terabith said:

Nobody should have to do math at 6:15 am.  

This.  Dd16 and I were baking biscuits and tripling the recipe.

I told her that when I was in high school (during the summers) I used to make biscuits working at McDonald's, but everything there was pre-measured because minimum wage was not enough to expect me to do math at 5 a.m.

[frogger]

To be honest, though reading these things makes me laugh, there are days when life crushes my brain (and lack of sleep) and there is nothing left for people's questions or remembering why I went downstairs, or even why I'm looking in the refrigerator though I'm sure I must have had a reason to open it. 

[gardenmom5]

9 hours ago, Ravin said:

You could take pity on them and tell them in decimals, since that's what's on industry-standard digital scales.

you have a mean streak.  I like it.

but I have an engineer, a pharmacist (whose undergrad was chem and bio), and an accountant.  my classics major - whom I encouraged to consider law since she likes nuance so much (and latin is her favorite language) - went into IT.

[school17777]

3 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Ok I know this is not a numbers thing but I still can't believe it.  I asked an employee of a store, over the phone, if their building was on the north or south side of the street.  He said, ' well it depends on which direction you are coming from.'. 

 

I would have to stop and think about this as I don’t normally think about things being on the north or south (or east/west) side.  I’d probably be spinning around thinking about where the sun rises and sets, etc.  I just couldn’t answer you quickly until I had a chance to think about it.  

Now if you had asked if it was on the left or right side, I’d answer just as he did!

[KidsHappen]

Classic conversation about the differrence between .002 cents and .002 dollars: http://verizonmath.blogspot.com/2006/12/verizon-doesnt-know-dollars-from-cents.html

[readinmom]

I show this video every year before the kids take their math midterms...makes them feel a lot better about themselves!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhm7-LEBznk

 

 

[frogger]

11 minutes ago, readinmom said:

I show this video every year before the kids take their math midterms...makes them feel a lot better about themselves!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhm7-LEBznk

 

 

Hmmmm, I'm not sure what is worse that she can't figure it out or that he was a big enough jerk to post it on the internet. 

 

I think she should find a new guy. 

[Scarlett]

9 hours ago, school17777 said:

 

I would have to stop and think about this as I don’t normally think about things being on the north or south (or east/west) side.  I’d probably be spinning around thinking about where the sun rises and sets, etc.  I just couldn’t answer you quickly until I had a chance to think about it.  

Now if you had asked if it was on the left or right side, I’d answer just as he did!

Someone always replies to this story as you did above.  I understand not everyone could say what side of the street they were on.  But SURELY you know that the answer does not depend on which direction you are coming from.  Right?

[SKL]

7 hours ago, frogger said:

Hmmmm, I'm not sure what is worse that she can't figure it out or that he was a big enough jerk to post it on the internet. 

 

I think she should find a new guy. 

Yeah and I am wondering what is written on the back left window and what his car is full of and why he thinks its a good idea to be making a video on his cell phone while driving down the highway.

As for her, I suspect drug use kuz she is way rambling.

Of course none of this has anything to do with math ....