Fun_People Archive
17 May
The evolution of math through the years

Date: Tue, 17 May 94 13:44:57 PDT
To: Fun_People
Subject: The evolution of math through the years

Forwarded-by: bostic@vangogh.CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: "Miles O'Neal" <meo@pencom.com>
From: Kelly James Clark at Calvin College in Michigan (clak@calvin.edu).


	The Math Quiz:

In 1960:  A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.  His cost of
production is four fifths the price.  What is his profit?

In 1970 (traditional math):  A logger sells a truckload of lumber for
$100.  His cost of production is 4/5 of the price; in other words $80.
What is his profit?

In 1970 (new math):  A logger exchanges set L of lumber for set M of
money.  The cardinality of set M is 100 and each element is worth $1.
Make 100 dots representing the elements of set M.  The set C of costs
contains 20 fewer points than set M.  Represent set C as a subset of
set M, and answer the following question:  What is the cardinality of
the set P of profits?

In 1980.  A logger sells a truckload of wood for $100.  His cost of
production is $80 and his profit is $20.  Your assignment: Underline
the number 20.

In 1990 (Outcome-Based Education):  By cutting down beautiful forest
trees, a logger makes $20.  What do you think of this way of making a
living?  Topic for class discussion:  How did the forest birds and
squirrels feel?

© 1994 Peter Langston