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posted by mrpg on Friday March 16 2018, @12:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the ∫-√(1+[f(x)']²)dx dept.

Suppose, a litre of cola costs US$3.15. If you buy one third of a litre of cola, how much would you pay?

The above may seem like a rather basic question. Something that you would perhaps expect the vast majority of adults to be able to answer? Particularly if they are allowed to use a calculator.

Unfortunately, the reality is that a large number of adults across the world struggle with even such basic financial tasks (the correct answer is US$1.05, by the way).

[...] In many other countries, the situation is even worse. Four in every ten adults in places like England, Canada, Spain and the US can't make this straightforward calculation – even when they had a calculator to hand. Similarly, less than half of adults in places like Chile, Turkey and South Korea can get the right answer.

-- submitted from IRC

High number of adults unable to do basic mathematical tasks


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  • (Score: 2) by wisnoskij on Friday March 16 2018, @11:46AM (1 child)

    by wisnoskij (5149) <{jonathonwisnoski} {at} {gmail.com}> on Friday March 16 2018, @11:46AM (#653521)

    Most likely $1.99
    Businesses love slapping .99 on things.
    And they love overcharging on small items.

    So assuming the same brand of cola, the only reasonable price is $1.99

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  • (Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Friday March 16 2018, @01:23PM

    by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Friday March 16 2018, @01:23PM (#653577) Journal

    Actually, there are a lot of reasonable prices for 1/3 liter in this situation. Not just $1.99, but $2.49 or $2.99, maybe even $3.99. "But that's more than the liter costs!" Yes it is, but let's actually think about the scenario here. Or, it could even be $0.99 -- yes, some stores often mark-down smaller items and charge more per unit for a larger size. Crazy but true.

    But most logically -- if you're buying a full liter bottle of soda, you're probably at a place that has a large stock of soda options. If you're trying to buy 1/3 of a liter by itself, it might not even be available BY ITSELF at the same store. Maybe they have a 6-pack of cans or something, and buying the 6-pack is the only way to get 1/3 liter. Or maybe you have to go next door to the restaurant that charges you $3.99 for a cup of soda that's basically 1/3 of a liter.

    The question's really vague here -- and once you admit real-world pricing into the situation, the cost could be just about anything.