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
(Score: 2) by wisnoskij on Friday March 16 2018, @11:46AM (1 child)
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
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Friday March 16 2018, @01:23PM
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.