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Some will look and this and say, "big deal, people can't do math in their heads." There may be more to it. Consider the recent "riddle" in which a man buys a h

by apo 9y ago

Some will look and this and say, "big deal, people can't do math in their heads." There may be more to it. Consider the recent "riddle" in which a man buys a horse, sells it, and buys it back again, then sells it. The question is, how much money did the man make or lose: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/math-riddle-quiz-question-man-buys-a-horse-viral-a8221136.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/math-riddle-quiz-q... It was so simple to me that it seemed like it must be a trick question. It's not. I asked this question to people I was certain would get the right answer - and they didn't. This is a deep topic that needs to be explored much more thoroughly than it might appear on the surface. I suspect that many of the people who can't do this kind of reasoning are running companies and countries.

arkryne 9y ago
I had a really funny experience trying that problem. As I began reading it, I developed a strong desire to glean over it and 'just get done with it' and felt a distracting buzz in my mind. I enjoy studying maths and doing proofs myself but I got this basic questions wrong. I just went'ugh, started with 60 spent, ended up selling for 90' and I went wrong with it. The point is, I felt a strong aversion to word problems and such, which I think remind me of riddles which always trump me. Therein lies the desire to 'just be done with it' and the underlying aversion to maths I think other people also have.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 9y ago
  It's because word problems are nothing but obfuscation. Here's the same problem written out in conventional mathematical notation: (-60 + 70) + (-80 + 90) Boy, that's pretty straightforward isn't it?
digi_owl 9y ago
I wonder how many would struggle if it was presented simply a 0-60+70-80+90=? rather than the block of text in the article. At least for me the problem is that when i get a block of text like that i get distracted from the math by scrutinizing how everything is worded, in case there is a trick question.
moduspol 9y ago
It got me, TBH. When I read he bought the horse back at $80, it threw me off because (in my head) I was presuming he didn't have $80. He sold the horse for only $70. The "riddle" didn't say that's all he had, but it shifted the way I was thinking about it mid-question in a way that led me to thinking about it the wrong way. Of course, that doesn't explain how people got wrong answers other than mine, but I do think the wording and framing is significant here, which is probably why this specific "riddle" is the one that is effective.

by apo 9y ago

arkryne 9y ago

I had a really funny experience trying that problem. As I began reading it, I developed a strong desire to glean over it and 'just get done with it' and felt a distracting buzz in my mind. I enjoy studying maths and doing proofs myself but I got this basic questions wrong. I just went'ugh, started with 60 spent, ended up selling for 90' and I went wrong with it. The point is, I felt a strong aversion to word problems and such, which I think remind me of riddles which always trump me. Therein lies the desire to 'just be done with it' and the underlying aversion to maths I think other people also have.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 9y ago
It's because word problems are nothing but obfuscation. Here's the same problem written out in conventional mathematical notation: (-60 + 70) + (-80 + 90) Boy, that's pretty straightforward isn't it?

digi_owl 9y ago

I wonder how many would struggle if it was presented simply a 0-60+70-80+90=? rather than the block of text in the article. At least for me the problem is that when i get a block of text like that i get distracted from the math by scrutinizing how everything is worded, in case there is a trick question.

moduspol 9y ago

It got me, TBH. When I read he bought the horse back at $80, it threw me off because (in my head) I was presuming he didn't have $80. He sold the horse for only $70. The "riddle" didn't say that's all he had, but it shifted the way I was thinking about it mid-question in a way that led me to thinking about it the wrong way. Of course, that doesn't explain how people got wrong answers other than mine, but I do think the wording and framing is significant here, which is probably why this specific "riddle" is the one that is effective.