3 ms·
This is a classical question I ask to children (and I was asked as a child too). It was/is fun, because it is easier to answer if you haven't yet started arithm
by utopkara 13y ago
This is a classical question I ask to children (and I was asked as a child too). It was/is fun, because it is easier to answer if you haven't yet started arithmetic, or if you can manage to step outside the pressure of this new thing that you are being taught at school.
How many cuts do you need to make in order to split a board into 2?
How about 3?
How about 4?
In this case, the teacher has failed. But, everybody must have learned something out of this.
- dfc 13y agoAnswer: 1, 2 and 2 cuts.
- dhimes 13y agoIf I cut myself shaving in two places with one motion of my razor, how many cuts have I made?
- Kequc 13y agoThe answer to this question is open for debate. You see you didn't specify whether you cut all the way through resulting in two halves of a person with one cut on one of them. And which one!
- dfc 13y agoIf you ask me to make these cuts with a chop saw (or mitre saw if you prefer) I am making 1, 2 and 2 cuts. Where one cut is defined as pulling the trigger on the saw arm and pressing the handle down.
- rmrfrmrf 13y agoUnless you have some kind of vice holding that piece of wood together, you're making 3 cuts.
- dfc 13y agoAs I stated downthread: If you ask me to make these cuts I am plugging in my chop saw (or mitre saw if you prefer) I am making 1, 2 and 2 cuts. Where one cut is defined as pulling the trigger on the saw arm and pressing the handle down. Your "vice" will be my left hand pushing the wood against the fence and towards the stop block. Do you do a lot of woodworking?
- rmrfrmrf 13y agoYes, actually. I was just going by the clear-as-day diagram showing a hand saw. Feel free to continue laying on the snark, though.
- dfc 13y agoIt was not snark. I was just trying to ascertain if you were unfamiliar with working with lumber or just being difficult. Would you really make three cuts?
- shrikant 13y agoFor anyone else initially as confused as I was, dfc is saying that after the first cut, they would stack the resulting two pieces for the 2nd cut with the chop saw.
- DanBC 13y ago> But, everybody must have learned something out of this. Let's hope the lesson learnt is not "math is too hard for me; I'm stupid; I don't understand this; I tried to ask my teacher but they're authoritarian and because I'm just a kid I don't know the socially acceptable way to ask this kind of stuff and the teacher got all defensive and punished me, and so I must never question anyone, even when I think I can show that I'm right and I think they've made a mistake". Teaching is a hard job. Many parents don't support you at all. It's politicised (at least, in England it's very political). It's low status. So, I'm not really knocking the teacher. I do hope that after a chat the teacher gave the child better marks.