The Importance of Teaching Maths in School

[big_bubba]

Proof that reality beats fiction? Or is it fiction? There is now a 1-inch coat of frozen frustration on my monitor. Poor guy, though I believe he was reimbursed in the end.

Do you realize that there is a difference between $0.002 and 0.002 cent?

Comments

[julival]

That is probably at the same time both the funniest and saddest thing I've heard in a long time. And I do customer service, so I have conversations like that all the time. Only _I'm_ the one trying to patiently explain how radio electronic fencing works and how operant conditioning works and the customer is the one who has a total mental block and just keeps repeating the same remarks that have absolutely nothing to do with what I just explained. You'd be amazed at what people believe about their dogs and their pet containment systems. Some days I can laugh about it, other days I just want to shoot death rays through my phone. Most of the time I just want to say "PAY ATTENTION, DAMNIT!" "Let go of your ignorant preconception and let someone who is educated on the subject explain it to you and actually listen to what that person is saying for a minute!!!" That third rep the poor guy spoke to - the woman - at one point came right out and said "I'm not a mathmatician" DUH - then try to learn from someone who obviously DOES grasp

[cmjenn]

Verizon Math is the guy's website. I believe he finally did get a refund.

[noirem]

I had to explain the same concept to some of my coworkers. We keep track of the over/shorts on the tills in the stores and while most of them recorded -$.02 I started writing -2c. Then I noticed that some of them were writing -.02c and I had to explain to them that it's very difficult, when working with physical money, to off by a fraction of a cent.