Teaching Math
Teaching Math in 1950:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5
of the price. What is his profit?
Teaching Math in 1960:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5
of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
Teaching Math in 1970:
A logger exchanges a set "L" of lumber for a set "M" of money. The
cardinality of set "M" is 100. Each element is worth one dollar. Make 100
dots representing the elements of the set "M". The set "C", the cost of
production contains 20 fewer points than set "M". Represent the set "C" as a
subset of set "M" and answer the following question: What is the cardinality
of the set "P" for profits?
Teaching Math in 1980:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. Her cost of production is $80
and her profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
Teaching Math in 1990:
By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger makes $20. What do you
think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after
answering the question: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel as the
logger cut down the trees? There are no wrong answers.
Teaching Math in 1996:
By laying off 40% of its loggers, a company improves its stock price from
$80 to $100. How much capital gain per share does the CEO make by exercising
his stock options at $80? Assume capital gains are no longer taxed, because
this encourages savings.
Teaching Math in 1997:
A company outsources all of its loggers. The firm saves on benefits, and
when demand for its product is down, the logging work force can easily be
cut back. The average logger employed by the company earned $50,000, had
three weeks vacation, a nice retirement plan and medical insurance. The
contracted logger charges $50 an hour. Was outsourcing a good move?
Teaching Math in 1998:
A laid-off logger with four kids at home and a ridiculous alimony from his
first failed marriage comes into the logging company corporate offices and
goes postal, mowing down 16 executives and a couple of secretaries, and gets
lucky when he nails a politician on the premises collecting his kickback.
Was outsourcing the loggers a good move for the company?
Teaching Math in 1999:
A laid-off logger serving time in Folsom for blowing away several people is
being trained as a COBOL programmer in order to work on Y2K projects. What
is the probability that the automatic cell doors will open on their own as
of 00:01, 01/01/2000?
