Monday, May 22, 2006

The New Math

The evolution of new math since 1950



Teaching math in 1950,
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
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 sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80.
Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980,
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his
profit is $20 Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990,
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate
and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands.
He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of
making a living?

Topic for class participation after answering the question:
How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their
homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math In 2005,
Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera para $100.
El cuesto de la produccion era $80. Cuantos tortillas se puede comprar?

Feel free to use creative spelling.

4 Comments:

Blogger WomanHonorThyself said...

lolz...si si !

May 22, 2006  
Blogger Phoenician in a time of Romans said...

Let's be a bit more exact, shall we?

A logger sells a load of lumber for $100. This would normally have cost him $80 ($50 for the land and $30 for employees), but now only costs $50 because the lumber was from public lands, and he picked up the right to log it at firesale prices - $20 to the government. The Forest Service request $30 to pay for roads for that logger; Congress gave them $40. The logger had a net profit of $50, on which he was able to claim his SUV as a business expense, meaning he only paid $10 in taxes.

Question: is the $10 tax + $20 fees paid to the government more or less than the $40 spent subsidising the logger?

Question: Of the $100 received by the logger, $50 went as expenses, $10 as tax, leaving $40 as net profit. Given this sort of return on sales, how far could the logger's stock price be pumped up by cooking the books?

Question: The logger paid his good friend the Congressman $1.50 to his campaign fund, in return for which the Congressman voted up logging subsidies. Please relate this to the capitalist theory of "a free marketplace". Bonus points will be given for keeping a straight face.

Question: Would you rather be the logger, the Congressman or an average tax-payer? Why?

Think I'm kidding?

May 22, 2006  
Blogger kevin said...

phoenician,
Subsidies aren't the topic, but your point is well taken.

May 23, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

phoenician forgot to mention that the $30 was for 10 illegal aliens. If they were legal it would be
only 3 workers who would have had to pay $7 in union dues each.

WMD Maker

May 24, 2006  

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