this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
841 points (95.7% liked)
Memes
45686 readers
590 users here now
Rules:
- Be civil and nice.
- Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Sadly, this is actually true, people actually don't know simple math and operation order.
And they ask me why I hold such low expectations for the future ๐คฆ.
I don't know why you expect the mathematical order of operations to stay fresh in people's heads. I was taught that in like third grade, and the number of times I've needed that information outside of a math class in the 35 years since then is exactly zero. Most people don't really have occasion to go around solving written equations in their adult lives. I mean, I'm a machinist, I use math every day at my job, the only actual written equations I ever have to deal with are the ones I need to solve to shut off my alarm clock app in the morning. That stuff just doesn't stick when you never have a reason to use it.
It's not an equation, it's simple math, like one used in a grocery store. You have 2 apples and then you pick up 4 more pairs of apples, how many apples you got?
As I said, it's not quantum mechanics, it's basic simple math.
I bet your alarm clock app also uses simple math problems like this one. It's expected for a grown up or a teenager to be able to solve this, that is why they put it on alarm clock app. It's not something that's meant to be easily forgotten. That is why you learn these things when you're very young, so they stick with you for the rest of your life. But from the answers, it's easy to notice that most have never even learned this in the first place, at all. Why? Your guess is as good as mine ๐คท.
Because they grew up in households that would say to them "I don't know why you're having to learn this! No one uses it except for the eggheads down at Livermore!" and so they ignored it and now justify their ignorance by repeating the same horseshit anti-intellectual screed