Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, May 25, 2011
Housekeeping Slog Will Return at 11:00 AM
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 9:00 AM
For the next two hours everyone in The Stranger's editorial department will be at a mandatory editorial meeting. As I wrote last week on Slog:
Since launching Slog it has been impossible to have an editorial meeting without everyone feeling guilty. We sit in our editorial meetings, trying to discuss what's going on in the world and what should be going into the paper, and the whole time we're feeling guilty, feeling like we're somehow neglecting Slog, like we're failing at this whole "blogging" thing. Everyone is distracted and anxious for the meeting to end so we can strap our laptops back on our faces and resume blogging. Not anymore. Once a week—for as long as we wanna—we're going to shut Slog down for two hours and have an open-ended, guilt-free editorial meeting.
We'll be back at 11:00. But we don't want you to be bored—so please use this time to solve these sixth grade word problems:
Leave your answers in the comments thread. There's a special prize for the first person who correctly solves all six!
8
1. 52 Miles per hour
2. 2.25 feet of ribon
3. 18 Jujubees
4. $8190 - though i doubt that any allowance would get to that ammount
5. 66 cubes
6. 1/3rd of the orriginal pizza.
2. 2.25 feet of ribon
3. 18 Jujubees
4. $8190 - though i doubt that any allowance would get to that ammount
5. 66 cubes
6. 1/3rd of the orriginal pizza.
16
1. Pretty damn fast, considering he rides a bicycle.
2. That seems rather precious considering it’s not Christmas.
3. Jujubes must be pretty crappy if everybody’s giving them away.
4. Almost enough for an iPad or an ounce of weed. Decisions!
5. Enough to kill a horse, or at least give it diabetes.
6. Trick question. Jeff was declared dead at 11:17 AM.
2. That seems rather precious considering it’s not Christmas.
3. Jujubes must be pretty crappy if everybody’s giving them away.
4. Almost enough for an iPad or an ounce of weed. Decisions!
5. Enough to kill a horse, or at least give it diabetes.
6. Trick question. Jeff was declared dead at 11:17 AM.
17
1. 52 mph; 2. 1.33 yards; 3. 72 jujubes; 4. $4,126; 5. 66 cubes; 6. 1/6 of the pizza
Any of them right? I was a poor math student...
Any of them right? I was a poor math student...
18
oh @ 12, it is 18 jujubes. I can't believe they tricked me! I also can't believe I forgot to reduce my fraction. 6th grade FAIL
21
1. 52 avg mph
2. 0.75 yards
3. 18 jujubes
4. $11,774
5. 66 cubes
6. 1/3 of the pizza
I agree with all the previous comments - the spelling and punctuation in this thing is distracting. A sixth grader should be insulted, but damn lucky if they actually receive an allowance like that!
2. 0.75 yards
3. 18 jujubes
4. $11,774
5. 66 cubes
6. 1/3 of the pizza
I agree with all the previous comments - the spelling and punctuation in this thing is distracting. A sixth grader should be insulted, but damn lucky if they actually receive an allowance like that!
23
@19 was winning until he did the "extra credit" of asserting that 3/4 of a yard was a mere 9 inches! What's that about?!
28
By the way, I noticed yesterday that it was Paul Constant's birthday, and he got the day off Slog, and when announcing that fact on Slog the other writers were AGGRESSIVELY liking. I mean they were POUNDING that "like" button. I thought the internet was going to go dark for a second. I think the toll of Slogging for these poor people is heavier than we thought.
30
My solution to every problem: Just sue the bastard. Then you can let the expert witnesses duke it out on the math.
34
I will give the way I calculated it for extra credit:
1: 52 mph
2.25 hours is 9x.25 hours, 117 divided by 9 is 13, that means he made 13 miles in 15 minutes. 13x4=52 mph
2. 0.75 yards = 2 1/4 feet = 27 inches
this one is simple: 15 yards divided by 20 boxes = 3/4 yard for each
3. 18
Kyle kept 8 and gave away 10 - his half is equal to the half that Jen ate
4. $8190
I used a trick here - every month the savings is double of what he put in minus 2 dollars. This goes for every month:
Jan: 2 (2x2-2)
Feb: 6 (2x4-2)
Mar: 14 (2x8-2)
Apr: 20 (2x16-2)
and so forth.
December: 8090 (2x2096-2)
5: 66 cubes
one step = 1, 2 steps 1+2, three steps 1+2+3, four steps 1+2+3+4, five steps 1+2+3+4+5...
eleven steps: 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11=66
6: 1/6 pizza
1/2 minus 1/3 is the same as 3/6 lesser 2/6, which is 1/6
Yay for math! and congrats to Wisepunk!
1: 52 mph
2.25 hours is 9x.25 hours, 117 divided by 9 is 13, that means he made 13 miles in 15 minutes. 13x4=52 mph
2. 0.75 yards = 2 1/4 feet = 27 inches
this one is simple: 15 yards divided by 20 boxes = 3/4 yard for each
3. 18
Kyle kept 8 and gave away 10 - his half is equal to the half that Jen ate
4. $8190
I used a trick here - every month the savings is double of what he put in minus 2 dollars. This goes for every month:
Jan: 2 (2x2-2)
Feb: 6 (2x4-2)
Mar: 14 (2x8-2)
Apr: 20 (2x16-2)
and so forth.
December: 8090 (2x2096-2)
5: 66 cubes
one step = 1, 2 steps 1+2, three steps 1+2+3, four steps 1+2+3+4, five steps 1+2+3+4+5...
eleven steps: 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11=66
6: 1/6 pizza
1/2 minus 1/3 is the same as 3/6 lesser 2/6, which is 1/6
Yay for math! and congrats to Wisepunk!
36
@33 et al: I'm pretty sure it's $8190. But I could only get there by writing out 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc and then adding all those numbers together. There's a simpler way, though, right?
37
yay, 2 typos, at least - both in the same one, but at least just in the explanation: 2x4096-2 is 8190 of course. duh.
39
Seriously, dudes, just get some content publishing software with a Publish Calendar function like the rest if the MSM ... And let the intern run it.
40
Question 6 is poorly written. It is not clear what "it" is. If "it" refers to the 1/2 pizza Jeff has left, then the answer is 1/3; if "it" refers to the original pizza, then the answer is 1/6. No one should be allowed to teach math who communicates in such an inept fashion.
41
1. 52 - which means it wasnt MY brother driving, since I doubt he has ever driven that speed unless it was a school zone.
2. 3/4 of a yard, which is why I dont wrap presents in ribbon. what a landfill waste.
3. 18 and who eats those things anyway?
4. 8190 dollars. which is pretty good. except who gives their kid an allowance in december of 2$ to the 12th?
5. 66 cubes.
6. why only eat a thrid of the left over pizza for breakfast? that never works.
5.
2. 3/4 of a yard, which is why I dont wrap presents in ribbon. what a landfill waste.
3. 18 and who eats those things anyway?
4. 8190 dollars. which is pretty good. except who gives their kid an allowance in december of 2$ to the 12th?
5. 66 cubes.
6. why only eat a thrid of the left over pizza for breakfast? that never works.
5.
43
Andreas and other who said 1/6 for #6: I read the problem as "Jeff has half a pizza, and for breakfast eats a third of what he has." Meaning one-third of that half-pizza, meaning 1/6 of the original pizza. This would mean he has 1/3 of the original pizza for lunch.
44
As to your problems, here's the real world answers.
1. 0 mph - he teleported.
2. no ribbon - Richard Conlin stole it for the Deeply Borrowed Tunnel opening.
3. None. She barfed them up, cause she drank Everclear first.
4. $0. Richard Conlin stole it for the Tunnel Tax and gave it to non-citizen Millionaires who don't live here.
5. None. Use the elevator instead.
6. None. His roommate ate the rest.
1. 0 mph - he teleported.
2. no ribbon - Richard Conlin stole it for the Deeply Borrowed Tunnel opening.
3. None. She barfed them up, cause she drank Everclear first.
4. $0. Richard Conlin stole it for the Tunnel Tax and gave it to non-citizen Millionaires who don't live here.
5. None. Use the elevator instead.
6. None. His roommate ate the rest.
46
Seems to me that Jeff has half a pizza left. Given the tenses of the verbs in the question, the question is being asked after his breakfast. He started with 3/4 of a pizza, ate 1/3 (leaving half a pizza), and now he has half a pizza left for lunch.
48
"Leave your answers in the comments thread. There's a special prize for the first person who correctly solves all six!"
Yes, Seattle's gay resource, The Stranger, has been confirmed very very gay.
Yes, Seattle's gay resource, The Stranger, has been confirmed very very gay.
50
1. Your brother never made it home. At mile 117 he swerved to avoid hitting Schrodinger's Cat. Your brother was killed. Half the cat survived.
2. By forming the ribbon into a Mobius strip, each box now has an infinite amount of ribbon.
3. None, Jen has an eating disorder and lied about eating them.
4. None. your bank invested your money in derivatives, and after the fees, you are broke. Merry Christmas.
5. The permit for your stairs was denied based on its Environmental Impact Statement
6. Pi / pepperoni squared + garlic bread.
2. By forming the ribbon into a Mobius strip, each box now has an infinite amount of ribbon.
3. None, Jen has an eating disorder and lied about eating them.
4. None. your bank invested your money in derivatives, and after the fees, you are broke. Merry Christmas.
5. The permit for your stairs was denied based on its Environmental Impact Statement
6. Pi / pepperoni squared + garlic bread.
54
Mandaline, there may not be a simpler way to solve #4, but there is a much more elegant way, if that helps.
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view…
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view…
55
I don't understand question 6. "At" isn't the past tense of any verb. Is there one letter missing (e) after "t" or two letters missing before the "a" (sh)?
There is no interest rate in #4, so I am guessing the saver doesn't have an account at a credit union.
Do the terrorists win if the US uses metric measurements? (meters for yards, kilometers for miles)
There is no interest rate in #4, so I am guessing the saver doesn't have an account at a credit union.
Do the terrorists win if the US uses metric measurements? (meters for yards, kilometers for miles)
56
@6 and @45, here's a method for the allowance problem:
1) Look for patterns in the first few months.
Jan: 2; 2total (2+0)
Feb: 4; 6total (4+2)
Mar: 8; 14total (8+6)
Apr: 16; 30total (16+14)
...
2) Notice that you're always adding the current value with the previous sum, and the previous sum is always two less than the current value. As the monthly addition goes with powers of two, we can write an expression for the sum at month n: 2^n+2^n-2 (you can simplify to 2^(n+1)-2 if you care)
3) n is 12, so that's 2^12 (December input)+ 2^12-2 (sum of Jan-Nov)
tl;dr: patterns ::cue Al Yankovic::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Iidlj5G…
1) Look for patterns in the first few months.
Jan: 2; 2total (2+0)
Feb: 4; 6total (4+2)
Mar: 8; 14total (8+6)
Apr: 16; 30total (16+14)
...
2) Notice that you're always adding the current value with the previous sum, and the previous sum is always two less than the current value. As the monthly addition goes with powers of two, we can write an expression for the sum at month n: 2^n+2^n-2 (you can simplify to 2^(n+1)-2 if you care)
3) n is 12, so that's 2^12 (December input)+ 2^12-2 (sum of Jan-Nov)
tl;dr: patterns ::cue Al Yankovic::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Iidlj5G…
59
@56. I agree that it wouldbe a very simple problem if the numbers were going up by 2 each time as you suggest, but in fact, they are doubling - that is why the allowance gets so big. This puzzle has been around for a very very long time illustrating geometric growth (the same way the human population grows): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_and_c…
I had already posted a link to a generalized solution in my previous comment, but I guess you missed it.
I had already posted a link to a generalized solution in my previous comment, but I guess you missed it.
60
@50 for the insightful win.
By the way, the director of Man at Bath will be in attendance at SIFF, for everyone who likes movies about men, baths, and same-sex desire by the French.
By the way, the director of Man at Bath will be in attendance at SIFF, for everyone who likes movies about men, baths, and same-sex desire by the French.
67
1. 52 mph
2. 3/4 yard or 27 in per box
3. 36 jujubes
4. $8,190
5. 66
6. It depends on what is meant by "At breakfast he ate 1/3 of it." If he ate 1/3 of a pizza, he has 1/6 of a pizza left for lunch. If he ate 1/3 of what he had left for breakfast, he now has 1/3 of a pizza left for lunch.
2. 3/4 yard or 27 in per box
3. 36 jujubes
4. $8,190
5. 66
6. It depends on what is meant by "At breakfast he ate 1/3 of it." If he ate 1/3 of a pizza, he has 1/6 of a pizza left for lunch. If he ate 1/3 of what he had left for breakfast, he now has 1/3 of a pizza left for lunch.
69
@62, no worries. The wikipedia page *is* interesting, and I fail at communicating. Could you post the mathforum.org link again? I think slog ate it :(
To add another layer of over-analysis: All that adding of halves of halves? You can visualize the total summing like Zeno's paradox :D
To add another layer of over-analysis: All that adding of halves of halves? You can visualize the total summing like Zeno's paradox :D
72
Just a thought: I love reading Slog, but I'm really okay with it being unavailable for a couple of hours a week. Don't trip, Dan, I'm sure most of us are fine. No need to torture us with word problems!
73
So I think we have 1-5 correct from #70
52 mph
2.25 feet
18
8190
66
but the answer to the horridly worded question six is he has 1/2 of the pizza left.
That is the sentence the rest of question has no impact. He HAS 1/2 left.
just wanted to point that out.
52 mph
2.25 feet
18
8190
66
but the answer to the horridly worded question six is he has 1/2 of the pizza left.
That is the sentence the rest of question has no impact. He HAS 1/2 left.
just wanted to point that out.
74
@72 - On one level I totally agree. Last week I thought it was very weird that Dan notified us of them being offline for a couple of hours. Really, who tracks things so closely that they'd be bothered by a few hours between posts?
But I wouldn't call it torture. I welcome Dan's efforts to come up with new and different ways to try and amuse us in his absence.
But I wouldn't call it torture. I welcome Dan's efforts to come up with new and different ways to try and amuse us in his absence.
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