HUMOR: Math then and now

[Harry Willems <harryw@MIDUSA.NET>]

Unknown source:

Teaching Math in 1960:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber of $100.  His cost of projection is
4/5 of the price, or $80.  What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1970:
A logger exchanges a set "L" of lumber of a set "M" 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 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 profit?

Teaching Math in 1980:
A logger sella 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 beartiful 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 mand 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 compay outsources all of its logging.  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 of 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 come into the logging compay 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 logging 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 dell doors will open on their
own as of 00:01, 01/01/000?

Harry Willems
Southeast Kansas Library System

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