We all know that when it comes to math skills, I am by no means a genius. I can add, subtract, multiply, divide (aka, all the stuff you do with BEDMAS), and do trigonometry/ geometry, but beyond that, my mathematical abilities are pretty hopeless. What can I say? I had to be tutored all through high school, fractions make my head hurt, and if you throw algebra in the mix, that's it. I'm done. But at least I can do the simple stuff.
Once again today, I witnessed math skills that have me wondering just what kind of mathematical world we live in where a person can't so simple subtraction... Especially after I made a point of making it so no thought was required.
I suppose I ought to backtrack a bit though first. Sometime within the last two months or so, I went to put some gas in my car, and my total came to something like $32.05 (I know for a fact, though, that the $32 part is right... no matter). So, I walk into the kiosk to pay, and give the kid behind the counter, who looked around 20 or so, $40.05, with the intention of making my change-back easy to calculate. So the kid PICKS UP A CALCULATOR, punches in some numbers, and tries to give me $12. I suggested that he try again. So he USES HIS CALCULATOR AGAIN, and tries to give me $10. As I said, my math skills are terrible, but even this was too painful for me to watch. I told him that my change was $8 (since the extra few bucks aren't worth my soul), and went on my way.
Today, I went to the same gas station, with a similar intent in mind. My total came to $25.40, so I took out $40, and found $0.40. The girl behind the counter asked what my total was. I told her, and handed over what I had in my hand (and I told her how much was there). Extreme confusion came over her face. She just held on to the money, and stared at it as if the twenty-dollar bills held the answers. Luckily, there was someone there to help her, and a moment later, I had my $15 change. But seriously, the gas girl shouldn't have needed someone to tell her that 40-25= 15, especially when I made it so she wouldn't have to figure out change that would have equaled $14.60.
So this is what I can't help but wonder... Are we, as a society, becoming so dependent on technology, such as calculators, that we are losing the ability to do simple calculations in our head? I mean, the girl who has difficulty with math, and had to be tutored, knew the answer without thinking (after all, once you omit the forty cents, everything else becomes easy). I'm thinking that people, particularly the younger, tech-savvy ones, need to sit themselves down, and start doing math the old-fashioned way again: with a pencil and paper, especially when they can't get a correct answer with a calculator.
On the plus side, they sure know how to make this girl with horrible math skills feel like a mathematician.
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