[pianotech] OT: are you smarter than an 8th grader?

[Paul McCloud]

	Somebody straighten me out here.  Each time you remove some cloth, the
amount left over changes, and therefore the calculation of a simple
addition of percentages is wrong. If you have a board 12 feet long, and you
cut off a third, you have an 8 foot piece left.  One quarter of it would be
two feet.  So if you cut off these two feet, you'll end up with a 6 foot
piece.  If you took a 12 foot board and cut .58 off (divide 7 by 12),
you'll have a 7 foot board.    You have to compensate for the fact that you
already removed a third when you make the second calculation.  Am I wrong?
	This kind of question is made by people who have no real-life experience. 
Bolts of cloth are made with repeating patterns, not with some black and
some grey.  Nobody is going to make this kind of calculation.  Dumb.  And
some poor kid is going to get it wrong and be made to feel stupid because
it's a trick question.  
	Ok, so it's entertainment.   What happened to the show, Are You Smarter
Than A 5th Grader?    
	Paul McCloud
	San Diego


> [Original Message]
> From: Bruce Browning - The Piano Tuner <justpianos at our.net.au>
> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 09/21/2010 9:03:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] OT: are you smarter than an 8th grader?
>
> Paul,
> sorry, 19.2yards
>
>
>
> > here it is am I'm having a brain fart:
> >
> > A bolt of cloth is colored as follows: 1/3 and 1/4th of it are black,
and
> > the remaining 8 yards are gray. How long is the bolt of cloth?
> >
> > Some of you can do this in a heartbeat, but I'm forgetting my simple
> > algebra.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Paul
> >  Ps: the answer is not how much to order for a bench cover!
>