I notice communication difficulties at the deli counter when I want 1/3 or2/3 lb. Even 3/4 lb can throw them off. 1/2 or whole lb. requests never seem to get quizzical looks.

I don't chime in on layouts because I've never done one. However, I think it would be totally fun to understand the concepts and have the right tools and lay it out.

mimipadv, I've seen that too. 1/2, 3/4 whole pound, they're good. But ask for 1/3 or 2/3 and you often get WTF? Since they're using metric scales, you have to express it metrically for them. Or round up/down to the nearest 1/4 pound. :)

Just shows how we're all wired differently. Numbers and figures and calculations are a very strange combination of difficult and dull to me! Now, words ... that's a completely different story. I love words ... everything about words is FUN! Math? No, ma'am. Not fun.

bpathome - Not a mathematician or anything but your formula is to take the total cost and divide by the number of ounces/pieces to find the answer to how much each individual ounce/piece costs. So a 4-pk of tomatoes for $2.99 would be 2.99/4 = .74. Or you can use the common core method that would go something like this: 4 tomatoes at 3 bucks would be $1 a piece if you rounded up and then divide the extra dollar you added by the number of pieces and that is .25 so they would be 1.00 minus a quarter, so they would be about 75 cents each.

Edit: Not agreeing or disagreeing with either method, I have just been having a tough time with ds's 3rd grade homework.

Jen, I'm wired for words too. I don't think words and math are mutually exclusive.

jdez- I think I'd pull my hair out if I had to help a child with the "new math" ;-)

auntjen, I am not surprised you are a logophile :-). (A great Scrabble word btw.)

Numbers and figures and calculations are a very strange combination of difficult and dull to me! Now, words ... that's a completely different story. I love words ... everything about words is FUN!

I agree. I found math to be incredibly dull but I love words.

I think that so much forced math in school helped me to hate math even more. If you are plainly NOT math-y, I fail to see how being required to take calculus classes helps you. Or geometric proofs. Yuck. And POINTLESS. I get that you can make the argument that this kind of math teaches people how to think. But there are other ways. (Logic puzzles from the LSAT for example)

I see and hear this all the time --- one local radio station does a quiz as a contest and throws in a few simple math problems. People fail miserably. Really, it is a form of functional illiteracy. Simple life skills math like knowing a 1/4 is 0.25 or figuring out a 20% tip should be an expected minimum, just as writing a complete sentence with a noun, verb and direct object. While agree that most people won't use Fourier transforms and the like in everyday life, a good portion of a basic math will help people in many things.

She may have suffered a stroke or have early stages of Alzheimers. And as you have no idea what her problem is, or if she has any which really is none of your business either way, she doesn't deserve your condescending attitude particularly with respect to your "pretty little head" comment.

Linelle - I've never known you to make comments like this. It surprises me.

WAY back when, I learned 3# of bananas for $1 was about 34¢ per #

Now days I just substitute the number of items/pounds for bananas and use the price given. No question which number is the divisor.

DH and I ran into a similar situation with the store associate at Whole Foods. An item was mis-priced and we had to try to explain to her how we knew the price on the label didn't match the price on the can ...one was cents per ounce and one was dollars per lb....it took us awhile and finally she had to go look it up and tell us the correct price...but even after that, we weren't sure she understood.

bpathome, when I was a kid I struggled with word problems until a teacher taught me the unit cancellation method.

As it applies to your problem, you have two bits of information, the cost of the package ($) and the number of ounces (oz) in the package.

If you want $ per ounce, you just need to remember that another way to write that is $/oz, and the "/" is just another way of writing "divided by." So

$ per oz = $/oz = $ divided by oz

My kids used to pass the time on car rides when they were little seeing who could add up the longest column of numbers in their heads. My DS traveled with the HS Math Team as an 8th grader & by HS competed nationally. Pi Day last year was a banner day in my family.

amck, you must be talking about my son! He was high scorer at the HS state math meet as an 8th grader and also competed nationally with the PEA math team (Mark Zuckerberg was on his team--and far from the most talented.) Double math major as an undergrad. Today he writes online content for calculus, statistics, and combinatorics books. DH is an accountant. I always did well in math, but confess that I sometimes use my fingers now. Give me an Excel spreadsheet and I can create a masterpiece!

What drives me crazy is the high school cashiers who can't make change without the register telling how much to return. Give them the odd change so you get a bill back and they're clueless.

blfenton, I'll admit the "pretty little head" comment was stupid and not normally an expression I use. However, I didn't intend to sound condescending, but I was struck by her inability to interpret the numbers. She could have had some mental impairment, but it wasn't in evidence. I know, stuff doesn't always manifest outwardly. She might normally shop with someone else who does all the arithmetic. So I made an observation. I would not have shared it here if I thought I was being condescending.

blfenton, I suspect Linelle offered up that example simply to spark discussion about how people in general seem to be lacking/losing everyday math skills.

I took her description of the woman to illustrate she appeared healthy, sound & educated - not someone impaired in any way. Not elderly & confused, not a young frazzled mom with toddlers in tow, not a distracted teen, etc. I don't think it was meant to condescend but to give a snapshot of a person you'd not expect to struggle with simple math.

It didn't strike me as out of line for an open discussion forum.

nhbaskets, how interesting about your DS! I wonder if they ever crossed paths.. My DS graduated from BA in '98. My SIL informed me that he (SIL) played hockey w/ your nephew who was in my DS's class. Small world!

Don't worry, Linelle. You're still at the top of my short list. ;)

I have recently discovered that I really love math! A couple of years ago I quit my job and started taking classes at community college since I never finished my degree. I knew that I wanted to take Spanish, but wasn't sure what else to take. I really hate the pressure of writing papers, so I chose math - and found out that I was really good at it! It's been my most fun subject. :)

I always had good grades in math in high school and my brief previous college experiences, but I grew up with a math genius of a father, and felt that I couldn't grasp the concepts very well, because I was comparing myself to him.

So I finished trigonometry in the spring, and would like to continue with calculus, but I don't need any more math for my degree, so I will take other classes that I do need. Maybe I'll continue to work on it on Khan Academy.

Cawaps, that makes perfect sense. It's like my dad explaining that "of" means "times". Thank you :)

amck and nhbaskets, we all have the same son. DS figured out the price of each banana in a bunch of 8 (24 cents) just after his 4th birthday. I had to get out my calculator. I like taking him shopping, he lets me know how much I have to to make buying a coupon worthwhile. Answer? More than I need!

Terriks, I was just talking with DS about that today...I'm going to start with Algebra on KA! He's in AP Calc now, so I'll never catch up. But I'll try.

terriks, you go, math girl!!! Here's to a long and happy relationship with numbers, their power and sheer beauty.

jdez -- the way they are teaching Common Core here it would be: (how many 4x10s in 299)x10 + (how many 4s in 299-280) = 70 + just shy of 5 = just shy of 75 cents. I would guess the takeaway for the kids is supposed to be the relationship to multiplication where they also are asked to use the x100, x10, x1 breakdowns.

A few thoughts on quantitative skills. Math was my weakness academically until I found Algebra in 7th grade and loved it. Even so I did not consider myself math-dominant, until a year or two into college when I took Statistics, found it fascinating and ended up majoring in it, then doing my graduate work in Finance. Oddly I still don't really see myself as math-y.

My career involved a lot of quantitative modelling, and I had many Ivy STEM PhDs on my staff over the years. They were disproportionately (read, almost all) Asians. I always recount something they said to me about Americans vs Asians in re Math. Their impression was that the Asian culture sees math as game-like and genuinely fun, and our culture sees it as difficult and tedious. I think that is true. They felt that that mindset drove the relative success of Asians in STEM.

Anyone remember "math class is tough" Barbie? My DD was a "Math class is easy" Barbie for Halloween this year.

I recently heard someone suggest that we should alternate between reading our kids bedtimes stories and reading them math problems! I think that is a great idea.

I always enjoyed math...except for that stupid algebra teacher who I hated. As a result, I've always been great at coming up with the formula or the equation, but when it came to solving it, I'd always screw it up and come up with the wrong answer. Very frustrating. And, of course, since math builds on itself, it haunted me for a long time.

But there's a big difference in my book between math and arithmetic. Arithmetic needs to be taught by rote (as boring as it is) and very early while the brain is still growing so that what goes in, goes in quickly and stays there for a lifetime. My dear Mom, up until the end, was always very quick with arithmetic, calculating prices, yardage, and anything else all in her head. I remember when I was prepping for GMATs which didn't allow calculators to be used...I quit using my calculator at work and went back to doing it all in my head...like exercising a weak muscle, it brought it all back very quickly, and I'm sure helped boost my score.

I've also found that, when I'm going through emotional times, doing math or logic puzzles really emphasizes the rational side of my brain and tones down the emotional helping me maintain balance. I've not heard anyone else talk about that, but it's been true for my experience.

My first thought was that the lady was probably hearing and vision impaired. Labels can be difficult to read and the first number the lady heard was "three" and she instantly thought three pounds.

Annie, I had a wonderful high school algebra teacher and it was lots of fun. My geometry teacher was grumpy and the entire class was an ordeal. I stopped at that point because algebra and geometry were all you needed to get into most colleges, including the UC system. If I'd realized then I have an affinity for math, I'd have kept going.

My dad, who didn't go to college, could do huge arithmetic calculations in his head. But he had zero knowledge of algebra. I find both A and G so useful in day-to-day stuff, like what is the height of my ceiling if I know the base length and the degree of angle? I have a friend who's brilliant is every way, but she can't do basic arithmetic on the fly. I don't mean in her head, just understanding it's a simple multiplication or division problem and feeding it into a calculator.

graywings, what you suggest about the subject woman is very possible. I'm not devoid of compassion, and had it been readily apparent she was struggling, I would have helped her find her perfect pack of burger, not opined about it here. In fact, it wouldn't even bear repeating if it didn't seem so incongruous.

You guys are all strangers. If I'm going to be restricted to only supporting the people here and taking their sides in my comments there is no point in being here.

blfenton, but you are telling us that we can't bring up a discussion and our observations, guesses and comments about a random stranger that we observed when at the supermarket. It seems nothing can be discussed or commented on these days without offending someone ...

I wasn't offended at all. Just making an observation.

As crazy at it sounds, the older I get, the more I like to challenge myself, both mentally and physically. Although math is definitely not my forte'' I *am* able to figure out how many rolls of wallpaper are necessary for a wall/room, that a *handfull* of chopped walnuts is approximately equal to 1/4 cup, 1/2 tsp of vanilla a 'quick splash', covering the bottom of a coffee filter with ground coffee will get me 2 cups, and being dialated 8cc's will be having my baby in roughly 45 minutes! This is life in *my* 73 year old world.

i would imagine she had something organic going on or some type of dementia... :(

I had a bad math experience early on and it stayed with me a long time. I had to struggle through it and finally got through everything I needed for my degree but I had to focus on it and felt stressed the whole time. There were a few times I was able to see the math as games or puzzles and so I can see how could be fun. My sister's son loves math and numbers and thinks of them as friends. It has always been easy and fun for him. I would suggest to anyone has a child who struggles in math to get help right away so they don't have to suffer through years of stress like I did.

I'm not particularly math phobic, but recently spent about 1/2 hour in front of the bounty paper towel display at Target trying to figure out if the towels on sale were a better buy than the others that came in larger rolls. OMG! I was there such a ridiculous amt of time because I refused to give up from what is obviously a system meant to confuse. But finally, I threw in the towel (pun intended) and just bought the biggest rolls, packages, figuring it would delay me having to go through it all over again. I just told myself I could afford the few extra cents I was determined to save.

Oly, didn't the price display give some per unit cost breakdown? I rely on that a lot.

At Costco I always buy the packs of large-box Kleenex brand. It's such a better deal when you see how many sheets you're getting.

I always enjoyed regular math but hated algebra and geometry. I couldn't figure x to save my soul.

Years later when I was in nursing school I could look at a problem and give an accurate answer but couldn't explain how I arrived at the answer. During one of our pharmacology tests we had to figure drug dosage and it was a question that required several involved steps. I was the only one who answered the question correctly.

I had the same experience at Target a few years ago and haven't bought paper towels and TP there since. I also don't understand how to figure out the best buy on TP with the double and triple rolls and 36 rolls for the price of 24 but the number of sheets are different and...I just need something to wipe with! I buy the same package every time.

linelle, what makes those little units of measure tags annoying is that often the unit of measure is different depending on the size! (per sheet or per square inch, per oz or per qt, etc!) often requires more than a quick glance to compare prices :(

busybee, it's not very helpful if the units of measure are different.

They think we don't notice that the amount in the package or container is shrinking.

or how about when they have blocks of cheese on sale for $5.59 a block or packages of chicken on sale for $7 a package but the amounts in the packages are slightly different. I go through every single package to make sure I'm getting the biggest package for my set price. Those people who just pick up a package without looking, I just want to shake them.

My son taught his GF this secret and she was so excited.

I'm like the rest of you in that I do figure out the unit price.

My son can't read his way out of a paper bag (well he can now but not in high school) but he could look at a math question and give you the answer. In Grade 9 Math one of the tests required that you right out all of the steps needed to answer the question. He got all the answers right but failed the test because he couldn't write out the steps. Eventually it was a skill that he did have to learn - sort of.

I was okay with algebra and geometry (which I do now use in my job) but trigonometry and calculus.... arrrggh. I squeaked through the college courses I had to take.

I recently went to a convenience store and my order came to $$.38. I gave the cashier $$ plus a quarter, dime, and nickel. She looked at the money in her hand then looked at me. "Is this it?" "Yes". She looked at the money again. She had no idea how much I had given her. I don't expect cashiers to be able to figure out how much they owe me (although I'd like to think they could if the registers didn't do it for them) but I think being able to identify money and add should be job requirements. Oy.

My dad used to run a food concession on a pier at the beach. When I was a kid, during the summer I'd help out, which was fun, except for the candy counter. To make a little profit, all the candy bars were 6 cents instead of 5. Ugh. He insisted that I always count back the change. Now those seem like such simple times.

Linelle, sometimes they have the price per, but it's never the price per sheet or the sheets are different sizes. I agree with Mayflowers, same probs with tp. No way to compare because sheets are different sizes, different plys, etc. I always thought buying paper products was a better deal at Costco because so many people do, but when I did a price comparison (to the best of my abilities at the time) it was clear that it was cheaper to buy on sale at Target and elsewhere. I think I'd probably just give up and buy at Costco now to forgo the torture, but they don't carry single ply at the stores near me and I am on septic.

Sometimes you really don't have to get out a calculator and do the math at all. When the number of sheets in a pack of Kleenex is 2-3 times that for a cheaper pack, but not that much less, I go with a lot more product for a few dollars more. I am one person who can plow through a prodigious amount of Kleenex.

I thought about this some more and realized one of the problems I've had at Target is when they are offering a $5 Target gift card with purchase of certain packages of paper towels. So factoring in those options with the others on sale or seemingly lower priced pkgs, sent me over the edge.

Sometimes you really don't have to get out a calculator and do the math at all.

Nope, not when it comes to Kleenex. You just buy what goes with your bathroom colors. :P

^^ Yep. I don't know HOW many times I've told my DH (who does our weekly shopping) not to bring home those awful boxes that don't match anything in the house! Same goes for the paper towels printed with ducks or mushrooms. Just don't buy 'em! ;-)

Kleenex is finally doing other patterns than MCM.

I haven't followed a recipe for years~the tried and true method is taste. I taste my stuffing(sausage is cooked!), stew, soup, casseroles, sauces, and anything else which is similar. Consistency is also just as important for things like dumplings, cookie batter, noodles(dough), pancake/waffle batter, etc. I will usually *start* with what I *might* remember being the original recipe, but somewhere along the line will forget exact measurements. I just 'punt'. My DD's find it very 'irritating' that I can never give an 'exact' recipe.