Today being Christmas we were visiting various relatives for lunch.
The conversation was hardly intellectual but there was a passage when discussion turned to the recent School Dance, how many had been there and what the cost had been.
Naturally it also revolved around how much all the 16 year olds had managed to secrete in the way of alcohol going in, and then consume.
"There were 130 there and it cost £18 each"
"Ah," said the Sailor's mother " I can't work that out. It's odd numbers."
There was a silence.
" Er, but both numbers are divisible by 2."
"Ah, no, there's a 1 and a 3 and the zero, and then a 1."
" What about the 8?"
" It's under 10"
There was another silence. Then everyone started discussing other things.
Youngest Ms. Lear texted the Geneticist. " We cud have used u 2day @ lunch 2 help with some big multiplication."
Shortly thereafter the ping of the reply was heard.
" We scientists call it long multiplication. But I think u deserve E for effort."
Showing posts with label numbers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label numbers. Show all posts
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
A trillion here, a trillion there....
.. and pretty soon you're talking real money.
I've mentioned before that even a billion is hard to grasp in terms of how big a number it is, and a few thoughts came to me.( Note: I originally mistyped Number as "Bummer". Freudian slip - but unfortunately too true)
If every GBP was 1 second of time, then 1 billion would be 31 years or so.So 1 trillion would be represented by more than 31,000 years
There are about 31,500,000 seconds in a year. So for every second in the next 365 days, this government will be borrowing an extra GBP3809. Every man woman and child in the country will have GBP 2000 borrowed for them by the government.
Just in the next year.
The thought does spring to mind - what are they doing with all this cash? I know we have the budget figures to tell us, but I can guarantee you that my family at least is not having GBP10,000 spent on it, nor anyone else I know. We're definitely not getting it in our hands.
I've been castigated before for saying the answer is saving not borrowing and spending. I'm more sure than ever that this is right.
I believe the UK is staring into the abyss, quite literally, if it pursues these policies, and will take years and years to recover - if it ever does.
At least I have a goat or two and some sheep.
I've mentioned before that even a billion is hard to grasp in terms of how big a number it is, and a few thoughts came to me.( Note: I originally mistyped Number as "Bummer". Freudian slip - but unfortunately too true)
If every GBP was 1 second of time, then 1 billion would be 31 years or so.So 1 trillion would be represented by more than 31,000 years
There are about 31,500,000 seconds in a year. So for every second in the next 365 days, this government will be borrowing an extra GBP3809. Every man woman and child in the country will have GBP 2000 borrowed for them by the government.
Just in the next year.
The thought does spring to mind - what are they doing with all this cash? I know we have the budget figures to tell us, but I can guarantee you that my family at least is not having GBP10,000 spent on it, nor anyone else I know. We're definitely not getting it in our hands.
I've been castigated before for saying the answer is saving not borrowing and spending. I'm more sure than ever that this is right.
I believe the UK is staring into the abyss, quite literally, if it pursues these policies, and will take years and years to recover - if it ever does.
At least I have a goat or two and some sheep.
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