# fuzzy math



## ship (Nov 17, 2008)

Was listening to “Car Talk” on NPR radio over the weekend and in their as it were question of the week challenge from the previous week “fuzzy math” came up.

One of the hosts had been in a diner over the week and overhead a mother going over math with her son. Something like 15 + 7 = 21, 43 - 15 = 28 than it got into some fuzzy sounding math: 43 + 21 = 28 and or 33 - 17 = 50. (Or something like that...)

Anyway, I was thinking about the “fuzzy rough math” my department does or gets quizzed about at times which confuses people not on the “in” constantly.

16 + 16 = 13; 
18 + 18 + 18 = 12
or 
10 + 14 = 9

Anyone know what it means? 
(Realizing I have already presented it as a concept in the past before but possibly useful to bring up again.)


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## erosing (Nov 18, 2008)

I didn't get the car talk reference until I looked it up, so for anyone else who doesn't get it, here's the whole thing. 

Excerpt from the show's transcript:

"This is from my fuzzy math series. It was sent in by (Name). On a recent Saturday afternoon, I saw a boy and his mother at the neighborhood diner where I often go for lunch. From my vantage point I could see they were working on some arithmetic problems. The problems seemed simple enough and the kid was getting all the correct answers. For example, the first one was 25 + 8 and he wrote down 33. And the next one was 12 + 5 and he wrote down 17. The next was 35 + 13 and he wrote 48. Then his mother posed the last two problems. 45 - 8. The boy said 47 but I thought the answer was 37. The next one was 42 + 15. The boy said 43. I thought it should have been 57. His mother accepted both of those answers. When I saw how the kid was dressed, I did too. What was going on?"


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## ship (Nov 19, 2008)

Thanks for the help on that part, Love "Car Talk" even if not into cars and the question of the week was interesting for me. NPR - Good source for education and news about a variety of things. Stuff that keeps your mind active instead of going stale.

Thanks also for not posting the answer - that was a sort of side line to my post in that I didn't get it either until answered.


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## propmonkey (Nov 20, 2008)

i showed it my friend, took him a few but i think he got it. ill hold off and more people think.

it will make more sense on a sunday or monday night...


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## chausman (Mar 31, 2011)

WELL, Anyone?????


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## avare (Mar 31, 2011)

Football numbers relating what line they team was at and where they would be after winning or loosing yards, depending on if they were on their or the opponents yard line.

The youth was wearng a football uniform.

A little confusing for me as the playing field is 110 yards long in Canada. Sorta like gallons and gallons.

Andre


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