From the New Scientist - www.newscientist.com
When researchers put the following three problems to 3400 students in universities in the USA, including Princeton and Harvard, only 17% got all three right.
1) A bat and a ball costs $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
2) If it takes five machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
3) In a lake there is patch of lily pads. Every day the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake how long would it take for the patch to cover half of it?
Too easy? How about these -
4) Jack is looking at Anne, and Anne is looking at George. Jack is married, George is not. Is a married person looking at an unmarried person?
5) You've just been diagnosed with a rare lethal condition that affects 1 in 10,000. The test is 99% certain. Should you despair or not?
Leo
When researchers put the following three problems to 3400 students in universities in the USA, including Princeton and Harvard, only 17% got all three right.
1) A bat and a ball costs $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
2) If it takes five machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
3) In a lake there is patch of lily pads. Every day the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake how long would it take for the patch to cover half of it?
Too easy? How about these -
4) Jack is looking at Anne, and Anne is looking at George. Jack is married, George is not. Is a married person looking at an unmarried person?
5) You've just been diagnosed with a rare lethal condition that affects 1 in 10,000. The test is 99% certain. Should you despair or not?
Leo
A California Pilot
