Why Americans are Bad at Math
In a recent OECD study, Canadian students are the third-best at mathematics behind Hong Kong and Finland. Congratulations. Americans, on the other hand, rank 24th amongst 29 nations participating in the study, on par with Latvia.
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As an American (and a mathphobic), I feel compelled to defend my country's lack of math skills. The teachers and students are doing their very best, but their efforts occur within the macrocosm of American society, and, as we all know, 'Merica is a nation at war.
It only stands to reason that whenever America is at war, mathematical reasoning suffers. We'll call it the Poutine Principle: When Freedom is on the March, Math Skills are on the Retreat. If you don't believe it, consider the ramifications of the following casualty figures, widely disseminated by the media and forged into a story problem by Greg Palast:
FALLUJA ARITHMETIC LESSON
by Prof. Greg Palast
Today's New York Times, page 1:
"American commanders said 38 service members had been killed and 275 wounded in the Falluja assault."
Today's New York Times, page 11:
"The American military hospital here reported that it had treated 419 American soldiers since the siege of Falluja began."
Questions for the class:
1. If 275 soldiers were wounded in Falluja and 419 are treated for wounds, how many were shot on the plane ride to Germany?
2. We're told only 275 soldiers were wounded but 419 treated for wounds; and we're told that 38 soldiers died. So how many will be buried?
3. How long have these Times reporters been embedded with with military? Bonus question: When will they get out of bed with the military?
Today's New York Times, page 1:
"The commanders estimated that 1,200 to 1,600 insurgents had been killed."
Today's New York Times, page 11:
"Nowhere to be found: the remains of the insurgents that the tanks had been sent in to destroy. ...The absence of insurgent bodies in Falluja has remained an enduring mystery."
Of course, Americans don't understand math. They've been led to believe that 2+2=5
Read It:
As an American (and a mathphobic), I feel compelled to defend my country's lack of math skills. The teachers and students are doing their very best, but their efforts occur within the macrocosm of American society, and, as we all know, 'Merica is a nation at war.
It only stands to reason that whenever America is at war, mathematical reasoning suffers. We'll call it the Poutine Principle: When Freedom is on the March, Math Skills are on the Retreat. If you don't believe it, consider the ramifications of the following casualty figures, widely disseminated by the media and forged into a story problem by Greg Palast:
FALLUJA ARITHMETIC LESSON
by Prof. Greg Palast
Today's New York Times, page 1:
"American commanders said 38 service members had been killed and 275 wounded in the Falluja assault."
Today's New York Times, page 11:
"The American military hospital here reported that it had treated 419 American soldiers since the siege of Falluja began."
Questions for the class:
1. If 275 soldiers were wounded in Falluja and 419 are treated for wounds, how many were shot on the plane ride to Germany?
2. We're told only 275 soldiers were wounded but 419 treated for wounds; and we're told that 38 soldiers died. So how many will be buried?
3. How long have these Times reporters been embedded with with military? Bonus question: When will they get out of bed with the military?
Today's New York Times, page 1:
"The commanders estimated that 1,200 to 1,600 insurgents had been killed."
Today's New York Times, page 11:
"Nowhere to be found: the remains of the insurgents that the tanks had been sent in to destroy. ...The absence of insurgent bodies in Falluja has remained an enduring mystery."
Of course, Americans don't understand math. They've been led to believe that 2+2=5
