On 9/17/2010 3:35 PM, jack wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:57:30 -0700, spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
>> On Sep 17, 9:16 am, blake > wrote:
>>> what is idiotic about teaching there other base numbers systems apart from
>>> ten?
>>>
>>
>> It's not math you can use unless you want to be a programmer.
>>
> or a mathematician

Few mathematicians work with numbers of any kind.

> or a physicist

When does a physicist need a number system other than base 10?

> or a rocket scientist

When does a rocket scientist need a number system other than base 10?

> ....
>> I wish elementary math classes spent more time on practical
>> applications and less time on pure manipulation. (Mom and Dad want to
>> paint their bedroom. Given that their room is 10 feet by 15 feet by 8
>> feet high, how many gallons of paint do they need to buy, given that
>> one gallon of paint covers 500 square feet, and two coats will be
>> needed to cover the existing color.)
>
> Problem description incomplete. What are the dimensions of the door, does
> it have any windows, and if yes, how large?

You're overthinking the problem. Remember, your granularity is gallons.