On Sep 17, 12:35*pm, jack > wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:57:30 -0700, spamtrap1888 wrote:
> > On Sep 17, 9:16*am, blake murphy > 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
> or a physicist
> or a rocket scientist
> ....
>
> > 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?
>

I like to see you thinking. Now make some reasonable assumptions on
your own, or arrive at a range of sizes. But to first order, assume
neither door nor windows.