It actually seems my social skills are way better than my math skills, as I've never been this confused about a social problem like I am with this math problem lol.
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How much do you understand this math question?
- Thread starter Misty Avich
- Start date
You did get it! 5 + 105 = 110
It was the way you said "more". That word emphasised a lot lol. My mind still shuts down when I try to look deeper into the sum, but yeah I think I've just about got it.
It reminds me of a time at high school when I just couldn't get the math we were doing, so in the end I had to be taken out of other classes to have one-to-one teaching of the math, as we all had to get it before the end of term. I slowly began to get it, but as soon as we had the end of year test I completely forgot it again and failed.
Math used to make me cry when I was little. I'd put my head in my hands on the desk and refuse to do it.
In fifth grade (aged 10-11), I stopped behaving at school. When I was there, I did my own reading, but I also skipped classes, with my absences sometimes lasting for weeks. I never dropped out and the school didn't expel me, so I hung in there all the way through the end of high school - without even graduating from middle school.
My parents and teachers thought that I was being rebellious; so did I. No one could get through to me. I refused to talk about what was going on inside of my head. The problem, I suspect, was a combination of some sort of learning disability and PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance).
I was, in some ways, very smart. Not knowing that I was struggling with the academics, they didn't give me remedial help. They made me see a therapist. I just sat there silently. The mental health issues that began at that time are still very much unresolved. I'm failing miserably at life and have no idea how to get better. I desperately need therapy and medication, but I'm not getting either one.
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That question is written to encourage the "math" solution in post #2 by @stevens
That's also the best general approach by a wide margin, so in that sense the question is ok.
For those who don't do equations, it can be done while showing every small step, which makes it easier to see what's happening.
A. Convert to consistent units.
(1) Bat + ball = 110p
(2) Bat = ball + 100p
From here, people who do math can "see" 2 x ball = 10 and it's done
For others:
B.
We replace "Bat" in the first line by the rule for the difference in price (which is line 2):
(3) (ball + 100) + ball = 110p
So the (ball + 100) comes from two, which gave us the price of a bats in terms of balls and money.
Now we rewrite (3) in a simpler way:
(4) ball + ball + 100 = 110
Now we subtract 100 from each side (see below for more info):
(5a) ball + ball + (100-100) = 110 -100
(5a) 2 x ball = 10
So if 2 balls cost 10, one ball costs 5
And since bats cost 100 more than a ball, one bat costs 105
FYI you can do something similar to get the price of Bats first. It requires one more small explanation though, so I took the earlier path.
In both cases, it's just an expanded form of the method in post #2
It's called solving "simultaneous equations" where the meaning of "simultaneous" is that both equations are true at the same time.
This mean we can always specify one of the variables (e.g. the price of bats) in terms of the other (the price of balls), and from there we just simplify it until we get a result.
NB:
I can explain why "subtract 100 from both sides" is ok, but it will help you a lot if you think that through for yourself.
That's also the best general approach by a wide margin, so in that sense the question is ok.
For those who don't do equations, it can be done while showing every small step, which makes it easier to see what's happening.
A. Convert to consistent units.
(1) Bat + ball = 110p
(2) Bat = ball + 100p
From here, people who do math can "see" 2 x ball = 10 and it's done
For others:
B.
We replace "Bat" in the first line by the rule for the difference in price (which is line 2):
(3) (ball + 100) + ball = 110p
So the (ball + 100) comes from two, which gave us the price of a bats in terms of balls and money.
Now we rewrite (3) in a simpler way:
(4) ball + ball + 100 = 110
Now we subtract 100 from each side (see below for more info):
(5a) ball + ball + (100-100) = 110 -100
(5a) 2 x ball = 10
So if 2 balls cost 10, one ball costs 5
And since bats cost 100 more than a ball, one bat costs 105
FYI you can do something similar to get the price of Bats first. It requires one more small explanation though, so I took the earlier path.
In both cases, it's just an expanded form of the method in post #2
It's called solving "simultaneous equations" where the meaning of "simultaneous" is that both equations are true at the same time.
This mean we can always specify one of the variables (e.g. the price of bats) in terms of the other (the price of balls), and from there we just simplify it until we get a result.
NB:
I can explain why "subtract 100 from both sides" is ok, but it will help you a lot if you think that through for yourself.
i think that's probably going to work. Stores typically are managed by NT's, so Stores make up "new math" every day!Maybe I'll go into a store tomorrow and test it out for myself.
I understand the feeling, (though not from a math perspective of course).
Step through as far as it makes sense, then ask for help.
BTW:
Even basic math requires a kind of abstract thinking that doesn't come easily to some people. But the step from e.g. the kind of calculation people do when offered a trade, and being able to "do math" is quite large.
But on the plus side, you only have to learn the starting steps once.
A side note: I am(or perhaps was) good at math. But I still remember the first time I started to understand equations in general. It was from being shown the technique stevens used in post #2.
I was somewhere between 12 and 14, and wasn't able to complete some homework. A fellow student showed me the technique the next morning, and it "clicked", both for the specific technique, but it taught me a way to approach a much wider range of basic math problems as well.
OFC I can't promise you that result, but I still think this is a good stepping stone, and worth some effort.
Uhm...
That specific question really has nothing to do with being autistic. About 90% of all people get it wrong.
It is a question used specifically to show that people experience standard thinking flaws (cognitive biases), you will find that question in any book on the subject used as an example (try Predictable Irrationality by Dan Arielly, for example).
That specific question really has nothing to do with being autistic. About 90% of all people get it wrong.
It is a question used specifically to show that people experience standard thinking flaws (cognitive biases), you will find that question in any book on the subject used as an example (try Predictable Irrationality by Dan Arielly, for example).
The article cited by the OP claims that:
1) Those who give the correct answer are likely to be "system two thinkers".
2) Most autistics are system two thinkers.
3) US doctors use a three-question Cognitive Reflection Test to determine (!) if someone has autism. This is one of the questions.
Well, I'm going to regard it as a trick question. I'm autistic, and trying to figure it out makes my brain cry.
It's meant to be basic math - not a trick question at all. If you are becoming upset over it, maybe just stop. It's not that important.
Not a trick questions as such, but nearly.
It's a problem of a type that evolution hasn't prepared us for. Simple if you have a basic skill that most people can learn (abstract thinking), some techniques, and some practice.
Without all of those, it's unintuitive because it never came up while hunting smilodons or foraging.
Questions for random people that don't march the way our untrained brains operate are, at best, somewhat deceptive.
@Cutesie Not criticizing you - if you found that question in an ASD-related test it's relevant and interesting, but ....,
If that question came up in something work-related I'd solve it in my head The first answer to try is clearly 5, so I'd immediately try "Does (5 + (5 + 100) = 110?)"
But if it came up in a psychological test, I'd demand a different test.
Oh no - I'm sorry. I'm not upset.
Honestly, I think it's funny. The scientists studying autism and the ones studying cognitive biases might need to get together and discuss this. That would be interesting.
Autistic people might (possibly) be better logical thinkers, but without an acquaintance with formal logic (in this case, the formal logic is "math"), they are no more likely to be correct than a non-autistic person with the same background.
Autistic folk are not immune to cognitive biases.
There was no thought that you were criticizing me. I sure hope that no one is giving an ASD diagnosis based on any test of three questions.
This is the article.
I can also do it in my head. It's trying to use the formulas - ones that I didn't learn and that I may have difficulty learning - that is the problem. When they're using it as a cognitive test, they're probably looking at what the patient's instinctive response is.If that question came up in something work-related I'd solve it in my head The first answer to try is clearly 5, so I'd immediately try "Does (5 + (5 + 100) = 110?)"
But if it came up in a psychological test, I'd demand a different test.
If the ball was 10p and the bat was £1 more, then the bat would be £1.10 but it is not because that is the total price including the ball and the bat. The solution is to divide the amount that is left after subtracting the £1. That gives you 5p. The ball is 5p and the bat is 5p + £1 more (£1.05). Therefore the total price comes to £1.10.I still don't get it.
I'm just going to do it in British money.
So the ball cost 10p, the bat costs £1, so in total they cost £1.10. Where does the 5 come from?
I think I do get it now. I would never have got it in a million years if I hadn't created this thread.
Bat ($1.00) + ball ($0.10) = $1.10 with the bat being $1.00 more than the ball. False. If the ball was $0.10 and the bat were a $1.00 more, then the bat would be worth $1.10 and the total would be $1.20.
Bat ($1.05) + ball ($0.05) = $1.10 with the bat being $1.00 more than the ball. Correct.
EDIT: Ahah! OK, the lightbulb just went on.
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