Warren D Smith writes:
I had an elementary school teacher try to teach us that a/b + c/d = (a+c)/(b+d). Some parent, perhaps mine, later stepped in to try to correct her.
Wow, that's just sad. I think we learned how to add fractions in 2nd or 3rd grade. It's hard to imagine how someone with such a weak understanding of basic arithmetic could be paid to teach it. You'd think the teachers would have to pass some basic competency test. Perhaps you could have used this to your advantage. Convince the teacher that a half dollar plus a quarter was in fact equal to (1+1)/(2+4) = 2/6 = 1/3 of a dollar, or 33 + 1/3 cents. Then offer to pay the teacher more than that, say 35 cents, in exchange for a half dollar plus a quarter. It would be a win-win: The teacher would think he/she was earning 1 + 2/3 cents, and you'd earn 40 cents. Rinse and repeat. I've always felt it was a student's responsibility to make unrepentant teachers pay for their ignorance. Tom