Silly Math

[MauEvig]

So I'm doing a Math problem...and it says in the book: "Four tires cost $398.00. How much do 7 tires cost?"
...Why would I need 7 tires? My car only needs 4.
I admit though that's a pretty good deal on tires. But they forgot to include mounting, balancing and tax.

I don't think I can take my Math Homework seriously now, and here's the funny part, this is in a College text book.

[Murfreesboro]

That seems like a pretty elementary question for a college text, j/s.

I am not a math person, like, at all. But I married into a family with strong math genes, and now my older son is working on his Ph.D. in that subject.

[Spookymufu]

what field does a Math phD go into?

[Murfreesboro]

An academic one, if he decides to stay with it after taking his degree. There is also something called a "Quantitative Analyst" (I think that's the term), which they use on Wall Street. My sister-in-law is a mathematician who has worked for NASA for decades. She used to be one of the people who coordinated the experiments they would do on the Space Shuttle, back before they killed that program. so there are government jobs for mathematicians.

My son is actually in a niche field called "bio-math," which applies mathematics to the human body. Specifically, he is researching the math of the rods and cones in the retina. This is "pure" science, meaning that they are doing the research without any clear idea of its application, but pure science always precedes applied science. It's possible that my son's research could help cure blindness someday.

[Andybev01]

That reminds me of the James Burke TV show, Connections.

That was such a fantastic program.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, I remember Connections well! That was a very interesting program.