Maths is not my strong point

[airpilot]

I heard that a uni air sqn pilot couldnt subtract 175 from 198. My niece could work that out and she's only 3. The reply was "maths not my strong point." Should you really be allowed to fly something thats gonna be doing 8nm+ per min.

[BootFlap]

'He who is without sin, ......'

English not your strong point? (Please notice the use of a question mark at the end of a question)

[kippermate]

(Please notice the use of a question mark at the end of a question)


Is that not a rhetorical question?

:ok:

( B for English higher, so I may be talking bolleaux!)

[frodo_monkey]

How many Tutors can do 8nm/min anyway?

If this chaps Maths is that bad then I fear he'll get no further...

[BootFlap]

kippermate

A good point and well presented. It would have been better if I had phrased my question thus:

Would you agree that English is not your strong point?

I do note however that you mix modern English with certain words from the time of the Norman Invasion

bolleaux

This is an interesting tact, but may I say an excellent way of keeping some of the 'old' languages alive. I commend you on your dedication. I shall retire into my corner now, and cease taking the pith!

:ok: :ok:

[VoicesFromTheCreche]

So why do they teach simultaneous equations in maths classes. Ive never come accross them, any one else?

[frodo_monkey]

VFTC

Nor me, but then again not that many years have passed since I was in that Maths class...
:hmm:

[Point0Five]

I can't help but feel that airpilot is going on something of a fishing trip.:D

Having said that, for those of us who enjoy the correct usage of the English language, maths is the perfect eductional partner for it. Both compliment each other beautifully... and can be rather useful in aviation to boot.;)

[foldingwings]

How many Tutors can do 8nm/min anyway?

Easy! If one Tutor does 2 miles a minute then, surely, 4 Tutors do 8 miles a minute!!

I'll get my hat!

[VoicesFromTheCreche]

Woah, so what happens if they slow down to 60 knots IAS and there is eight of 'em.......crazy maths - and particularly good england.

need to lay down, brain feels funny!

[Bunker Mentality]

Presumably, if the chap quoted was a UAS pilot, he was a student and therefore still under training. Call me old fashioned, but isn't the point of training to teach people how to do things they could not do before? And if, in this case, 'things' includes mental arithmetic, what's the problem?

Of course, if he still can't get his head around the sums after training, he could always change branch to Admin and look after the accounts!

[higthepig]

VFTC

QUOTE]So why do they teach simultaneous equations in maths classes. Ive never come accross them, any one else?[/QUOTE]

Last night trying to help my 13 year old son with his homework, I failed, he failed, we all failed! I suupose he is destined for a life of failure now, it is all my fault for not paying attention in class 20 years ago, may as well throw myself to the mercy of Social Sevices or whatever they are called this week.

[totalwar]

In over 20 years of Militarty and civil aviation I have never EVER had to work out the sum 198-175 whilst airborne.

[BEagle]

Any idiot can do simultaneous equations. I think I was about 10 years old when I first came across them.

"I can't do maths" is a euphemism for "I'm too bloody lazy to bother to work something out which requires logical deduction and a set of rules against which to apply the problem".

3x + 7y = 36; 6x - 5y = 15. Calculate the value of (4x + 3y)

(Slide rules and calculators are not permitted.)

[VoicesFromTheCreche]

Let the hatred flow young one.

:E

[Wwyvern]

At the end of my first (of 3) years at RAFC in the late 50s, I was summoned to interview by my tutor. I had come second bottom in maths (behind a mate who subsequently did a tour on the Red Arrows) with 21%.

Believing that I would be told that I could not proceed to the flying phases of training, I was relieved to be told, "Well done, Wwyvern. Better than expected."

It's as well I left the mob a long time ago!

[adr]

Slide rules and calculators are not permitted. May I use paper?

:D

adr

[joe2812]

I did GCSE Maths and just about to finish A Level maths and still occasionally come across the odd simulatneous equation I have difficulty with!

Although if you want to fly and suck at maths, either put in the work or look for a new career really... the above excuse is no excuse!

And BEags... 29? I think?

[Doptrack]

116 and 1/9th

But I did use paper

[BEagle]

One of you is right.

[Doptrack]

Dr4t

And missed the minus sign.

Second try: -2 +1/9 or 2.111111111 (etc)

[BEagle]

Nope.

:rolleyes:

[Doptrack]

Drat and the second minus sign.

I'm rusty at this.

29 it is, as Y=3 & X =5

[BEagle]

Correct.

Which only goes to show - RTFQ!!

[Now a 'J' Bloke!!]

I know the value of '6X'.:ok:

Regards..SFS:cool:

[VoicesFromTheCreche]

I get triangle, how about anyone else?

[BEagle]

Another one. I buy one type of tea (A) at £24/17/0 per cwt and blend it with another type (B) which costs £33/19/0 per cwt in the ratio 5A:3B.

To the nearest farthing, at what price per lb should I sell it in order to make a profit of 10%?

NB - for youngsters:
1 cwt = 8 stone
1 stone = 14 lb

20 shillings = 1 pound
12 pence = 1 shilling
4 farthings = 1 penny.

[adr]

To answer VFTC's (1046) question, purely hypothetically, and nothing to do with my own experience, as far removed as can be imagined from my daily activites now or at any time in the past, and as far as I know (and I don't) not connected with real-life practices and methods anywhere:

Suppose you've been asked to provide information on encapsulated (ie, internal parts embedded in resin) battery packs found with captured equipment. X-ray analysis tells of the two variants tells you that two types of cell, short and long, are used in series. Pack A contains three long and two short, and provides 12V at the terminal. Pack B contains five long and six short, and provides 24V. What voltages are the short and long cells? For a bonus pint*, what is the likely battery chemistry and why are the packs badly designed?

I'll get me coat.

adr

* Prize will be forfeited if not personally collected within two days. No cash equivalent. Not transferable. Pub may contain nuts. Freshly brewed coffee may be hot. Travel, food, accommodation and insurance not included. Your home is at risk if you do not keep up with payments. The location of the prize will be withheld for security reasons.

[soddim]

Well, Gordon Brown just announced £3.7bn more for defence but stations are still closing and forces are still reducing so maybe he can't do maths either.

[VoicesFromTheCreche]

Ooh Ooh i know this one

Blue!

[Oggin Aviator]

I make the answer 29. Do I get a gold star?

edit to say in my eagerness to get the answer I totally missed the second page of posts and therefore did not see the answer. Honest Sir, please dont send me to the Headmaster for a caning!

[joe2812]

BEags...sitting this one out... too many things which went over my head being only a y00f...

Off to terrorise grannies for a wee while... (off to JB that is..)

[BEagle]

adr:

Short cell 1.5v, probably alkali manganese
Long cell 3v, probably lithium manganese

Poorly designed due to non-uniform discharge characteristics.

Oggin aviator - see me after prep!

[teeteringhead]

BEags

Depends what you mean by "to the nearest farthing".

5/6½d (five and sixpence ha'penny) a pound is the nearest to the exact answer, but realises slightly less than 10%. To the nearest farthing producing at least 10% (in fact slightly more than) you would need to charge 5/6¾d (five and sixpence three farthings) a pound.:ok:

[BEagle]

Quite right - 5s 6 3/4d per lb is the closest value to achieve a profit of 10%!

Take a gold star and an intimate session with the assistant matron in the sanitorium dispensary!!

[Safeware]

Head above parapet ....

Maybe he should become a Navy Lynx pilot??


Head back down, remove tongue from cheek

[Onan the Clumsy]

Thankyou BEagle, that was an enjoyable 20 min with a spreadsheet :ok:

Though of course that assumes (1) you sell all the tea you blend and (2) have no other overheads, such as advertising, storage, travel time, equipment etc.



My geography teacher though we were the smartest race in the world because we continually had to do LSD and ft/in problems in our heads. Perhaps the decline in our civilization mentioned in various JB threads suggests she was (partially at least) correct.

[totalwar]

Maybe he should become a Navy Lynx pilot?? think ya mean Navy Lynx Observer...its his job to do the fuel calculations...the Pilot just does what the Aircraft Commander tells him to do.

[L J R]

Was said UAS dude trying to answer the maths question inverted at night on STBY generator having suffered structural damage from previously repored fire with a fuel imbalance and icing while trying to compensate for PEC for the forthcoming comm out ILS without the main ADI.....then its OK if he got it wrong.

- He was possibly busy.


.

[airborne_artist]

think ya mean Navy Lynx Observer...its his job to do the fuel calculations...the Pilot just does what the Aircraft Commander tells him to do.

Where does it say that a) the looker is always the a/c commander and b) that pilots must not think for themselves about fuel states/distances from mother?

[adr]

BEagle: ten house points and the bonus prize! :ok:

adr

[BEagle]

Thank you, sir.

Does that mean I am allowed to sleep inside tonight and am also excused having to take a hot crumpet from behind without blubbing?

[adr]

Your choice, BEagle: you may either sleep inside tonight, or use hot water for tomorrow morning's ablutions.

I'm beginning to suspect that your house prefects may have misunderstood what the unfortunate Michaelmas Term guest speaker was getting at when he drunkenly spoke of "taking a hot crumpet from behind" as the highlight of his tour in Norway. He clearly thought it was nothing to blub over.

adr

[WE Branch Fanatic]

Tried to solve the simultaneous equations in my head. Got signs mixed up. DOH. Pen and paper much better.

But........

It is a fact mathematical standards are falling. Sign of the times I suppose, where subjects such as media studies or football culture are promoted, at the expense of science, technology and engineering subjects. And yes, DPA employ people with degrees in social science etc as on major projects! Hmm.

[Lafyar Cokov]

Err - If I earn £198 in flying pay today, and the government takes £175 in tax - how much does that leave for my wife to spend?

LC

[akula]

Suppose you're on a game show, and you're given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is the Grand Prize; behind the others, Booby Prizes. You pick a door, say Door A, and the host, who knows what is behind each door, opens another door, say Door B, revealing a Booby Prize. The host then offers you the opportunity to change your selection to Door C. Should you stick with your original choice or switch? Does it make any difference? :8 :8 :8

ALWAYS assume NEVER check

[Safeware]

Switch - the odds of getting the grand prize are better

[Archimedes]

If I earn £198 in flying pay today, and the government takes £175 in tax - how much does that leave for my wife to spend?

Substantially more than the £23 that you thought it left.... :p

[BEagle]

The answer is obvious......£198!

[Onan the Clumsy]

akula technically it depends on whether or not the host knows which door the prize is behind. :8

If he doesn't and the game's over if he reveals the prize, then the odds are 50/50. If he does know, then the Monty Hall paradox will suggest you have a 2/3 chance of winning if you change your selection and a 1/3 chance if you remain with your original choice.

Counter intuative to be sure, but it relies on the fact that you have a 2/3 chance of initially being wrong.

Here's a lengthy explanation (http://math.ucsd.edu/~crypto/Monty/montybg.html)

Here's an explanation with a table in the solution (http://www.comedia.com/hot/monty.html)

Here's an explanation that looks into a Multi Stage Monty Hall Dilemma (http://www.cut-the-knot.org/hall.shtml) :zzz:



What's interesting about these examples is that they choose a car as the prize and a goat as the booby prize. Perhaps they should recalculate the answer as there are many hereabouts (well on JB at least) who would be quite thrilled to be given their own goat :}