Inflation Aggravation.

In the most recent discussion of our chosen book for the year,  I began to be very interested in prices, and the way prices have changed over the last hundred years. This process is known as inflation. Today things cost more than they have ever before, something I hear my parents and grandparents remarking on constantly. 

A gallon of gas cost .10 in 1930 and today in 2012, with the constantly rising oil prices and conflicts in the Middle East, on gallon costs 3.75. Imagine how much in takes to fill up a large van or truck today! Its amazing how much money my family, only 3 people, spend on food for a week. We try to eat locally and as organic as we can, meaning the price is sometimes higher to pay to eat well than to eat poorly. Studies have shown that the obesity rates in poor communities are higher because they have less access most of the time to healthy food options and less healthy ones are cheaper and significantly easier to procure. 

This inflation phenomenon is of special importance to be aware of as the global economy continues to suffer, prices continue to rise, and the economic situation for the average working american is strained. Not to mention I have entered the working world and will soon be out on my own, paying my bills and paying my own way!! 

SAT Fear

I am taking the SAT next month. ARG.
This prospect is incredibly scary and daunting.
What if I mess up and do all the questions wrong?
What if I circle the wrong box by mistake?
What if I cant find the answer or even know where to begin?

Which is why I am spending the next few weeks preparing by taking prep tests and then exploring how I got right what I got right and how I got wrong what I got wrong and how to do it right. You still following me? Good. Because this process is really helping.
I am going to get a good nights sleep the night before, eat a good breakfast and dress comfortably and just take it. If I mess up too badly I can always take it twice!!

Keep
Calm
and
Take
The
SAT !

Book

This month in the morning math class (Population 2) we are reading a rather excellent book called A Mathematician Reads The Newspaper. Exploring the ways in which math appears in our everyday news and helping to break it down to help the reader get more out of a news story. 

For example one thing I learned that interested me was if a company board had three members, and they had to reach at least 51 percent to pass anything. And the first member gets 47 percent, the second 13, the third 40, it would take at least two members to pass the bill. 

Keep a look out for more insights and tidbits from our book as we read further!