Marilyn Vos Savant at one time was known as having the highest IQ ever recorded. Whether that is true or not is now questioned, but at any rate she is a very intelligent person. She writes a column in the weekly magazine “Parade” entitled “Ask Marilyn” in which she answers questions posed by the public. You may get a copy with your Sunday paper, if you happen to read one.
In her January 23, 2011 column she answered a question dealing with dividing the profits of a flooring job. Rick and Dave were to split the profits 40 % to 60 %. She gave a complicated mathematical method of splitting the $6,000 profit based on the number of hours each worked versus the 40-60 factor.
Starting Monday February 7, 2011 Marilyn began publishing letters sent to her, all disagreeing with her formula of money division, yet all basing their answer on the amount of hours worked.
February 11, 2011 Marilyn published on the Parade website the following email that I wrote January 23, 2011:
Leo Lawton of Ogdensburg, New York, writes:
Marilyn: The problem clearly states that Rick and Dave agreed to split their profits 40-60. The profits were $6,000. The split would be $2400-$3600. All the rest of that stuff is smoke and mirrors. There was no mention of how many hours each had to work. Even if one had completed no work at all, the split would remain the same.
Marilyn responds:
Say, maybe you should become a judge, Leo!
Marilyn: The problem clearly states that Rick and Dave agreed to split their profits 40-60. The profits were $6,000. The split would be $2400-$3600. All the rest of that stuff is smoke and mirrors. There was no mention of how many hours each had to work. Even if one had completed no work at all, the split would remain the same.
Marilyn responds:
Say, maybe you should become a judge, Leo!
You're already a judge.
ReplyDeleteWe all are judges in some context. It then becomes a question of how wisely we judge.
ReplyDelete