Things from fourth grade math I never thought I'd need...

[Okla-homey]

Like dividing fractions by a whole number.

example: 1/5 divided by 4.

It's 1/20. I had to re-teach myself how to do that this week. Wierd huh?

Why is it useful? Well, say a guy dies without a will and he has 5 kids. His stuff gets divided 5 ways and each kid gets a fifth. Now, if one of those 5 kids is dead and he had 4 kids himself, the dead son's kids each get a 20th (1/5 divided by 4).

[sanantoniosooner]

If all else fails a calculator would have made short work of that. ;)

[King Crimson]

Like dividing fractions by a whole number.

example: 1/5 divided by 4.

It's 1/20. I had to re-teach myself how to do that this week. Wierd huh?

Why is it useful? Well, say a guy dies without a will and he has 5 kids. His stuff gets divided 5 ways and each kid gets a fifth. Now, if one of those 5 kids is dead and he had 4 kids himself, the dead son's kids each get a 20th (1/5 divided by 4).

weird.

[ChickSoonerFan]

If all else fails a calculator would have made short work of that. ;)

Cheater.

:rolleyes:

[Okla-homey]

If all else fails a calculator would have made short work of that. ;)

Why use a calculator when you can easily do it in your noggin if you know the procedure? All you have to do is put a 1 above the number you're dividing by and multiply the numerators (those are the numbers above the line) and then the denominators (the numbers below the line). Finally, simplify the result if necessary.

in my example (1/5 divided by 4): 1x1=1, 5x4=20. Ergo 1/20

another: 1/3 divided by 6; 1x1=1, 6x3=18. Ergo 1/18

simple!

[sanantoniosooner]

Why use a calculator when you can easily do it in your noggin if you know the procedure?
I knew how.

It was you that didn't right away.

(1/5) / (4) = (1/5) X (1/4) = 1/20

[47straight]

This is why you should hire patent attorneys to do all legal work. Fractions might be involved.

[Okla-homey]

This is why you should hire patent attorneys to do all legal work. Fractions might be involved.

Patent attorneys aren't lawyers unless they also passed some state's bar exam. Thus, if a guy is only a member of the patent bar, he's useless for any other legal matter.

[1stTimeCaller]

assuming the guy's wife preceded him in death.

[Okla-homey]

I knew how.

It was you that didn't right away.

(1/5) / (4) = (1/5) X (1/4) = 1/20

You are correct. It's also been 38 years since I last had to do it.;)

[Okla-homey]

assuming the guy's wife preceded him in death.

yes, or they're divorced and he hasn't remarried.

[usmc-sooner]

you could have just done 1/5 X 1/4, what branch were you in? I want to talk to your drill instructor.

[Okla-homey]

you could have just done 1/5 X 1/4, what branch were you in? I want to talk to your drill instructor.

I didn't have a drill instructor. I was an AF flier. We had to do cipherin', but we never divided fractions, instead, we did stuff like dividing decimals (e.g. 45.364 by 3.432)

[usmc-sooner]

I didn't have a drill instructor. I was an AF flier. We had to do cipherin', but we never divided fractions, instead, we did stuff like dividing decimals (e.g. 45.364 by 3.432)

did you ever wonder where you got the decimals from flyboy? 3/4=.75

Did you ride short bus on the way to flier school? :D

[Okla-homey]

did you ever wonder where you got the decimals from flyboy? 3/4=.75

Did you write a short bus on the way to flier school? :D

whatever.

I was a demon on this sucka:

the MB-4 "Whiz Wheel" rotary slide-rule. These things were the shiznit.

http://aycu03.webshots.com/image/35482/2000808367382358541_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2000808367382358541)

[sooner_born_1960]

And folks, when someone ask you to divide a number by 1/4, you actually multiply by 4. A lot of people don't get that concept.
20 / (1/4) = 20 * 4 = 80

[sanantoniosooner]

Just in case stormchaser is trying to follow I want to break this down a little more

(1/5) / (4) = (1/5) / (4/1) = (1/5) X (1/4) = (1 X 1) / (4 X 5) = 1 / 20

[usmc-sooner]

well in the Marine Corps we did math a little different. We were all about subtraction and division. If the enemy sent out a 5 man fire squad, and we killed 2 of them. That was 5 take away 2(or minus 2) or you could look at it as simple division or fractions by saying we just took out 2/5 of their troops which could be converted in decimals by saying we took out .40 of their troops but by multiplying by 100 we could convert this into a percentage thus saying we took 40% of their troops. All this without a whiz wheel slide rule.

[Harry Beanbag]

And folks, when someone ask you to divide a number by 1/4, you actually multiply by 4. Homey doesn't get that concept.
20 / (1/4) = 20 * 4 = 80


Fixed. :)

[Vaevictis]

Quit picking on the old man.

Senility is not a laughing matter.

[OCUDad]

Twenty posts multiplied by 20 halfwits = 10 posts?

Oops... I just changed the calculation with this post

[47straight]

Patent attorneys aren't lawyers unless they also passed some state's bar exam. Thus, if a guy is only a member of the patent bar, he's useless for any other legal matter.


Most patent attorneys pass some state's bar exam before passing the patent bar.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Homey's good at those guzintas.
http://www.ashrae4greenville.com/bio_pics/JethroBodine.jpg

[SanJoaquinSooner]

1/4 / 5.

Get a common denominator.

(1/4) / (20/4).

Now cancel to 4's.

1/20.

QED

[47straight]

"Math is hard."
--- Barbie

[proud gonzo]

i had to teach people how to figure GPA last week.

[critical_phil]

Just in case stormchaser is trying to follow I want to break this down a little more:

(1/5) / (4) = (1/5) / (4/1) = (1/5) X (1/4) = (1 X 1) / (4 X 5) = 1 / 20


those numbers are all too small for ssc.


he's a wiz with things >40 though.

[Ike]

This thread makes me sad in my pants.

[Soonrboy]

Now go teach a group of 27 9 year olds how to do that without mistakes. then, I'll be impressed...:D