Mathematically Literate Headlines

[One Brow]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-orlin/what-headlines-would-look-like_b_4386621.html

 

[UGLI baby]

Hmm.


dat jazzfanz.com mobile app doe

 

[LogGrad98]

Pretty much all of them can be boiled down to the last one. And some require a judgement call that has nothing to do with math.

 

[bordelais7]

I enjoyed the article, although I would add that math literacy is only part of the equation. Some people understand the math but ignore it. Most people who have a fear of flying have heard a thousand times over how safe it is.

However, being able to see things in context and understanding the difference between "million" and "trillion" can go a long way.

And this one is wrong:

Our World: Proposal Would Tax $250,000-Earners at 40 Percent
Mathematically Literate World: Proposal Would Tax $250,000-Earners' Very Last Dollar, and That Dollar Alone, at 40 Percent

Their next dollar ($250,001) would be taxed at a higher rate, not the last one. Even the accompanying whiteboard illustration shows a pile of $250k and then $1 on top of it. Not to mention that "$250,000-Earner" implies those who make at least that amount, not exactly.

 

[♪alt13]

I've seen this same idea online more than once. This is by far the worst executed one I have read.