Quick: how many zeros in a trillion? The answer is 12, so many that the average, run-of-the-mill $10 calculator displays an error message when asked to calculate that high. If a calculator can’t wrap its digital mind around our national debt, then how can we expect Americans to understand how big it is and the impact it will have on our children. It’s almost unfair to expect Americans to recognize the fiscal cliff on which we are teetering.
Bob Sullivan, author of Stop Getting Ripped Off, explains that Americans are abysmal at math and that may be one of the reasons so many got caught in the mortgage meltdown. In fact, more than 50 percent of Americans scored “basic” or “below basic” on a U.S. Department of Education adult quantitative literacy test meaning even when provided specifics for each situation they could not determine if a car has enough fuel to get to the next gas station, calculate the cost of raising a child for a year or calculate the cost of ordering office supplies.
Sullivan provides a sample question. From the menu below, order a Lancaster Special sandwich and onion soup. Now, how much would you need to leave for a 10 percent tip?
