Did I miss anything?

The density of iron is 7.874 grams per cubic centimeter. Estimate the space that would be occupied by 50 grams of iron.

a) 16 cm³ b) 35 cm³ c) 350 cm³ d) 400 cm³

I realize that it has been a long time since I did any algebra, but this seemed like a very simple problem to me. Taking it step-by-step…

1) You start with this equation: 7.874g/1cm3 = 50g/Xcm3

2) Isolate the variable by multiplying both sides of the equation by Xcm3…

Xcm3(7.874g/1cm3) = Xcm3(50g/Xcm3)
X7.874g = 50g

3) …and then dividing both sides by 7.874.

X7.874g/7.874g = 50g/7.874g
X = ~6.35

His teacher says the correct answer is c) 350 cm³. Am I missing something very simple here, or is the teacher wrong and the correct answer not listed?

Triton? Mark? Will one of you guys (or someone else) double check my junior high algebra for me?

Rabi Simeon b. Elazar said: Adam can be likened to an Israelite who married a proselyte woman, and he constantly sought to impress upon her mind the following regulations: “My daughter, eat not bread when thy hands are unclean, eat not of fruits which were not tithed, do not violate the Sabbath, do not get into the habit of making vows, and walk not with another man. If thou shouldst violate any of the commands, thou wilt die.” Another one, who wished to mislead her, did those very things before her that she had been told were sinful: he ate bread when his hands were unclean, partook of fruits which were not tithed, violated the Sabbath, etc., and thereby caused this proselyte to think that everything that her husband told her was entirely false, so she violated all his commandments.

Babylonian Talmud, Trans. Rodkinson. pp 8-9

I am reminded of parents telling their children that Santa Claus brings presents, teachers telling their students that Marijuana brings madness, and politicians telling us all that single-payer health care brings health and happiness to all. After so many obvious lies, why in the world should anyone believe another word?

In honor of Mr. Fritz, go read his obit, take the World’s Smallest Political Quiz, and sign the Proclamation.

 WWJD? said…

”Minors need protection ‘because they are deemed too unsophisticated to protect themselves or to consent to sexual activity,’ ” the court said  

**********

Then why in heavens name are they passing out condoms in junior high and high schools?!?!?!?!?!?

2:15 PM

 SandD said…

Because minors need protection in view of the irresponsible choices they often make regarding sexual activity amongst themselves. We don’t want them to contract a deadly disease or conceive a child as a consequence of their poorly made decision.  

3:02 PM

Gee, do you think maybe they might make even more irresponsible choices if they continue to be shielded from the consequences of their previous irresponsible choices? Accountability begets responsibility.

To HSLDA [Home School Legal Defense Association]:

We at SUBWAY restaurants place a high value on education, regardless of the setting, and have initiated a number of programs and promotions aimed at educating our youth in the areas of health and fitness.

We sincerely apologize to anyone who feels excluded by our current essay contest. Our intention was to provide an opportunity for traditional schools, many of which we know have trouble affording athletic equipment, to win equipment. Our intent was certainly not to exclude homeschooled children from the opportunity to win prizes and benefit from better access to fitness equipment.

To address the inadvertent limitation of our current contest and provide an opportunity for even more kids to improve their fitness, we will soon create an additional contest in which homeschooled students will be encouraged to participate. When the kids win, everyone wins!

—Subway restaurants

There was a very simple solution to this problem that would have achieved Subway’s goals without excluding anyone, but Subway has chosen the way of “separate, but equal.” That’s their right, of course. Since they only went half-way with this, I’ll only go half-way too. I’ll go to Subway if there’s nothing else around.

Technorati Tags: subway, hslda, homeschoolers, home schools, homeschooling

Here’s the confirmation from subwayfreshbuzz.com:

This accomplishes two things for Subway:

1. It eliminates needless profits. I like going to Subway because it’s relatively healthy fast food. Unfortunately, I won’t be eating there again until they make a well-publicized apology and change the contest rules.
2. It makes public school students feel better about their inability to spell common English words. Basket, for example.
   
   This image was captured from Subway’s web site. I didn’t modify it except to crop it shorter.

Technorati Tags: subway, homeschooling, home schools, writing contests

A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job and assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward, police said Tuesday.

I can see one or two kids going off the deep end now and then, maybe a handful of kids fantasizing about hurting their teacher, but this is scary. These aren’t high schoolers or even junior high kids. These are third graders! Between television, public schools, drugs (and I don’t mean anything illegal), humanism, and Darwinism, what in the world have we done to our children that they have become capable of this?

Technorati Tags: children, public schools, school violence