Had difficulty with fractions in third grade, did you?
Which is larger, 1/4, or 1/2?
Nothing like the judge in this story, I’m sure. From the depths of Europe, Zeno details how a judge’s seeming infacility with numbers took an injustice against a petitioner in his court, and made it worse.
It’s the sort of error you’d expect of a third-grade kid who hasn’t watched enough “Sesame Street.” Which of these fractions is larger? 1/5, or 1/6?
Is the judge really that dumb, or is this an elaborate, sarcastic hoax on the petitioner?
Math teachers, can you use this to show the importance of learning math well enough to do simple math functions mentally, without paper and calculator?
While you’re at Zeno’s place, Halfway There, look around. Zeno writes well, has good stories to tell, and you could learn a lot about a lot of things — you know, just by observing.
Posted by Ed Darrell 
