Math

Math is universal. Numbers are the same regardless of the country you are in. But listen to this...

Janet, my co-worker, is currently hosting a Japanese student who is taking classes at the University of Central Florida. Along with otherUCF employees, Janet is part of this group that always volunteers tobe host parents. Anyway, she has had students from Japan and Slovakia but she has never had the kind of issue she encountered last weekend.

Asuka (Janet's student) and another Japanese student (let's call her Yoko) went to the mall last Saturday to shop. They came home with lots of bags but Janet didn't think much of it. Sunday, Janet dropped Asuka and Yoko at Yoko's place. When she came by to pick up Asuka, Yoko's host mom said "Janet, we have a problem." It turns out that Asuka and Yoko purchased a ring at Gucci for $1400(each) thinking that they were $140. All charged to Yoko's dad's credit card. In addition to that, Yoko's host mom found out that Yoko has charged over $7,000 to her dad's credit card in less than one month!! In what? God only knows (but that's besides the point).

Now this is where my math thing comes in... One thousand four hundred(1,400) is the same number in the USA as in Japan as in Brazil as in Australia. One hundred and forty (140) is also the same all over the world. The currency value is not the same, however 1400 and 140 are universal. There is no language to it. To sign a credit card receipt showing 3,000 and still not realizing that something was wrong, in my opinion, is just plain stupid.

Even if in Japan they use decimal points instead of commas to indicate the "thousand" house, it would still be wrong. 140.00 and 140,00 look pretty similar to me. 1,400.00 and 1.400,00 also look similar, doesn't it? Yoko's host mom told Janet that the girls said they only bought the rings because they figured that $140.00 was a good deal. But not if itwas $1,400.00, which showed that they have a sense of value. Just not...hmm... intelligence. Yoko's host mom is taking them back to Gucci next Saturday to return the rings. I wonder if they'll take them back....