Maths is not a strong point for some...

[LEQ]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... _confusion

Cool Cash' card confusion
Ciara Leeming
3/11/2007

A LOTTERY scratchcard has been withdrawn from sale by Camelot - because players couldn't understand it.

The Cool Cash game - launched on Monday - was taken out of shops yesterday after some players failed to grasp whether or not they had won.

To qualify for a prize, users had to scratch away a window to reveal a temperature lower than the figure displayed on each card. As the game had a winter theme, the temperature was usually below freezing.

But the concept of comparing negative numbers proved too difficult for some Camelot received dozens of complaints on the first day from players who could not understand how, for example, -5 is higher than -6.

Tina Farrell, from Levenshulme, called Camelot after failing to win with several cards.

The 23-year-old, who said she had left school without a maths GCSE, said: "On one of my cards it said I had to find temperatures lower than -8. The numbers I uncovered were -6 and -7 so I thought I had won, and so did the woman in the shop. But when she scanned the card the machine said I hadn't.

"I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it.

"I think Camelot are giving people the wrong impression - the card doesn't say to look for a colder or warmer temperature, it says to look for a higher or lower number. Six is a lower number than 8. Imagine how many people have been misled."

A Camelot spokeswoman said the game was withdrawn after reports that some players had not understood the concept.

She said: "The instructions for playing the Cool Cash scratchcard are clear - and are printed on each individual card and in the game procedures available at each retailer. However, because of the potential for player confusion we have decided to withdraw the game."

More than 15m adults in Britain have poor numeracy - the equivalent of a G or below at GCSE maths

Almost three times as many UK adults (15.1m) have poor numeracy - the equivalent of a G or below at GCSE maths - than with poor literacy skills, according to the government's Skills for Life survey.

Peter Hall, of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics, said: "The concept of minus numbers is something we would cover with 11 or 12 year olds, and we would expect them to have come across it before.

"The concept of smaller numbers is something that some people do seem to struggle with. Seven is clearly smaller than eight, so they focus on that and don't really see the minus sign. There is also a subtle difference in language between smaller - or lower - and colder. The number zero feels lower.

"There have always been some people who find numbers and basic mathematics difficult. Maybe in the past it was less noticeable because people could find jobs they could excel in without having qualifications in maths."

[umkhontowesizwe]

"I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it."

Hahahahaha.....I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. This is fucking scary and a terrible reflection on education standards in this country. Bare idiots about.

[shonky]

"On one of my cards it said I had to find temperatures lower than -8. The numbers I uncovered were -6 and -7 so I thought I had won, and so did the woman in the shop. But when she scanned the card the machine said I hadn't.

"I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it.

"I think Camelot are giving people the wrong impression - the card doesn't say to look for a colder or warmer temperature, it says to look for a higher or lower number. Six is a lower number than 8. Imagine how many people have been misled."

And to think the lottery was the one source of hope for idiots in this country and now it even spurns them by its complexity

[jolly wailer]

shonky you're a witty motherfucker... jokes everytime

[BaronVon]

"education, education, education" Tony Blair

If only he was telling the truth. We really are becoming a nation of idiots.

[badger]

We really are becoming a nation of idiots.

yeah its scary isnt it. our capacity for stupidity never ceases to amaze me

[victor liechtenstein]

We really are becoming a nation of idiots.

yeah its scary isnt it. our capacity for stupidity never ceases to amaze me

Well, on the plus side we've got a while before we reach this lot's standards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtXCs0Wqs9Q

[slothrop]

"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein.

[nospin]

We really are becoming a nation of idiots.

you too?

[product]

welcome to the club!

[two oh one]

Mini America. Yay.

[BaronVon]

We really are becoming a nation of idiots.

you too?

Afraid so. I blame years of Skunk abuse and the dumbing down of the media.

[dubluke]

"education, education, education" Tony

"tough on slogans, tough on the causes of slogans"

ok i may be not exactly a maths genius but....cmon...

[the wiggle baron]

No fucking way!

I actually saw someone do this yesterday. I was waiting in line to buy a scratchcard too and this welsh woman in front of me gets it, and a few mins later starts saying "someone check this ive just won 550 quid!". She explained about if youre temperature is lower than the card temperature or whatever you win the prize on that row! She was like "Theyre ALL lower!!". I well struggled not to laugh but explained it to her all calm like, but she was having none of it and made him scan it anyway to check. I just had to leave

Trefforest ftw

[schamotnik]

haha, don't worry you got those levels of stupidity everywhere..
I have to admit though that it surprises me each and every time how bad some people are at math. I have never been good at it either but some people can't even multiply 3x3 without using a calculator.

[z.u.bee]

http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentID=258205