Comments on: Where The Time Goes /2007/where-the-time-goes/ less helpful Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:08:26 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 By: dan /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-7128 Sun, 27 May 2007 14:23:33 +0000 /?p=237#comment-7128 Right, there are lots of problems here. Also, according to that Slate article, there is a law on the books that prevents the cost of postage from rising above inflation. So even if you can get someone to buy your stamps at face value, you’re a loser.

Of course, as Steve said originally, it’s tough to beat hypothetical riches as a classroom activity.

]]> By: Michael K. /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-7054 Sun, 27 May 2007 01:11:59 +0000 /?p=237#comment-7054 I don’t understand math too well, but what about short term investment? Buying a ton of stamps (say 10K worth) a week before the price goes up, and then selling ’em at current face value (that is, the new higher price – 1-3 cents or so above what you paid, no?) You wouldn’t make much, but it’d be something. Enough to buy, like, a good meal and six of hef, right?

Of course, this is hypothetical: who would want to buy stamps at face value from some random math teacher?

]]> By: dan /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-6535 Wed, 23 May 2007 22:21:04 +0000 /?p=237#comment-6535 Ooo and now Slate puts down the official word: Not A Good Investment.

]]> By: mrc /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-6265 Tue, 22 May 2007 07:09:11 +0000 /?p=237#comment-6265 I agree — that data doesn’t look exponential to me. Who knows what was going on in the 1980s. I was busy with elementary school and didn’t mail a lot of letters myself. But I support you using that curve… they’ll see it again.

Plus, it’s just not as easy to get kids riled up about Abraham Lincoln’s use of exponential growth in his 1862 Annual Message to Congress. They’re like, yeah, yeah, Civil War, slavery, racism, reckless projections based on census data, government schemes to get rich tomorrow, and no one’s doing the math… what else is new.

But you start talking about stamps, and damn: that’s money. Am I the only one here that collected stamps as a kid?

]]> By: dan /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-5293 Wed, 16 May 2007 19:06:26 +0000 /?p=237#comment-5293 Yeah, glad you did. And it’s worth debating, I suppose. This is a class that came in pretty uninterested in mathematics and I decided to play fast and loose with the hard mathematics for the sake of dazzling them a bit. You could call it an error in judgment but it feels subjective to me.

]]> By: Tony /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-5290 Wed, 16 May 2007 18:08:10 +0000 /?p=237#comment-5290 I’ve read this post 5 times today, and each time debated whether or not to comment. I love exponential growth as much as the next guy, but the fit of this curve is really bothering me. You’re right; a linear regression would work much better, but of course that’s not as interesting. There’s really no need to comment on this. I just wanted to get it out of my system and off my mind.

]]> By: Jeff /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-5276 Wed, 16 May 2007 15:59:05 +0000 /?p=237#comment-5276 Fresh!

And I have no idea what either you OR Steve are talking about!

]]> By: Dee /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-5269 Wed, 16 May 2007 11:23:08 +0000 /?p=237#comment-5269 Sheesh – I’m going to go buy some forever stamps. Would you balance my checkbook for me LOL?

]]> By: dan /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-5256 Wed, 16 May 2007 06:24:07 +0000 /?p=237#comment-5256 Ha! I know, right? The effect just isn’t quite as powerful with a linear regression, which’d probably fit better, but where it’s like, “you made $6 … *thbbbpt* “

]]> By: Steve Peters /2007/where-the-time-goes/#comment-5246 Wed, 16 May 2007 03:19:01 +0000 /?p=237#comment-5246 That’s the great thing about extrapolating with exponential curve fits. Hypothetical riches!

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