• Iron Lynx@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    73
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    7 months ago

    To be Devil’s Advocate:
    Given that the rest written in Comic Sans, it may be an early elementary school exercise, aimed at teaching kids to do multiplications. In this case, it’s tolerable and/or defensible to find a simplification for pi.

    That said, making pi equal to 3 would have been more accurate for that…

    • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      Unless the kid is even slightly above average and finds the idea that pi equaling 5 confusing.

      • NucleusAdumbens@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        7 months ago

        …if they’re above average, I think they’ll figure out the explicitly defined variable. I think the instructor is trying to make sure this problem doesn’t require a calculator and figured defining pi as 5 makes it clear that you can treat it as a whole number. 3 would be more accurate and just as easy, but meh idk that this is that great of a blunder.

        • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          7 months ago

          You can be a smart kid and not realize that adults are lying.

          I remember the Peas and the Punnett Square. Sure, mendelian genetics explains pea plant colors, but doesn’t explain dog fur colors. Just providing a footnote that more completed genetics exists would have been nice.

    • bluewing@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      7 months ago

      Or it’s from an ME. They seldom can remember the rounded value of Pi, but they’re pretty sure it’s somewhere between 3 and 4. But you probably should use 5 just to be safe…