XXll 



I leave you to find your own answer. 



Let usi take a fair specimen of calcula- 

 tions of price, I quote from a eet of 

 comparative sums — 



II.— Give the cost of 215 tons 17c'wt. 3qr. 

 9]b, at £9 lis. 6d. per ton. 



Cwt. 



2» 



4 



T.cwt.qr.lb. 

 215 17 3 9 



20 



£s. d. 

 9 11 6 

 20 



191 



12 



2298 pence 



3868776 

 4352373 

 967194 

 967194 



1111305906 



224,0)111130590,6(496118 pence 

 896 



2153 

 2016 



1370 

 1344 



265 

 224 



1950 

 1792 



158 



158 3 

 224 4 



12 / 496118 

 20/ 4134,3-2 



2067-3 Answer: X-2,067 3 2| 



Ah, you say, but let us work it by prac- 

 tice. 



cwt. 



qr. 



qr. 



lb. 



lb. 



Ansrwi 



iJ1935 



107 10 



10 15 



5 7 6 



J62058 12 6 



£2058 12 6 



4 15 



2 7 lOi 



19 2 



4 9i 



2 4| 



7i 



2 



2 



.£•2067 3 3 



This method certainly saves figures. 

 But the saving is eflfected at the cost of 

 much advanced and sometimes trying 

 mental work, and by much artificial con- 

 densation of statement. 



Let us look at a similar calculation on 

 the metric system. 



Take the same sura as stated in terms of 

 decimal weight and coinage. 



IV. Give the cost o'f 219,817 kilos at .£9— 

 4fl— 4c. per 1,000 kilos. 



219.817 

 9.404 



879268 

 8792680 Ans. : ^2,067— Ifl.— 59c. 

 1978353 



2067.159068 



Note the conciseneis>s of thig calculation, 

 its absolute simplicity, and its accuracy. 

 For, with all their elaboration, t'ae other 

 two methods did not give results which 

 were quite accurate. 



Education. 

 AfteT this comparative survey, l&t us 

 try to realise what some of the practical 

 effects would be if -Ave were wise enough 

 to adopt the decimal system. And first 

 as regards the education question. We 

 are beginning to feel the stress of foreign 

 competition, and the value of education, 

 primary, technical, and other, and yet 

 we continue to waste the precious hours 

 of school liife on these needless and vexa- 

 tious tables and calculations. Moreover, 

 we put f'ractions before decimals, thus 

 inverting, as I have shown, the natural 

 and logical order. I feel that my lameait 

 on this score will go home to my hearers, 

 unless they happen to have been born -with 

 a mathematical sjpoon in their mouths. 

 For have not most of us suffered many 

 things in our youth, and perhaps since, 

 by reason of British arithmetic .? 



