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29+3 = 31?

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SandEagle said:
so i have been trying to calculate some numbers on paper and they weren't adding up right. after several tries i then noticed that i kept adding 29+3 as 31 instead of 32. i was like wtf is going on here? it seems that the older i am getting, the less i can do basic bath, and i was sharp as an asian in doing triple digit multiplications. even putting together coherent sentences, finding the right words is getting harder. are these neurocognitive deficiencies signs of degenerative brain disease or dementia? i doubt its stupidity as I am well educated. any advice?
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Basic spelling is failing too...
 
It's perhaps due to something similar to the recency effect. I've noticed with students that if they look for errors right away after making a stupid mistake (2+3=6), that they have more trouble finding the error, and sometimes if they immediately repeat the problem, they make the same mistake. But give them an hour and have them do it again, and they don't make that mistake again.
 
Train said:
29(in base 11) + 3(in base 11) = 31(in base 11)

29...2A...30...31
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mind%20blown.jpg
 
To be honest, I don't even think I remember how to do long division or multiplication manually. It's been so long, I'd have to look it up real quick to get a refresher. It's actually kind of sad really. 😛

We rely too much on technology today.
 
Red Squirrel said:
To be honest, I don't even think I remember how to do long division or multiplication manually. It's been so long, I'd have to look it up real quick to get a refresher. It's actually kind of sad really. 😛

We rely too much on technology today.
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I don't remember how to do division by hand, but I do it in my head all the time. I like to solve basic problems before someone can even pull out a calculator; it's basically effortless, appears impressive, and keeps me sharp.

Also, I'd like to see everyone that says things about reliance on technology to go Thoreau for a while. His experiment was more about escaping society than escaping technology, but I think you get the idea. Technology is great and only makes learning easier; if we use a lot of tech and lack skills it's because we don't want to gain and maintain them.
 
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