My Body Math Index

A miscalculation at a routine health screening presents a tantalizing mathematical mystery.

William Shunn
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1 Min
By: William Shunn
My Body Math Index
Table of Content

Here is an actual thing that happened yesterday at LabCorp, where I went for a routine biometric screening for health insurance purposes.

Tech: How tall are you?

Me: Five-eleven.

Tech takes out phone, taps a while at the screen, writes a number on the form, then goes out of room. Me looks at the form. Me's height is written as 61.3. Tech returns to room.

Me: Is that supposed to be in inches?

Tech: What?

Me: My height.

Tech: It is.

Me: Five-eleven is 71 inches.

Tech: No, it's not.

Me: Yes, it is. Five times twelve is 60, plus eleven is 71.

Tech. Oh. [pause] I timesed by eleven.

Me drives self crazy trying to figure out how multiplying any reasonable operand by eleven yields 61.3, must be restrained.

Update:  A Facebook friend points out that 5.11 x 12 = 61.32. Mystery ... solved?

Health Care Math

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William Shunn
William Shunn

Hugo and Nebula Award nominee. Creator of Proper Manuscript Format, Spelling Bee Solver, Tylogram, and more. Banned in Canada.

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