I’m sure you have heard of this math problem. No matter how many times someone explained this to me I still feel confused. Can someone explain in the simplest way possible?
In: Mathematics
There’s a really interesting book called Thinking Fast and Slow that goes into why this problem catches so many of us out.
Kahneman proposes two systems of thinking, one which processes information very fast and comes up with intuitive answers, and one which is slower, more logical and can be used to “check” the other system.
The question itself has primed you into thinking it’s an easy or obvious answer , and a lot of people may not necessarily double check their working.
It’s a good illustration of the problem of relying on intuitive thinking alone – things can seem obvious and still be wrong. Not to say intuition has not been incredibly useful to humans as a species and is not to be relied on at all – as the Russians might say : trust, but verify.
Edit: just to add that your brain is taking in the problem as 1 x bat and 1 x ball and equivocating it with 1 x $1 and 1 x $0.10 . It then associates “bat” with $1 and basically blurts out the answer without thinking.
Interestingly, kahneman goes on to say in the book that when the problem was made to be more physically difficult to read, less people were caught out by it- suggesting that when you are required to concentrate the rational part of your brain kicks in. You should really read the book , it’s fascinating.
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