High School Math Question

[Texan]

Kids these days don't even learn their "times tables".

As a kid, one of our favourite "games", on a cold Winter's night in front of the open fire, was to ask Dad to give the answer to a bunch of numbers that we yelled out. We would write down the numbers, added them up, get the answer then call out the numbers to Dad. For example: 234, 382, 560, 801, and so forth and at the end of, say about 12 numbers, he would have the answer, spot on! We tried and tried to stump him. LOL He died in 1971, cancer. I still miss him.

My dad framed custom homes and couldn’t work in bad weather. We used to play Scrabble all day if I wasn’t in school. Sometimes we would play Kanasta or dominos. Anything that made me think. Even now, we get together with my brother and play 42 about once a month. It’s a domino game that plays similarly to Spades. You make competing bids and then the other team tries to set the high bidder. A lot of strategy and dot counting while depending on your partner.

[Texan]

My oldest is very smart and did well in school. It didn’t come as easy for his brothers. They aren’t dumb. They just aren’t as math oriented as my oldest. I tutored him through calculus, but he was on his own after that. I could only correct his algebra mistakes for calculus 2 and 3. I couldn’t remember enough to help further. I enjoyed helping him with physics, especially the projects.

My youngest is the only one left in school and he is taking a pre calculus class this year. I’d better dust off my calculator.