English in Mathematics
I'm not sure if it has anything to do with languages, but I'm curiousabout how English speakers do mathematics.
I've found that many English speakers tend to use \"addition\" to do
\"subtraction\", but Chinese rarely do so.
For example, you buy a train ticket costing $5.6 and give a $50 note to
the ticket seller.
A Chinese ticket seller will probably do the subtraction (50 - 5.6 = 44.4)
in his head. Then he will count out $44.4 from his cash box and give it
to you, together with your ticket.
But an English speaking ticket seller will probably go like this:
He gives you the ticket and murmurs \"5 dollars 60\".
Then he gives you a 20-dollar-note and murmurs \"25 dollars 60\".
Then he gives out another 20-dollar-note and murmurs \"45 dollars 60\".
Then he gives out two 2-dollar-coins consecutively and murmurs \"47 dollars
60, 49 dollars 60\"
The process goes on until he reaches \"50\".
Do all English speakers use \"addition\" to do \"subtraction\"? Or is it just
my faulty observation?
页:
[1]