Okay my post begins with a math problem. Here like this: If I sell one orange would be 7usd, how much money i will get after selling 100 oranges?

A. 500usd

B. 700usd

C. It can not be determined

Easy, right?

You probably may say the answer is 7×100=700usd, piece of cake!!

WRONG!! This is the difference between Math and the reality – business! I don’t know how people do, but in this case, I am the owner, you see, it said : If I sell, I would take perhaps 690 usd for 10 oranges. Why? Because, I am the owner, I want customer coming to my shops more so I have to make such deals in order to attract customer to buy my oranges. The math problem did not mention anything about I sell the oranges AT THE SAME RATE . You can not be like a robot or a calculator, making inflexible numbers. In business, it is not just stop at : ” 1+1=2? but you can make your own equation like 1+1=100 or 1+1=0…, that’s your choice. If you only just stop at 1+1=2, it may not enough for you to success. Back to the above problem, the question is :” How much money I will get after selling 10 oranges?” The money I will get after selling 10 oranges does not really mean the money after I had sold 10 oranges. It could be the money before I had plus the money I had just earned. You see. So, to me, the answer would be C.  Here is also the same problem  I had taken to the ” Cracking SAT 2013? of Princeton Review and I do not agree with the answer . OnChapter 16” Putting all together”, page 295, question 13. It said:

” At Ernie’s Fruit Stand, 3 apples and 5 cherries cost 1.25usd. 15 apples and 100 cherries cost 9.25usd. What is the cost of 6 apples and 35 cherries?”

Well, I had been thinking about five minutes for this math problem since my head just get the idea of business and also, they clue of the problem was not very clear enough. It did not say that at the same rate, what is the cost of 6 apples and 35 cherries? I did not think it was just a regular math problem. When I erased all my above idea, it came very easy for me to solve this problem. The answer of  Princeton Review was 3.50usd when you used easy algebra math method, however, it may be different if you do business.

So, what’s my point here?

First, do not quickly easy get to the conclusion of one problem so easy. When you are asked to reply to one problem, do not think it in the ordinary, simple way. You may want to ask question like: ” Is it stop right there?”,” Is there any other way?”,” What happens if….?”…. and soon more problem will appear and you may come up with other options. Don’t just satisfy with your solution. Think of other cases that could happen. So, try not to look at one thing in one point of view. Try to think out of the box, ask yourself  questions that can happen. You may say that point is not right most of the time. True! That’s why you have to be flexible! When I do easy Math or Science homework with my friends, I usually think differently and connected it to the reality which made me keep asking questions like: What if…? And my friends just kept telling me not to making the problem so complicated, just suppose it to be something easy and solve it using theories, and sometimes I felt it was annoying, but I had to admit it. So, be flexible. If you are flexible, you would not charge 700usd for 100 oranges which 7usd/orange to your customers. If you are wise, you know how to attract customers, you will not be like a machine that apply such Math methods you’ve learnt at school. Being too rigid would not help you in business as well as your life.

Second, I think accurate is also very important. If the Math problems above said in the accurate way, it would be different.  You see, missing the phrase” at the same rate” would lead to a problem and a post long like this. The sequences of inaccurate could be seen a lot in our real life, as you can see.