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2 In 3 Misunderstand Gas Mileage; Here's Why

Posted by kdawson on from the bad-at-math dept.

thecarchik sends in this piece, which was published last March but remains timely: "OK, so here's a little test: Which saves more gasoline, going from 10 to 20 mpg, or going from 33 to 50 mpg? If you're like most Americans, you picked the second one. But, in fact, that's exactly backwards. Over any given mileage, replacing a 10-mpg vehicle with one that gets 20 mpg saves five times the gasoline that replacing a 33-mpg vehicle with one that gets 50 does. Last summer, Duke University's Fuqua School of Business released a study that shows how much damage comes from using MPG instead of consumption to measure how green a car is. Management professors Richard Larick and Jack Soll's experiments proved that consumers thought fuel consumption was cut at an even rate as mileage increased."

13 of 1,042 comments (clear)

  1. 3 people in 2 don't know math. by Tumbleweed · · Score: 4, Funny

    News at 11!

    1. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by nmg196 · · Score: 5, Funny

      > 3 people in 2 don't know math

      Wow that's scary. That's nearly half!

    2. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by Imagix · · Score: 4, Funny

      There's 10 types of people in the world, those who understand trinary, those who don't, and those who mistake it for binary.

    3. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by Dragonslicer · · Score: 5, Funny

      > 3 people in 2 don't know math

      Wow that's scary. That's nearly half!

      Seriously? Are you really that stupid? 3 divided by 2 is 1.5, which isn't even close to 50. What the hell do they teach kids in school these days?

    4. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by biryokumaru · · Score: 3, Funny

      My favorite has always been "There's 10 kinds of people in the world: those who know binary, those who don't and those who use zero-based indices."

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    5. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Duh, after I have had seven fifths I have trouble with math as well.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by 19thNervousBreakdown · · Score: 3, Funny

      Jesus christ, if you have a brain in your skull you know that you're not going to get people to google the car's fuel efficiency. A consumption-based sticker, right on the car, that people don't have have to work to see, will actually work. Don't worry, you'll still be able to be a smug cocksucker even with the sticker there.

      --
      <xml><I><am><so><damn>Web 2.0</damn></so></am></I></xml>
    7. Re:3 people in 2 don't know math. by impaledsunset · · Score: 3, Funny

      Go away. Verizon employees aren't allowed to post on Slashdot.

  2. Re:Solution? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    True, but you're one of those people who want to use the metric system and hate America, so I won't listen to what you say.

  3. Re:Solution? by Dishevel · · Score: 3, Funny

    No. Here is why. I consider it a stupid tax. Like the lottery. We need more stupid taxes. Down with the stupid.

    --
    Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  4. Re:MPG and GPM are both useful by JesseL · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not like that? It's exactly like that. Your car has made you into an idiot.

    --
    "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
  5. What we need by zooblethorpe · · Score: 3, Funny

    Clearly, what we need here is a car analogy!

    Anyone?

    Cheers,

    --
    "What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
    "A four-foot prune."
  6. Forget mpg. by gklinger · · Score: 4, Funny

    My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it.