easy access social textbooks
BuzzFeed recently shared an infographic in perfect timing with the upcoming presidential election.
Analyzing the “likes” from thousands of Facebook users gave the company Engage enough data to tie consumer interests to political preferences. The informational display highlights how TV shows and television networks may relate to which political candidate one prefers.
For more on information design, visit Math & YOU.
What can you learn from highly-paid athletes, including Dan Marino and Vince Young?
Considering the large percentage of bankrupt or financially stressed former athletes, it seems that the success on the field does not translate to success with finances.
In the article, “How Dan Marino, Vince Young and Other Broke NFL Players Lost Their Fortunes,” it is interesting to see just how financially irresponsible these individuals were with their money.
The author of the article also offers a few tips to gain control of your money and help you with your savings. The most important tips are to live within your means (i.e. don’t spend more than you make) and pay your bills on time. Both of these can quickly spiral out of control if left unattended.
For more information on saving, visit Math & YOU.
What is the likelihood that someone would be able to guess your PIN code if they found your ATM card? It turns out that cracking your PIN code might not be as difficult as you would imagine.
People are pretty unimaginative when creating their passwords, including PIN codes.
The Yahoo! Finance article, “Cracking Your PIN Code: Easy as 1-2-3-4,” points out that there are nearly 10,000 possible four-digit combinations using the digits 0 through 9. However, over 20% of people pick one of the following PIN codes:
– 1234
– 1111
– 0000
– 1212
– 7777
– 1004
– 2000
– 4444
– 2222
– 6969
– 9999
– 3333
To be on the safe side, avoid using birthdays, birth years, street addresses, couplets (ex. 1313, 4545), and the combinations in the list above.
To learn more about likelihood, visit Math & YOU.
Another edition of this month’s best links is coming your way. Find out the best productivity tips, explore a few new websites, and learn what not to post on social media in this month’s Social Media Roundup:
– How to Get Better at Memorizing
– Where is Technology Leading Higher Education?
– Balancing School and Play With These Time Management Skills
– Why We Procrastinate, and How to Stop It
– Getting Your Life In Order: 5 Steps To Starting The Semester Off Right
– 12 Things Students Should Never Do on Social Media
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for more great links, articles, and blog posts:
andYOU.com: andYOU.com Facebook // andYOU.com Twitter
Calc Chat: Calc Chat Facebook // Calc Chat Twitter
Did you realize that you are paying taxes when you fill up your gas tank?
The price you pay per gallon of gasoline already includes the excise tax. An excise tax is the tax on the sale or production of a specific good, such as gasoline, cigarettes, and gambling. You can learn more about excise taxes at Math & YOU.
The excise tax on gasoline has been used for decades to pay for road repairs and construction. However, as detailed in the Wall Street Journal article “The Gas Tax is Running Low. But What Should Replace It?”, states are running out of funds to pay for such roadwork. There is simply not enough revenue generated by the gasoline excise tax to support the roadways.
To fill this monetary gap, alternatives to the excise tax are being explored. Some of the proposed solutions include taxing cars, taxing oil, taxing miles driven, or raising the gasoline excise tax.
Weigh in after reading the article – what do you view as the best option?
Unless you stash your cash under your mattress (not recommended), you probably have a bank checking account. Kudos to you if you also have a savings account.
“Free checking” was once a common phrase banks used to entice consumers to sign up for a checking account that may soon be biting the dust.
That once free checking account is becoming increasingly expensive. In the last year, banks have increased monthly maintenance charges as well as ATM and overdraft fees.
You can review the average monthly maintenance, ATM, and overdraft fees in the TIME article “Seriously? Bank Fees Shoot Up Again.”
If you plan on opening a new checking or savings account, do your homework first. Compare your options and be sure to check the fees and penalties each bank charges.
Visit Math & YOU to learn more about budgeting, borrowing and saving.
Whether you’re heading to the library or to the gym, music can give you a boost in your performance. In a previous post, we’ve mentioned that music can help you study. A recent study uncovered that music can also provide benefits during exercise.
In the TIME article, “The Perfect Playlist: How Your iPod Can Help You Run Faster and Harder,” the results of the study conducted by Karageorghis and his colleagues concluded that the right playlist can reduce perceived effort and levels of fatigue.
By coordinating the tempo of a song (beats per minute) to the heart rate you want to achieve in your workout, you can enhance your endurance and optimize your performance.
To determine your target heart rate, visit Math & YOU.
School will be starting up again in a few short weeks, so this month’s Social Media Roundup includes plenty of articles to help you prepare. If you’re heading off to college, you’ll find lots of tips to make it a successful transition. Enjoy!
– 4 Tips to Study More Effectively
– 50 Things You Didn’t Know About the Olympics
– 3 Tips for Getting Organized in College
– College Roommate and Dorm Advice
– 7 Things to do Before Leaving For College
– 11 Ways Consumers are Hopeless at Math
– 7 Words You’re Probably Misusing
– Infographic: What Type of Learner Are You?
– The 17 Equations That Changed the World
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for more great links, articles, and blog posts:
andYOU.com: andYOU.com Facebook // andYOU.com Twitter
Calc Chat: Calc Chat Facebook // Calc Chat Twitter
You’ve likely heard that you shouldn’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach because you will buy what looks good rather than what you need. It’s good advice, but it turns out that consumers have a long way to go in order to be smarter spenders when shopping.
Many consumers don’t use available tools, such as a phone calculator or digital coupons to assist them during shopping and purchasing. More over, consumers have a difficult time calculating percent discounts and unit prices.
The Atlantic shared “The 11 Ways That Consumers Are Hopeless at Math,” in which it becomes obvious that the marketing and sales tactics of companies have taken us consumers for a loop.
To brush up on your consumer math, visit Math & YOU for help with percent change and unit prices.
A recent TIME article, “Steep Hikes for Many Students,” states that the average tuition at a private, not-for-profit college is $21,949 while the average public university tuition is $6,669. These numbers seem high, and unfortunately continue to rise each year.
The article also lists the 14 universities that have the fastest-growing tuition. Top on the list are George State University and University of Arizona, which are both well above the national average for public universities.
If you need to brush up on calculating an average (mean), visit Math & YOU.
