Makin' Change...

Now here's a thing: one of my favourite YouTube channels is Mathologer - disclaimer: I'm the bloke who failed to get maths O Level (GCSE to all under the age of forty-something) twice, and even managed not to get maths CSE (you really will have to Google that one) as a last resort - about the only thing in that department I've ever been good at is mental arithmetic and estimation, particularly where money is concerned. As a one-time acquaintance of mine once said, as far as math (he was North American) is concerned, the ability to make change is the most important skill you can teach a kid. Do that, and the likelihood of them ever getting ripped off is greatly reduced. In fact, I can still work (a little rustily, admittedly) in the old duodecimal system of UK currency, although the practical motivation to do so has long disappeared with the demise of the use of old money in the last pub in Britain to continue using it (The Douglas Arms, Bethesda, North Wales), decades after decimalisation. A mathematics teacher friend of ours always used to say that the complexities of the system were a good way of training the brain. I tend to agree. The Mathologer makes even concepts beyond my ken at least entertaining and vaguely approachable: it at least keeps one thinking! - try this episode from 2020 for size! By the way, he has some of the geekiest tee-shirts for sale as merch (one such example pictured!)