Envision this conversation (model courtesy of ECON 240):

Husband: Honey?
Wife: Yes, dear.
Husband: How many children should we try to produce?
Wife: Well, gee, let’s assume there’s probability p of 50% that a given attempt at producing a child will yield a child that will survive to adulthood and provide for us in our old age. How risk-averse do you feel today, honey bun?
Husband: Well, let’s let q be 90%. How many children should we try to produce then?
Wife: Well if we plug this all into the formula n=ln(1-q)/ln(1-p), we discover that we should attempt to produce exactly 3.32 children.

Now imagine your parents talking like this. Scary thought, isn’t it? Econ is eating my soul, and there’s nothing left I can do about it. And when Econ is done, Chemistry and Anthropology are going to come and take their sucker punches too. Almost makes you wish you were that .32 child.

Note: I am in no way excessively bitter about my three consecutive midterms this week.

Posted on April 28th, 2004 by Lee
Filed under: Uncategorized