My grandkids like playing a game while I drive. They look out the window to spot the cars they like and score points. A Jeep is 1, a convertible is 10, a Mini Cooper is 40, and a Bug is 100. If we are lucky and see a convertible Mini or Bug, we get 10 extra points for convertibility. I play with them, of course. As a result, I can recognize minis and bugs from hundreds of miles away (I am exaggerating).
Recently, a Mini annoyed me. I was driving behind one, warmly thinking about my grandchildren, when its right turn signal started flashing. The signal looked like an arrow pointing to the left. I got so confused that my grandkids flew from my mind.
When I came home, I started googling and discovered that Mini designers wanted the British symbolism on their cars. The right signal is reminiscent of the right half of the British flag.
Here is the picture from Reddit with the left turn signal on.
I am writing this essay but afraid to show my grandkids these pictures. They would be maxi-disappointed with Minis.
Here is the homework problem I gave to my PRIMES STEP students.
Puzzle. A man called his wife from the office to say that he would be home at around eight o’clock. He got in at two minutes past eight. His wife was extremely angry at this lateness. Why?
The expected answer is that she thought he would be home at 8 in the evening, while he arrived at 8 in the morning. However, my students had more ideas.
For example, one student extended the time frame.
The man was one year late.
Another student found the words “got in” ambiguous.
He didn’t get into his house two minutes past eight. He got into his car.
A student realized that the puzzle never directly stated why she got angry.
The wife already got angry when he said he would be home around eight, as she needed him home earlier.
The students found alternative meanings to “called his wife from the office” and “minutes.”
He had an office wife whom he called. But the wife at home was a different wife, and she was angry.
