I know that I’ve said worse during classes in the past, but this one set off alarms just after I said it tonight, especially given my memory of the post early last month about embarrassing moments posted to Reddit by our students.We’re talking about supply and demand and how they can be modeled simply by linear and quadratic functions, as well as their relationship to revenue, cost and profit. I did a basic example with a linear demand function and the corresponding revenue function, determining how to maximize revenue.
While I didn’t have a specific example including cost and profit, I expanded on the idea, specifically including how a very basic cost model works, a start-up cost with a per-item-produced cost (marginal cost), again dealing with a linear function. Thus it began.
“So with the most basic of cost functions, immediately there's a start-up cost, buying equipment or paying for the electricity to turn the machine on or some such. Then it costs so much for each unit produced. Meaning, it costs more each time you put out.”
It’s amazing how the students won’t register at all that you asked a simple question (such as “What is 6 divided by 3?”) with any sort of response, but as soon as you pop one of these boners, they’re laughing at it like it was the funniest thing on Earth.
Oh shit, did I just do it again?
Now you've awakened my inner Beavis/Butthead. It really is high school here tonight... ;)
ReplyDeleteOddly, though, they're so well-trained by popular culture that they don't react unless you do. Whenever I talk about early manufacturing, proto-industrialization, I talk about the "putting-out system" which is what it used to be called in some parts. I do it entirely matter-of-factly, and they don't even blink. Not a word. Not a snigger.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's how I tell it....
She said "put out." :o) That's funny! Thanks for sharing the laughs. I'm not sure I could do that lecture with a straight face.
ReplyDeleteOr he??? :)
DeleteThe funny thing is that I didn't realize my phrasing until everyone laughed, so I was totally straight-faced.
DeleteAnd, FWIW, Pat from Peoria is a he. I originally chose "Pat" to be ambiguous, but I've referenced my wife too many times to remain that ambiguous, or androgynous, or whatever. So, I guess it's a boy!
Whoever wrote my freshman chem lab sheet made me lol so hard I nearly peed myself. We were making aspirin or whatever from some sort of acetic acid precipitate. The instructions for drying the precipitate were basically:
ReplyDeletePush hose onto vacuum nozzle.
Turn on suction.
Let it suck until dry.
Weigh. Record results.
Clean up.
Massive "that's what she said" combo points.
"[E]mbarrasing moments posted to Reddit?" Reddit itself has a number of issues, some made worse because people from the massive Something Awful forums* have decided to camp out there in the "ShitRedditSays" sub-forum. And Reddit does not help itself by having certain members who are into very nasty things (gore, alleged child pornography, etc.) run around openly....until the self-appointed Chris Hansons of SA showed up.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet is becoming a self-creating, self-perpetuating soap opera.
________________________________
* Something Awful is a "comedy" website that has been around since 1999 or so; they have an aforementioned large forum. Unlike Reddit, you pay to join, they monitor the forums constantly, and they kick people out for breaking "the rules" (no refunds, and you have to pay again to rejoin.) I've looked at the place whenever it is free to lurk; many of them have had abusive childhoods, bad living conditions, general sad-sack lives - so they become supertrolls. All our trolls are but 1/100th of the bitter crazy assholes that call themselves "Goons" (which is what they call themselves.) And they loathe the thought of child porn**, which is why they decided to bring the Inquisition there.
**Just to be absolutly straight, I don't like child porn either, it's just that I don't think it exists in the vast quantities that people think it does. It's the moral panic of our times.
"Something Awful" used to have some really funny posts making fun of 1970s fashion, but I never read their forums. Sounds gruesome.
ReplyDeleteAnd Pat, I confess I'd have laughed a little myself at "putting out", sorry.
If I am trying to wake up my students, I talk about the Kinky Demand Curve instead of the Kinked Demand Curve. That gets their attention every time!
ReplyDeleteBefore Spring Break, I was talking with my majors about the Social Penetration Model of self disclosure. I'm just hoping tonight they've gotten over the major case of the giggles now that its been over a week.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of tired of having my students snicker when I use "booty" (instead of "loot"). It's another perfectly good word being lost to immaturity.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of tired of the snickering when I describe "nipples" and "milk from mammary glands" when talking about the defining characteristics of mammals during my general animal taxonomy section, because, uh, well, that's why they're called mammals! [mammals = mammary glands, DUH...]
ReplyDeleteI have the unfortunate habit of saying "beat off" in lieu of "fought off" or "drove away."
ReplyDeleteDoesn't matter who's listening, hilarity always follows.
I had one of these recently. I turned red in front of the entire class making it that much worse.
ReplyDelete