The August 31 meeting saw a minor debate about the value of algebra in everyday life. Although a couple of the geeks claimed that they actually use algebra once in a while, nobody could come up with a concrete example on the spot. It was a pretty dismal performance on the part of said geeks, to say the least.In order to partially rectify (now that's a funny word!) the situation, here's a real problem from the real life of a real geek:
A geek wants to put four drawers one on top of the other into his workbench. He wants to make each drawer 15% taller than the one above it. The total available vertical space is 27 inches. How tall should he make each of the four drawers?
One way to solve this problem involves basic algebra. Are there other ways that don't? Please comment if you have one.
