One Plus One is THIS MANY!

 

While reading an article for a research paper, I found myself editing the article. Some believe this is hereditary (thanks, mom). As I went through the article, all those lectures by English teachers started to make sense. "Even if you're a rocket scientist, you still need to learn how to write!" A little basic math wouldn't hurt either... Here are two excerpts. (Words underlined and in bold type are my editions for the purpose of making a point).

First:
"Ten members of the First Christian Church of Boulder congregation participated in the hobbyist focus group... Six of the group said they were more inclined to visit the museum...Three indicated that viewing a virtual visit probably would not affect the likelihood of their actually visiting the museum... One said that it would depend on the museum... One indicated being less inclined..."

Ok... 6+3+1+1 = 11. Who snuck into the focus group of ten? (Better yet, 10-6-3-1-1 = -1. Take that, physics.)

Next:
"Seven members of the Colorado Mountain Club participated in the General Users group... The participants were evenly divided about how a virtual visit to a museum would affect their inclination to visit in-person."

Seven evenly divided = 3.5. I want to know more about these two .5 people. Were they on the fence about the issue? Confused? Split personality? (I hate it when I argue with myself in public...)

While amusing, I'm really starting to question whether or not I can use this article in my paper and still retain my own credibility.