I offer to pay you 2 dollars for every mph you can run

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interpretation of a proposed payment scheme of $2 for every mile per hour (mph) a person can run. Participants explore the implications of this rate, including unit conversions, mathematical reasoning, and the practicality of the incentive structure. The conversation touches on theoretical and conceptual aspects of speed and compensation.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the clarity of the payment structure, asking whether it is $2 per mph or if it relates to distance or time.
  • Others assert that the payment is simply $2 for each mph, providing examples to illustrate their understanding.
  • Concerns are raised about the implications of the payment scheme, particularly regarding how it rewards slower runners disproportionately.
  • Several participants engage in mathematical manipulations to clarify how the units of measurement interact, with some arriving at different interpretations of the payout based on speed.
  • One participant suggests that the incentive of $2 per mph is inadequate for motivating faster running.
  • There are repeated inquiries about the meaning of "dollar hour" and how it relates to the proposed payment scheme.
  • Some participants propose creating an equation to better understand the relationship between amount received, rate, and speed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of interpretations regarding the payment structure, with no consensus reached on the clarity or fairness of the proposed incentive. Multiple competing views remain on how to approach the problem mathematically and conceptually.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the assumptions made about the relationship between speed, distance, and time, as well as the definitions of units involved. Some mathematical steps remain unresolved, leading to different conclusions among participants.

johnqwertyful
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So is that 2 dollar/(mile/hour)=2 dollar hour/mile? What's a dollar hour? Is there a better way of handling this?
 
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$2 for every mph ? Whether it is $2 either for the speed or for the distance or for the hours is confusing. But yours is for the speed, which sounds odd if applied to humans.
And
Given $2 for 1 mile per 1 hour,
now $1 for x mile(s) per y hour(s) means ?
 
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johnqwertyful said:
So is that 2 dollar/(mile/hour)=2 dollar hour/mile? What's a dollar hour? Is there a better way of handling this?

You are over thinking it. It's just $2 per mph, so if I can run 12mph, which the latest marathon world record setter did recently, then you own me $24.
 
Well to manipulate naively, 1 dollar/(x mile/y hour)=y hour dollar/x mile=y/x hour dollar/mile so we are at the first question.

However, with this you run into a problem. If you run 1 mile per 4 hours, you would run 4 times as slowly as someone who ran 1 mile per 1 hour, but you would get paid 4 times as much.
 
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phinds said:
You are over thinking it. It's just $2 per mph, so if I can run 12mph, which the latest marathon world record setter did recently, then you own me $24.
But how do the units work out? Is "mph" now somehow an irreducible unit?
 
Obviously, if the rate of pay is $2 / mph, or to put it $2 * hour / mile, I want to figure out how much I get paid if I run 1 mile in 4 hours, so I have to cancel hours and miles to leave $. Thus, the payout = ($2 * hour / mile ) * (1 mile) / (4 hours) = $0.50, which is the same as calculating the average speed of the run = 1 mile / 4 hours = 1/4 mph and then multiplying by the rate of $2 / mph.

There's nothing mysterious about this: it's straightforward algebra, often the most difficult, yet essential math subject.
 
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johnqwertyful said:
Well to manipulate naively, 1 dollar/(x mile/y hour)=y hour dollar/x mile=y/x hour dollar/mile so we are at the first question.

However, with this you run into a problem. If you run 1 mile per 4 hours, you would run 4 times as slowly as someone who ran 1 mile per 1 hour, but you would get paid 4 times as much.
The unit is $/mph. The others are either gibberish or just plain wrong. You are trying to attach meaning to them, but they do not have the meaning you are attaching to them. IE: 1 mile per 4 hours is 1/4 mph and gets you paid $.50. Your alternative is just plain wrong. By flipping-over the mph to make h/mi, you are getting rid of the "per" while pretending not to.
 
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$2 per mph is a miserable incentive to run faster.
 
And how much for walk?
 
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johnqwertyful said:
So is that 2 dollar/(mile/hour)=2 dollar hour/mile? What's a dollar hour? Is there a better way of handling this?

I take it you mean you'll pay $2 for every mile a person can run in one hour?

In other words, you're not going to pay Usain Bolt $50 for running 100 meters in 8.95 seconds?
 
  • #11
BobG said:
I take it you mean you'll pay $2 for every mile a person can run in one hour?

In other words, you're not going to pay Usain Bolt $50 for running 100 meters in 8.95 seconds?
I took it as the second one and was hoping to make $20 that way!
 
  • #12
johnqwertyful said:
So is that 2 dollar/(mile/hour)=2 dollar hour/mile? What's a dollar hour? Is there a better way of handling this?
Make an equation out of itto see whatt is going on.
One interpretation is:
A - Amount you will receive
R - rate , in this case 2$/mph
V - Variable, in this case the value in mph that you are doing.
A = R V
 
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