![\"naal-banner\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timoelliott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/naal-banner.jpg?resize=690%2C310&ssl=1\" "\\"naal-banner\\"")
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In today\u2019s New York Times there\u2019s an article entitled \u201cWho Says Maths Has To Be Boring<\/a>?\u201d that contains an interesting reference to the US National Assessment of Adult Literacy:<\/p>\n \u201cOnly 18 percent of American adults can calculate how much a carpet will cost<\/a> if they know the size of the room and the per-yard price of the carpet, according to a federal survey.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That so many people get this wrong is frightening, and the site has lots of other fascinating examples of people struggling with charts, bus timetables, telephone books, sports, etc<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, I wasn\u2019t very surprised.<\/p>\n I believe most people implementing analytic systems underestimate the extent to which many people are not equipped to make the best use of data, no matter how well it\u2019s delivered.<\/p>\n As part of my job I often give talks on how important it is to foster effective information cultures in organization \u2013 not just provide more technology. To ensure analytics projects are successful, it\u2019s important to ensure all employees have the skills they need to understand and use information effectively. Human analysis and decision-making is the most important \u201ctechnology\u201d in the analytics architecture. Or as Einstein put it: \u201cComputers are useless \u2013 they can only give you answers.\u201d<\/p>\n Giving people the latest-and-greatest-technology business intelligence system and suddenly expecting them to achieve great business insights is like giving somebody the easiest-to-use, most sophisticated pencil ever and expecting them to turn into Picasso.<\/p>\n One fun thing that came out of my research: at one point, I found a question that only 14% of adults answered correctly.<\/p>\n But as I tried to answer it myself, I found myself struggling, too! Here\u2019s the question<\/a>:<\/p>\n Refer to the article “Butcher captures Iditarod Sled Dog Race” on page two of the newspaper to answer the following question. Calculate how much less time in hours, minutes, and seconds Susan Butcher took to complete the race this year than in 1986.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This image isn\u2019t really legible, but the site makes it clear that the people taking the survey had a proper newspaper article to read \u2013 and it provides a transcript of the handout:<\/p>\n Butcher captures Iditarod Sled Dog Race<\/strong><\/p>\n Greeted by sirens, banners and shouts, Susan Butcher stormed into Nome, Alaska yesterday in subzero weather and record time to rack up her fourth victory in the past five years in the 1,158-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.<\/p>\n Butcher was running about two hours ahead of defending champion Joe Runyan in a reveral of roles from the 1989 finish. Runyan won that race with a 65-minute cushion over Butcher.<\/p>\n Butcher, who had to drop 1 of her veteran dogs, credited unknowns among her team the win.<\/p>\n “This team has been absolutely incredible,” she said “I never had a team go as strong as this.”<\/p>\n Her official time in the marathon from Anchorage to Nome was 11 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes and 23 seconds. The previous record set by Butcher in 1989 was 11 days, 15 hours, 6 minutes and 2 seconds.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The correct answer would be \u201cwe don\u2019t know\u201d because the article doesn\u2019t have any information about 1986, only 1989.<\/p>\n I first wondered if the question had a typo, but\u00a0a search for the original source of the content<\/a> revealed that the typo is actually in the article transcript — the previous record by Butcher was indeed set in 1986, not 1989. Thus the correct answer is:<\/p>\n Correct Answer<\/em>: 13 hours, 12 minutes, 39 seconds (11 days, 15 hours, 6 minutes, 2 seconds – 11 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes, 23 seconds)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Another part of the survey uses the same materials but asks a slightly different question<\/a>:<\/p>\n Calculate about how many times per day Susan Butcher traveled during this year’s race.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The answer is given as:<\/p>\n Correct Answer<\/em>: Any of the following: 1) 105 or 106 miles (1158\/11); 2) 100 miles (1100\/11); 3) 109 miles (1200\/11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\nData Quality Problems of the NAAL<\/h3>\n
![\"iditarod\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timoelliott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/iditarod.gif?resize=439%2C538&ssl=1\" "\\"iditarod\\"")
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