I got stuck while reading this article on the premise that you’re sure the letter came from one of the six classmates. The assumption is stated, but it is presented as a given rather than flagged as a simplification, with the footnote marker acknowledging that simplification appearing later in the post. I found myself unable to think about anything else without questioning that premise for the remainder of the post until I located the footnote. By that point I’d already spent the entire example questioning the premise instead of engaging with the math. It feels like a missed opportunity to demonstrate the skill being taught. I will concede however that getting stuck was itself a useful exercise in flagging unstated simplifications.
I got stuck while reading this article on the premise that you’re sure the letter came from one of the six classmates. The assumption is stated, but it is presented as a given rather than flagged as a simplification, with the footnote marker acknowledging that simplification appearing later in the post. I found myself unable to think about anything else without questioning that premise for the remainder of the post until I located the footnote. By that point I’d already spent the entire example questioning the premise instead of engaging with the math. It feels like a missed opportunity to demonstrate the skill being taught. I will concede however that getting stuck was itself a useful exercise in flagging unstated simplifications.