Learning Strategies

According to an Associated Press article, dated yesterday, “a billion is a substantial number.” I don’t think we can disagree with that.

But the context is, shall we say, a bit implausible:

Federal authorities investigating a man who smuggled money into the country have seized 250 counterfeit bank notes in billion-dollar denominations... The 250 bogus Federal Reserve notes had 1934 issue dates and were stained to make them look old, but no such currency exists, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice.

Really?

But the article continues:

Scam artists typically sell phony government bank notes at a discounted value or use them as collateral to secure loans or make purchases. “A billion is a substantial number. We want to ensure that no one was duped or fleeced by the passing of these documents,” Kice said.

So you walk into your local Target and hand them a billion-dollar bill... no, wait — that’s a different story....

Labels: math