The simple math

My college algebra and statistics teacher said it over and over.
"It's the simple math, chil'ren."

He knew that when we made an error, it was usually something simple. Why? We paid more attention to the hard parts, because we knew they were hard. We'd gloss over the easy stuff, because we knew it was easy.

I still say it, still hear it in my head, when I make a simple error.
"It's the simple math, chil'ren."

Mr. Stewart wrote his master's thesis on probability and gambling. I do not recommend playing poker against him.