Money IS math 1$: Let’s do a trade!!

Understanding trading.

Hi I’m Mim.

Edison 'hired' me, yeah hired in quotations as he didn't actually 'hire' me. I'm this character he has in his head that will do a better job talking about money. Ha! It's like the voice actor who voices the words of the tantalizing animated cartoon character, they're there, but you never see them.

I)

So I got hired. Hooray Mim. My job is to bring ‘Money is math’ to life.

A bit about me: Money is my first name, math is my third name. Learning about money and math are my two favourite hobbies. Writing about them, is my third hobby! So, I am so ready to do this job!!!! YES!

Edison gave me three assignments:
1. Explain to readers, how I understand what money is
2. Teach the expert money habits I know
3. Start writing two times a month on Thursdays and see how it goes.

I’m on a 3-month tryout (February 1 to May 1, 2024), and if all goes awesomely magnificently well, it will be extended! Fingers crossed.

First up, digging into understanding what money is, but I won’t talk about money right away. Yeah, I know, this will be interesting.

II)

I have a friend called Mannii who owns some white balls. I, Mim, own some giant blue balls. Mannii would like to have some of my blue balls, and I’d like some of his white balls. So far, so good?

So we decide to make a trade, a swap, a deal, a switch, do an exchangearoo between his white balls and my blue balls, and we need to come to an agreement. … I think I’ll use the word trade. We want to do a trade with his white balls and my blue balls. 

We decide to make a trade, between his white balls and my blue balls.

We discussed it, and both agreed that Mannii will give me 3 of his white balls, for 1 of my blue balls. 3 of his for 1 of mine. We’re both happy because it’s a fair trade. It’s not a win-lose!

If you do not own any money (have no money) this is the start of understanding what money is – it’s all about the trade. And that’s what happened before money was invented 1000s of years ago– you had to trade stuff you owned, to get other stuff you didn’t own.

I can also say it another way - people had to give away stuff they had to get stuff they wanted. I give you this and in exchange you’ll give me that. A give-and-get equation, which if you think about it, does sounds a little like math … you know, EQUATIONS are a part of math! Dig it?

If you do not own any money, this is the start of understanding what money is.

Welcome to Money is math. That’s it. Hope you dug this post about starting to understand what money is.
Mim

III)

Extra, extra - read more about it

Any visual learners?
FOR THE PEOPLE READERS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT ARE VISUAL LEARNERS:

A visual of the trade would be Mannii’s three white balls and my blue ball being balanced (check out the fancy picture). Think of them on a balanced teeter-totter (aka see-saw) or a scale that’s balanced.

The blue and white balls don’t look the same, as 3 white balls are more than 1 blue ball, but to Mannii and I, 1 blue ball and 3 white balls have the same value. Value as in, they’re worth the same. And that makes it a win-win.

IV)

Questions?
FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT HAVE QUESTIONS:
Four questions allowed from my keen audience.

Question 1:
How did you and Mannii know how many white and blue balls to agree on?

Wonderful question! I dig your question. At the start, we didn’t know. But we just talked about it and ended up agreeing that 3 smaller white balls to 1 bigger blue ball was a fair trade for both of us.

Question 2:
So a trade is when two people decide they each have something that they want to give to another person, and that other person has to give them something back, correct?

You know your question had 31 words and is a yes/no question? Sorry, I just got lost counting the number of words you said – but awesome question! You got it, person number two. Yes, you are correct, each person gives and gets something! You give, you get back! And it’s essential that the give and get are balanced! Give equals get (give = get).

Question 3:
Where’s the math? Where’s the Money? Isn’t this called Money is math?

Thank you for the third, fourth and fifth questions in this Question-and-Answer. Yes, that’s my attempt at sarcasm. To keep it fair, I’ll answer your third question only.

And I’ll alter my words to explain differently. Here goes:

I could have approached Mannii and told him I want to buy those three white balls, how much? And he could say, they cost $1.00 or costs $3.25 or cost half a coconut or … or costs 1 big blue ball. To him that’s the value of his three white balls. Then I have to decide what’s a fair trade for me.

The blue ball just replaces money, and that’s my point. Put them on a scale (or teeter-totter), and they would be balanced (3 white balls and $1.00 or 3 white balls and 1 blue ball, 3 white balls and half a coconut). To each person, they have the same value, as that is what it takes to make it a fair trade!

I’m loving this ... I’ll keep going … 

Math has numbers and money is numbers.

Without numbers there is no such thing as money. Without numbers there is no such thing as money. Without numbers there is no such thing as money. Sorry I got stuck on auto-repeat …

So people, Money is math! Except for the fact that billions and billions of people on this planet love money, more than they love math. Go figure.

That’s what’s called going off on a tangent to what’s in the script. Okay, where was I? … next question?

Question 4:
Mim, how much is Edison paying you to do this job? 

What a personal yet very pertinent question. Thank you for being brave or too inquisitive. Give me a moment … … … … … ...

We did a trade! And I think you knew I was going to say that word 😊. Edison gave me a place where readers are interested in learning math strategies. In exchange, I get the opportunity to do what I love, and write words that will have readers understand that money is math. We shook on it!

To understand it with money, Edison is giving me - no money, no moolah, no bucks, no greenbacks, zero dollars ($0.00), and in exchange I get to write on Math by Edison.

But if I said that I was getting paid no money, no moolah, no bucks, no greenbacks, 0 dollars, there would be an uproar from the reader people fans who asked me the questions. But to those four faithful fans I’d say, it’s all good, Edison and I agreed to do the trade - I’m getting something out of it, too. We made a fair deal.

Money is math!! Hope you’re starting to agree, touch wood math.
Mim