Are you a "Zero" or a "One"?

It starts 2021. Many people were calling 2000 the 21st century but it didn't begin until 2001.

Heard people say that, but I hadn't given much thought

Don't know that I would blame it on math skills.  Certainly, we see so many young folks who can't make change or do any sort of math in their heads.  Things like processing historical data as to when a decade begins or ends... or even engage their brains in the damage a current administration is doing to their futures... is lost on playing the next level of some digital game on their phone.  

Upon retirement, I did some substitute teaching at a local Jobs Corp.  Would get called in, regularly, to teach carpentry or plumbing or concrete basics.  Asked the carpentry class what the dimensions of a 2 X 4 was.  Not a one of them had been told... let alone even care... the actual dimensions are 1 1/2" X 3 1/2".  In all three classes, I made up test sheets for converting feet to inches.  How many feet in 96"?  How many inches in 5'6"?  Had about a dozen of those questions.  Not one.  NOT ONE could figure those out!  They all tried to use calculators on their phones and, of course, would come up with decimals.... not feet or inches.  
When the instructor of each class returned, I asked why these kids weren't being taught to do some of this necessary math that would be required when they went job hunting.  None seemed to be concerned.  It was more about the numbers they could "graduate" than what those kids learned.  Soon, thereafter, I resigned and have played golf since.

There are no reasoning skills.  There is no incentive to use your mind/brain.  If you can't find it on your phone or Google... go on to something else.  If reasoning skills are required for your job, let alone even showing up on time, shrug your shoulders and move on to the next job.  Career construction workers I was around out in the field were better at math skills than many of the graduate engineers in our office!!  

Rant off...…….. 

I don't mean to be rude but I think you gave a poor example. No amount of reasoning or knowledge will explain why a piece of lumber that measures 3 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches is known as a 2 X 4. If dimensions are given in anything we buy, we expect those dimensions to be accurate. Even more so when the dimensions are actually in its name.

I've always been a reasonably intelligent person but had never been involved in working with lumber. In the middle of a DIY job, Hubby sent me to lumber yard to buy two 2 X 4s. Hubs was an exacting person and - Wanting to avoid a trip back because I had bought the wrong thing - I pulled out a measuring tape to be certain that what I had was actually a 2 X 4.

Salesman, who fortunately was an old friend, saw me and ran over and said, "No, no. it won't measure that" and went on to explain that the chunk of wood had begun life one size but, due to sizing, shaping, etc. it now measured 3 1/2 X 1 1/2. I asked "Then why the hell isn't it sold as a 3 1/2 by 1/12? Also, asked if he measured everything he had by same ruler. He acted offender. Wonder why.

Otherwise, a good post.

After you explained it a one.

Nkat