Anna

I am an avid reader of your columns but I was very disappointed at the tone of today's column; 
in fact it's quite ridiculous to suggest that a bit of simple arithmetic involving a calculator 
requires a maths degree. You are perpetuating the idea that maths is impossibly hard yet the 
calculations should be routine for a GCSE student, and are nowhere near degree level. Worst 
of all you get the calculations wrong by suggesting you get 39 or 40 after multiplication. 
It is the calorific value that will be between 39 & 40.

British Gas, for example, give full details of all the calculations, which are no more than is 
required to check your pay slip (you do do that don't you?). But what I object to is the tone 
of the article which denigrates mathematics as beneath most people. Just because you find it 
tough doesn't make it less worthwhile getting to grips with.

Steve Mayer
Poole, Dorset
http://sixthform.info/maths

PS
If you want to help people check their bills (which I would have thought is the point of your 
column) you could have set out the calculations as a series of simple steps rather than make 
cheap jibes. Something like 
Step 1:  Subtract the previous meter reading from the present figure to get what we'll call A 
Step 2:  If you have an imperial meter (normally four digits) then multiply A by 2.83 to convert 
to metric. We will call this B
Step 3: The bill will show a calorific value figure which should be between 39 & 40. Call this C
Step 4: Multiply A or B by 1.02264 to get D
Step 5: Multiply D by C to get E
Step 6: Divide E by 3.6 to get F
F is now the number of kilowatt hours
Step 7: Add the standing charge to F to get G
Step 8: Multiply by 1.05 to add VAT and this number is your total charge.

You're the journalist so you could probably put it better than me - I'm only a mathematician 
so clearly unable to string words together!