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Boy dials 911 for help with math homework

By T.K. Randall
October 7, 2018 · Comment icon 8 comments

Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Ecole polytechnique Universite Paris-Saclay
A 10-year-old school pupil recently called the emergency services after getting stuck on a math problem.
When dispatcher Chris Clow responded to the call, the last thing he expected was to be asked for the answer to a long division question.

"Hi, this isn't an emergency, but I'm 10 years old and I'm working on my math homework right now and I can't figure out what 71 divided by 3,052 is," the boy said.

Ever the professional, Clow did his best to find the answer. It turned out that the boy had got the problem backwards and was actually trying to find the answer to 3,052 divided by 71, which is 42.9.
An audio recording of the call was later posted on Facebook by the Fort Collins Police Department.

While the boy's request was innocuous enough, officials have stressed that the emergency services should only be called in the event of an actual emergency.

"Disclaimer: Not all dispatchers are as skilled in math and/or readily equipped with calculators as Dispatcher Chris," the department wrote.



Source: UPI.com | Comments (8)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Still Waters 6 years ago
The dispatcher actually helped him too. A "thank you" from the boy wouldn't have gone amiss.
Comment icon #2 Posted by acute 6 years ago
I would've given him the wrong answer, to deter him. Imagine when he's at University and starts calling for help with Particle Physics.
Comment icon #3 Posted by Jenn8779 6 years ago
Aw, poor little guy! It sounds like he really wanted to do well. Wrong path but the right intent. Kids are precious
Comment icon #4 Posted by Troublehalf 6 years ago
Did you watch the video? At 1:04.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Still Waters 6 years ago
Yes I did, I watched the whole video but somehow missed that. Ok, my mistake, sorry to the boy for misjudging him.
Comment icon #6 Posted by Troublehalf 6 years ago
No worries, it happens!
Comment icon #7 Posted by pallidin 6 years ago
That was precious! Obviously NOT a reason to call 911, but, it was all good.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Calibeliever 6 years ago
Girlfriend ran a dispatch center for many years and has heard it all. When I told her this, she said she would have allowed the dispatcher to give the child the answer and then sent a uniformed officer to the house to have a little chat with the parents.


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