At a dinosaur exhibit the attendant said ...?

Question

... the Muttabaurrasaurus was 30 million and 20 years old. "How can you be that accurate?" asked a student. "Well I was told it was 30 million years old when I started, and I've been here for 20 years"

What's wrong with this logic?

No joke (even though it's quite funny).

Thanks arbiter007. That's the answer I was after.

Answer 1

Significant figures. The uncertainty in both quantities is totally different.

If we do the math considering significant figures (assuming 2 sf for 30 million years):

30,000,000 + 20 = 30,000,020 = 3.0 x 10^7

I remember this as cowboys and Indians joke:

Soldier: Captain, captain, we are being attacked by 1003 Indians!!

Captain: How do you know there are 1003 Indians?

Soldier: Captain, there are 3 Indians on front and like a thousand behind them!!!

Answer 2

Nothing wrong, Time is an Uknown Quantum. Perception of Time is what one uses as a Relevant point that can be agreed upon for a commjon understanding of referance.
The exhibitor was stateing a fact. The item, when introduced into his perception was described as being 30 million years old. The exhibitor had aged 20 Earth Years since first perceprion of that object, hence the object, in his perception, is 30,000,020 Earth Years old.
Then again, he cold have been lied to, or the data was corrupt when told to him, that is where the logical flaw is.

Answer 3

This is a case of excessive precision. The uncertainty of dating of the dinosaur is probably on the order of several hundred thousand years, so 20 years is literally in the noise of the measurement and should not have been mentioned.

Answer 4

lol, that is funny...and I assume it was a joke...but it is logical. If he was talking about that particular dinosaur structure, and it was 30 million years old when he started, he is correct...it is now 20 years older than that.
Witty tour guides are the best...tee hee hee.

Answer 5

I hope and assume it was a joke.