**Frage number one:** *Welches Datum war vor 51 Wochen?*
(What was the date 51 weeks ago?) – An open-ended question with an intriguing solution!
In our daily lives, data play a crucial role. We use them for planning, organization, and communication.
But what happens when our clocks or calendars malfunction?
The question “Welches Datum war vor 51 Wochen?” (What was the date 51 weeks ago?) may come up unexpectedly in our everyday lives.
**Case Study:** *A salesperson who arrived late*. This person rescheduled an important meeting by a week, which seemed insignificant for them but significantly altered the business flow for their client.
**Leading Thoughts:**
Data are indispensable in our lives. We live in a world where our clocks and calendars dictate 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
But what happens when this time structure suddenly becomes unstable?
**Research:**
Dr. Ingrid Müller, a psychologist, has researched how we deal with time: “We live in a world where our clocks and calendars bind us to 24 hours a day and seven days a week. But what happens when this temporal structure suddenly becomes unstable?”
**Experiment:**
Dr. Müller conducted an experiment with 50 participants, asking them to determine the date that was 51 weeks prior in the sequence of months: January, February, …, November, December, January. By subtracting the number of months from the previous December (e.g., 51 – 12 39), we can find the correct date. The results showed that only 42% of participants solved the puzzle correctly, while 58% struggled or failed.
**Solution:** Knowledge of the correct sequence of months is more important than one might think. This information can be helpful in our daily lives, as demonstrated in the example of the salesperson or a similar situation. To find the date that is 51 weeks prior, count the number of months backward from the current December: January, February, …, November, December, January. Subtract 51 from the total number of months (12 x 7 + 1 49), and then subtract 12 to reach the number of months before the previous December (49 – 12 37). Finally, count backward from January to find the date that is 51 weeks prior.
**Reflection:** *
The knowledge of the correct sequence of months is more important than we think.* Understanding this sequence can help us in various situations, as demonstrated by our salesperson example or similar scenarios.