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Is it ever okay to just give $2? A closer look at the complexities of ‘hongbao maths’
Chinese New Year requires calculations that take into account history, economics, design, social sciences and game theory, but does it really need to be this hard?
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Exactly how much money to put into each tier of hongbao is not a simple process.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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It’s that time of the year again, when married Chinese have to start preparing for their annual hongbao maths olympiad.
It is just like any other maths olympiad, except there are more participants, it lasts 15 days, and the maths being tested is far more complex than trying to differentiate a polynomial function. The maths being tested is “hongbao maths” – a complex inter-disciplinary academic field of study that involves history, economics, design, social sciences and game theory.
