This chapter is an effective lesson on how readers must pay close attention to statistics which are meant to be attention-getters. The role of mathsemantics may seem obscure in some of the accounts, until one realizes that it is the absence of good mathsemantics that resulted in these tragic events. I assume MacNeal left it to the reader to decide how mathsemantics could be used to prevent further airline disasters. It would have been more satisfying, however, to read his suggestions for remedies to these communication disorders, given the advantage of his expertise. Most of the propositions obviously occur as a result of the preceding discussion.
Nothing is a mathsemantic problem.
While in first grade, my son brought home a test he had taken that had 50 addition and subtraction problems. I was delighted to see that he had completed all but one correctly. This misconception has plagued teachers for years, but it is easily remedied by continuous discussions about the concept of the value of zero. Unfortunately, my son's teacher simply marked the problem wrong and left it to me to discuss the concept with my son. I worried about children of parents who would have difficulty explaining the importance of this problem.