The Great Geek Manual

In case you’re wondering, The first term (e^(i*pi)) is a part of Euler’s equation, in which (e^(i * pi) + 1 = 0) where i is the square root of -1. So in fact (e^(i*pi) is just -1. The second part is also a simple integration that equals +1, so the result is (.002 -1 + 1) or just .002.

The math behind this check is funny in itself, but the story behind it is hilarious … or very, very sad if you chalk it all up to the state of America’s education system. You can read the entire story at a blog dedicated to the incident: http://verizonmath.blogspot.com
. The long and short of it is that Verizon Wireless claims to charge a rate of .002 cents per kilobyte in Canada, but what they actually charge is .002 dollars. The mistake is a simple one. What makes the situation funny is that George Vaccaro, calls them to point out their mistake, they don’t get it. At all. The recording below documents the twenty-minute call to Verizon that ends up being an exercise in futility.

You can also read the transcript at The Consumerist.