I agree that Americans are very illiterate in mathematics. For the longest time I used to think that a square was the same as a cube, it took me a while to realize the three dimensional nature of a cube compared to a two dimensional square. It may be that we Americans are so illiterate in math because of technology. Most people are used to being given an equation, simplifying the equation a bit, then plugging it into a calculator, pushing enter, and circling their answer with absolutely no idea how they got it and where it came from. Because of this, we don't know the specifics and definitions of some aspects of mathematics; when given a problem involving a percent, people blindly follow the formula to solve it and plug it into the calculator, never really knowing that there can't be more than 100%. If a problem was written incorrectly and it involved 120%, people would accept it with no question. Overall, I think that technology simplifies math for us maybe too much, therefore we do not know facts such as it is impossible to have more than 100% of something, and what the difference between a square and a cube is. We need to start learning the reasons and processes behind the answer we circle on our papers, and I believe if this starts to happen, we will greatly improve America's illiteracy in mathematics.