Learning how to add, subject, multiply and divide using the old pounds, shillings and pence - that was difficult and probably affected me negatively for the rest of my life. I did learn how to do their math but after we got back the States I was perpetually behind in arithmetic: the new math had been introduced while we were gone and I had a tough time readjusting.

Here's the problem: A pound was worth 20 shillings, and 12 pence equalled a shilling. The symbols were "£" for pounds, "s" for shillings, and "d" for pence, or pennies. Now, see if you can do this multiplication problem! There would have been three columns of currency, like this:

British Coins Still In Use In The 1960's