{"id":"study-paycheck-net-pay-math","audience":"high-school","category":"explaining","technique":"examples","track":"study","title":"See how gross pay becomes net pay on a sample paycheck","free":false,"task":"In Personal Finance you're confused why your first paycheck was smaller than hours times wage. Get exactly 3 numbered lines showing the math with the class sample stub (gross pay, total deductions, net pay), then one sentence on why net is smaller, plain text, under 75 words. Use the corrected hours from Ms. Carver's note.","materialLabel":"The sample pay stub and class notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"PERSONAL FINANCE - Ms. Carver - Unit 4: Your first paycheck\n\nSAMPLE PAY STUB (class handout): Jordan, part-time at Maple Street Grocery\nHourly wage: $14.00\nHours this pay period: 25\n   ** Ms. Carver's note on the board: \"Typo on the handout: Jordan worked 20 hours, not 25. Use 20.\" **\n\nDeductions this period:\n- Federal income tax withheld: $16.00\n- Social Security (6.2%): $17.36\n- Medicare (1.45%): $4.06\n- State income tax withheld: $6.58\n\nVocabulary:\n- Gross pay = hourly wage x hours (before anything is taken out)\n- Net pay = gross pay - all deductions (\"take-home pay\")\n\nMy confusion: I thought I'd get $14 x my hours. Why is it less?\n\nNot this unit: filing a tax return, W-4 forms (Unit 5).\nQuiz Friday.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"maxWords","max":75},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking for an explanation","why":"The AI explains paychecks in general instead of doing the math on the stub.","fix":"Ask for the math: \"Show gross, deductions and net with the numbers.\"","checks":["r0","r1"]},{"title":"Missing the correction","why":"The handout's typo and the teacher's fix are both in your material.","fix":"Add: \"Use 20 hours, per Ms. Carver.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Not saying how many lines","why":"The AI picks its own number, and it usually picks more lines than you need.","fix":"Be exact: \"Exactly 3 numbered lines.\"","checks":["numberedItems"]},{"title":"Skipping the why","why":"Numbers alone don't answer your real question.","fix":"Add: \"End with one sentence on why net is smaller.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over.","fix":"Cap each line: \"each under 18 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it will be read","why":"AI formats for a screen, with bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in your notes.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Asks to show the math","patterns":["show.{0,15}(math|work|numbers)","x 20","gross"]},{"label":"Uses the correction","patterns":["20 hours","correct","typo"]},{"label":"Says how many lines","patterns":["\\b(3|three)\\b.{0,25}line"]},{"label":"Asks why it's smaller","patterns":["why.{0,20}(smaller|less)","deduction"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]}],"hint":"Seeing the subtraction is what makes a pay stub make sense. Ask for gross, deductions and net on separate lines with the numbers, using the corrected hours.","rubricLabels":["Line 1 shows gross pay with the corrected hours: $14.00 x 20 = $280.00","Line 2 shows total deductions as $44.00 ($16.00 + $17.36 + $4.06 + $6.58), and line 3 shows net pay as $280.00 - $44.00 = $236.00","Ends with one sentence explaining that taxes and payroll deductions are taken out before you get paid, with nothing about tax returns or W-4 forms"]}