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Sort out who still owes club dues from a messy payment log
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're Robotics Club treasurer. Dues are $15. Coach waived dues for the two team managers, Priya and Sam (not in the log). Write exactly 6 numbered lines, one per member in alphabetical order, each as Name: paid $X, owes $Y (or waived), then one unnumbered last line: Total still owed: $X. Plain text, under 70 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not mentioning the waivers. The log doesn't say Coach waived them, so the AI charges Priya and Sam $15 each. Try: Add: "Priya and Sam are waived."
- Trusting every log line. The AI counts Ben's declined request or Eli's brother's payment. Try: Add: "Only count money actually paid for our dues."
- Leaving the shape open. The AI writes a paragraph about each person. Try: Show it: "1. Ava: paid $15, owes $0"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 8 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in a club group chat. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Mentions the waivers
- Gives the dues amount
- Asks for alphabetical order
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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