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Compare a flight and a bus home with all the fees

  • For College students
  • You practice Showing an example of what you want
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You're going home for winter break and want the cheapest round trip with one checked bag. Get exactly 3 numbered lines in plain text, under 70 words: 1. the flight's round-trip cost with fees, with the math; 2. the bus's round-trip cost, with the math, using the updated fare; 3. which costs less and by how much. No advice. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Missing the holiday fare. The AI uses $45 and misses Greyline's email about your dates. Try: Add: "Use the $55 holiday fare."
  • Forgetting the extras. The AI compares the fares and leaves out bag fees and airport rides. Try: Say: "Include bag fees and airport rides each way."
  • No math shown. The AI gives totals with no working, so you can't check them. Try: Show it: "1. Flight: ($89 + $35 bag + $20 ride) x 2 = $288".
  • Getting advice. The AI weighs pros and cons and nudges you toward one option. Try: Add: "The last line only says which costs less and by how much. No advice."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 16 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the holiday fare
  • Counts the extras
  • Shows the math
  • Sets the number of lines
  • Sets a word limit

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