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Compare a home aide and an adult day program by month

  • For Small business owners
  • You practice Showing an example of what you want
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

Your dad needs daytime company 3 days a week (12 days a month) while you run your shop. Get exactly 3 numbered lines in plain text, under 80 words: 1. the home aide's monthly cost with the math, using the agency's new rate; 2. the day program's monthly cost with the math, including transport; 3. which costs less per month and by how much. No advice. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using the old rate. The AI uses $28 and misses the agency's December rate. Try: Add: "Use the new $30 rate from December 1."
  • Forgetting transport. The AI compares the $95 daily rate and leaves out the van. Try: Add: "Include the $15 van each day."
  • No math shown. The AI gives totals with no working, so you can't check them. Try: Show it: "1. Aide: $30 x 6 hours x 12 days = $2,160".
  • 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 80 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 20 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the new rate
  • Includes transport
  • Shows the math
  • Sets the number of lines
  • Sets a word limit

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