That Powerball meme going around on Facebook is totally wrong
A meme going around on Facebook suggests that the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot — now $1.5 billion — is enough to turn every single American into an instant millionaire.
Although the meme proudly proclaims "poverty solved," that isn't true — the math on the image is incorrect.
Created by Instagram user Esteyban, the meme claims that everyone in the country could received $4.33 million, if divided evenly between America's estimated 300 million residents. As the Huffington Post pointed out, if you divy the jackpot among 300 million people, the payout for each person would only be $4.33 — dollars, not millions.
If you divide the jackpot using the country's actual population — 322.8 million people — everyone would receive $4.02.
The creator of the meme has since deleted the original post and owned up to his mathematical error.
"Sometimes it takes a little humility and humor to start a conversation about an important topic," he wrote.
Contact Caitlin Lilly at clilly@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @caitiesmith
