So I've always wondered, if you are writing down a number being dictated (slowly) by someone else, like 234, do you write the 2, then leave space and write the 4, then go back and fill in with 3? Or do you push the 4 onto the stack until the 3 arrives, and write 34 at once.
My German professor told us a story, set in WWII: Two British pilots shot down behind enemy lines, who had received very thorough training on German culture, current sports, etc., successfully blended in with the native Germans for some time until someone noticed them in a cafe writing down the sum on their bill in left-to-right order. They were summarily shot. Not that I have any idea whether this is based on truth or not, or whether Germans, in fact, write the last two digits in reverse order. Also, Claus's reply gives me a headache. Eric