Money WondersPlay

Inflation & the EconomyInflation

Real and Nominal

The number you see and what it's really worth

Gas hit its all-time record in 2022. Except it didn't, really. Can a raise be a pay cut in disguise?

You'll find out

  • Why 2022's gas record wasn't real
  • When a raise is secretly a pay cut
  • The year the minimum wage peaked

Why it matters

Every number about money comes in two versions. Reading the real one changes how your raises, prices and savings look.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 68 · Zone 8

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 64InflationWhy a Dollar Buys LessPrices creep up nearly every year
  2. 65PricesThe 5-Cent CokeA bottle of Coca-Cola cost a nickel for over 70 years
  3. 66InflationYour Money in 20 YearsWhat today's savings will really buy later
  4. 67InflationWhat Causes InflationToo much money chasing too few goods, and other reasons
  5. 69Central BanksZero Inflation Is the GoalThe Fed aims for about 2% on purpose
  6. 70ValueThe Wheelbarrow of MarksIn 1923 Germany, prices doubled every few days and a lifetime of savings turned into paper
  7. 71The EconomyGDP: The Size of the PieEverything a country makes in a year, in one number
  8. 72CurrenciesThe Big Mac IndexA burger that compares the world's currencies