So my sons 4th grade math teacher gives them a Problem Of The Week on Fridays, due for the following Friday.
I know that this is a smart crowd with a ton of legit math wizards, so I’d like to throw this one out to the crowd.
The problem is as follows:
Ive already solved it, but Id like to see how others go about it.
I haven’t done a maths problem in a decade or so, so here’s my amateur attempt:
(100-((1+2+3+4)×6))/5 = 8
It’s probably very inelegant, but it works.
only know plate math
To get started I’ll need 100 cookies…
Based on your results, what more does one need?
Sideline: Why aren’t plates in divisions of 45? Like 45, 27.5, and 13.75?
Yeah, @dagill2 That was a very clear quick arithmetical solution.
I’ll need a little time to figure out a graphic presentation to go along with the words & numbers.
For the sake of comprehension I’d use volume measures (oz.) for him rather than % of solution. That would get too abstract pretty quickly.
100 = x + (x +6) + (x +12) + (x + 18) + (x + 24)
Solve for x
This is also what I ended up doing. It seems a bit complicated for 4th grade math though.
f + (0) + f + 6 + f + 12 + f + 18 + f + 24 (combine like-terms)
5f + 60 = 100 cookies (subtract 60 from each side)
5f = 40 cookies (divide both sides by 5)
f = 8 cookies
Started with 8 cookies on first day, ended with diabeetus on the 6th day.
Its intended to be done with help from the parent, and they aren’t graded, but its for bonus points or prizes.
I know that some of the parents are going to be pulling their hair out/pissed, etc. when they can’t get it.
Trick question: kid went into a diabetic coma on day 3
I don’t know what new math they are teaching today, but a smart 4th grader back in my days would do a method similar to @Andrewgen_Receptors. He would subtract the extra cookies added Tuesday thru Friday from 100. And divide the remaining cookies by 5 (days)
Its kinda funny. The “new math” that has a lot of parents ipset is actually pre-algebra.
They’re piggybacking the algebraic rules and methods on to the basic arithmetic.
I am willing to bet a surprising number of parents would have zero idea how to solve this or make it vastly more complicated than it should be!
Yeah. Im pretty sure that its actually also a guage of the level of parental involvement.
Knowledge of mathematics is extremely lacking in the USA. It has gotten so bad that when I hear someone say, “Do the math,” it is more likely that they know next to nothing more than elementary arithmetic. And I might add that way too many fail to realize that to quote a percentage as if there isn’t a known denominator (that they know) is nonsensical.
We got that about mowing yards.
Rate x time = accomplishment
(5cc/60sec)t + (5cc/120sec)t = 10cc
80 seconds ought to accomplish 10cc
I wouldn’t go way out on that limb. Though I did take numerous mathematics courses in college and then feel in love with statistics in my mid 50’s.
In school I hated statistics, but the computer making standard deviation calculations a key stroke, made statistical calculations easy (compared to a sliderule.)
I do have a challenge whenever someone tries telling me they are good at math. I say without searching the internet, what mathematical function and its derivative are equal for all values of x?
Hint: You become to appreciate this mathematical function when finding solutions of differential equations.
