Answer this and then I'll tell you why I've asked it.

I can honestly say that I've never had to use Pythagorus' thereom.

literatin wrote (see)

 

Having said that, though, this is kind of fun. Kittenkat, does your daughter have any more homework?

I'll let you know when she does

I have always thought that there should be a certficate for basic numeracy, which teaches you all the stuff you need in life including weights and measures and monetary stuff like budgets and APR's etc. and then a separate, optional, subject for the rest of maths for people that are into that sort of thing.

If I'd known, when I was 8 and crying because I couldn't understand long division that I would never need to use it and, similarly, being bored to tears by algebra at 15, I would have been devastated  

I am actually quite bitter that I was forced to spend all that tme learning that stuff when I could have been doing something more useful and interesting. 

Same goes for English too - grammar, spelling how to write letters, how to write a CV etc. - leave the essays on Shakespeare for the enthusiasts.

Screamapillar wrote (see)

Same goes for English too - grammar, spelling how to write letters, how to write a CV etc. - leave the essays on Shakespeare for the enthusiasts.

When I were a lad we had separate O Levels for English Language (which was compulsory and covered grammar, spelling, how to write letters etc) and English Literature (optional, essays on Shakespeare for the enthusiasts).  Is it different these days?

kittenkat wrote (see)

Ok, so 2 people have got the same answer, so I'm assuming it's right... But here's the next question, do any higher numbers solve the puzzle?

You can make the 'numbers in each pile' logic work for any total number of coins that's a multiple of 5.  Although it's a bit dubious when the total is 5 because the number in each is 4 0 1 0.

My head hurts

Cheerful Dave wrote (see)

Screamapillar wrote (see)

Same goes for English too - grammar, spelling how to write letters, how to write a CV etc. - leave the essays on Shakespeare for the enthusiasts.

When I were a lad we had separate O Levels for English Language (which was compulsory and covered grammar, spelling, how to write letters etc) and English Literature (optional, essays on Shakespeare for the enthusiasts).  Is it different these days?

I asked my daughter's English teacher why she received an A for one of her essays that was littered with grammatical errors. Her teacher said they weren't marking on grammar or spelling - it was for creativity

Cheerful Dave - obviously we're from roughly the same era! I passed both English Language and Eng Lit at O level.

As far as I know they still have both, but even when I was at school, there wasn't really any grammar in English Language. I learnt all my grammar from reading literature.

As I remember it, English Language was actually creative writing - beneficial up to a point in that you'd learn sentence structure, punctuation etc. but not much real use by the time you were 15 if you were not at all creative.

And I maintain the best way to learn to spell is through spelling tests -  when the same commonly misspelled words come up time after time they eventually sink in.

Yep English Langauge and English Lit.

I agree on the Arithmetic point. Tha ability to do that is something everybody needs. Algrebra, trignonometry and calculus is more specific.

Instead the GSCE tries to make sure that you get a C if you can add up etc and then the rest gives you the higher grades.

I remember using pythagoras theorem to explain to some kids at the County Schools why the Long jump is measured perpendicularly into the pit rather than from the centre of the board. i.e. if you land near the edge ot the pit you have to measure it straight out even if you have to extend the take-off board sideways to do it.

If you measure from the centre then you would get a greater distance if you jumped to the side which is fine except everybody would try it and end up landing out of the pit and injuring themselves!

hey brooks, I also used pythagoras to explain why you should run straight down lane one at the end of a distance race rather than veer out to lane 6 , 7 or 8...I think it worked out you run an extra 50cms if you end up in lane 8...

I was the very last year of O Levels.

I failed maths (because I kept getting thrown out of class), re-sat and got a C, English Lit and Lang both A grade, got A at A-level English Lit too.

Words fit together for me, numbers don't. I just can't see the patterns or remember how to do any of it!

I sat at work for a good 5 minutes the other day trying to work out my timesheet, and it's not complicated!

Tom. wrote (see)

Try this: A salesman is entitled to 10% commission on his sales after his commission has been charged. If his commission is 18 pounds, what are his sales?

Refrigerators or double glazing?

Tom. wrote (see)

KK the question is solved by basic algebra as some of the earlier posters have demonstrated, though I suspect that an eight year old would be expected to solve it using substitution.

In both cases the key is to start with the number of coins in the second pile as the contents of the other piles (and by implication the total number of coins) are derived from the second pile.

So, algebraically if there are x coins in pile 2: then (x+4)+x+(x+1) +2x=20
Ie 5x+5=20: 5x=15 and x=3, which determines 7 3 4 6

By substitution:
Pile 2=1, hence pile 1=5, pile 3=2, pile 4=2...total 10 - no!
Pile 2=2, hence pile 1=6, pile 3=3, pile 4=4...total 15 - getting there!
Pile 2=3, hence pile 1=7, pile 3=4, pile 4=6...total 20 - result!

Try this: A salesman is entitled to 10% commission on his sales after his commission has been charged. If his commission is 18 pounds, what are his sales?

200 (I think)

By the way KK, I did it by substitution, and I did further maths.

They do seem to do maths very differently now, but I think they're trying to instill "a sense of number", so when they get to using calculators they have a fair idea of whether the number that comes up is sensible.

grast_girl wrote (see)

Tom. wrote (see)

KK the question is solved by basic algebra as some of the earlier posters have demonstrated, though I suspect that an eight year old would be expected to solve it using substitution.

In both cases the key is to start with the number of coins in the second pile as the contents of the other piles (and by implication the total number of coins) are derived from the second pile.

So, algebraically if there are x coins in pile 2: then (x+4)+x+(x+1) +2x=20
Ie 5x+5=20: 5x=15 and x=3, which determines 7 3 4 6

By substitution:
Pile 2=1, hence pile 1=5, pile 3=2, pile 4=2...total 10 - no!
Pile 2=2, hence pile 1=6, pile 3=3, pile 4=4...total 15 - getting there!
Pile 2=3, hence pile 1=7, pile 3=4, pile 4=6...total 20 - result!

Try this: A salesman is entitled to 10% commission on his sales after his commission has been charged. If his commission is 18 pounds, what are his sales?

200 (I think)

By the way KK, I did it by substitution, and I did further maths.

They do seem to do maths very differently now, but I think they're trying to instill "a sense of number", so when they get to using calculators they have a fair idea of whether the number that comes up is sensible.

I think 10 is a fairly sensible number, it keeps its head down and isn't odd in any discernible way.

But 10 obviously basks in the glory of his father 100, which has helped him climb the sweet sticky sycophantic ladder to success.

But conversely, he's only 10 so we shouldn't judge too harshly.