How's Your Math(s)

[danbo]

....never know if it's singular or plural....


Anyway, from the BBC:




i) and ii) are pretty easy methinks - I can't remember iii) but maybe sin/cos or summit like that.





They may as well have wrote the questions in Chinese for all the sense they make to me.

From:

BBC NEWS | Education | Mathematicians set Chinese test

[LesBonsTemps]

I don't want to live in a world where I have to do that sort of math.

[Ice Maiden]

I'm shit at it.

That side of me brain doesnt work.

[flash]

for the first one

ab= 3 bc=4 ac=5 or multiples of that

[NickA]

The diagram for the chinese one is very unclear and confusing.

First part is very easy I think.....

All you say is that A1C is parallel to AC and since AC is perpendicular to BD, therefore A1C is also perpendicular

[kingwilly]

MATH(S)....never know if it's singular or plural....

i think its a colonials vs merkin thing....

[slimboyfat]

my son is at primary school and they are already doing stuff we would never have covered until maybe the middle of secondary school.

i really struggle with helping him with his homework too as they seem to have discovered some new maths that i never got taught

[Marmite the Dog]

MATH(S)....never know if it's singular or plural....

i think its a colonials vs merkin thing....

It is maths, because it's a contracted version of mathematics.

A math is an area of lawn that can be mowed in one day.

[cali kid]

Its Math because it is an abbreviation of Mathematics.

[ChiangMai noon]

But mathematics is a plural noun and math just doesn't sound right.
It's like saying there are 4 uni in ChiangMai.
unis is much better.

[slimboyfat]

universities sounds better. 'unis' sounds like something they would say in Neighbours

[NickA]

Right, here's my working for the second part....not sure if I've made it too simple somewhere...geometry is not my strong point and the answer comes out a bit too simple....

[DrB0b]

Its Math because it is an abbreviation of Mathematics.

It's it's because it's an abbreviation of it is, isn't it?

[danbo]

^^Good stuff Nick. It could all be nonsense of course but I'm the trusting sort.

There is a startling difference in difficulty between the English and Chinese versions ("The tests are set for prospective science undergraduates").

Maybe the idea with the second question is to test the methodology in finding an answer rather than the answer itself - still, I wouldn't have a clue where to start....apart from looking over Nick's shoulder....

Re. Math(s) - I quite like the sound of 'math', but logically I think 'maths' is correct...That said, I rarely have reason to use either term.

[Marmite the Dog]

Its Math because it is an abbreviation of Mathematics.

Thick twat.

I suppose Auto is the abbreviation of Automobiles?

[NickA]

^^The English question is a good question, just too simple, whereas the Chinese question is difficult, but not a very good question because the diagram is drawn in a way that is designed to confuse you (well, it confused me) rather than help.

[Begbie]

I assume Danbo is pointing out the difficulty difference between the two university systems.

5,6,3/4 is the first set of answers the second set I'd have to use a pen and paper.

The difference between the systems is that UK Universities are trying to stuff in as many students as possible, mostly to get their cash, though the government also wants to keep them off the streets. The Chinese university on the other hand wants to keep out all but the most intelligent. Very elitists and anti proletarian.

[danbo]

I assume Danbo is pointing out the difficulty difference between the two university systems.

I was, but not very clearly it must be said.

The Chinese university on the other hand wants to keep out all but the most intelligent. Very elitists and anti proletarian.

Do you mean that only folks with money would be able to afford the education required to approach the second question? I doubt that you mean that the working class are inherently thickos.

[NickA]

^the working class, would, by definition, be, to some extent, inherently uneducated (like me)

[Begbie]

The Chinese university on the other hand wants to keep out all but the most intelligent. Very elitists and anti proletarian.

Do you mean that only folks with money would be able to afford the education required to approach the second question? I doubt that you mean that the working class are inherently thickos.

I wasn't being too clear either. The Chinese systems appears to be is pejudice against people who don't have high foreheads. Actually looking at the test it's definately biased against the average punter and therefore elitist. On the money side I suppose you could always buy the answers.

[danbo]

My grandparents were Upper-Lower-Working-Class, my parents through dint of their efforts worked their way up to Lower-Middle-Working-Class.

On a serious note, I think that one can be held back not by lack of opportunity but by lack of aspiration.

[danbo]

Well here's the answer to the Chinese test:

BBC NEWS | Education | Chinese maths puzzle solutions




So it wasn't '2 Apples' after all.

[danbo]

And here's a maths joke.

[NickA]

^^Whippeee, I got part ii right!!!!!!

I've got to tell you it took me over an hour to do it though and I never bothered to try part iii (cos it looked difficult)

[sabang]

It just shows how much maths I've forgotten.
Frankly, it would have been easy in my twenty's.
One tangent calculation (trigonometry), and a simple question re the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle when you break it down.