Re: [Math4u] maths problem

Thanks for your suggestions Buck. They are very specific and I can grasp them. I shall revise my write up.

 

Vinaire

----- Original Message ----
From: Buck Dick <kcubar34@yahoo.com>
To: Math4u@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, December 7, 2007 9:13:51 AM
Subject: Re: [Math4u] maths problem

Isn't it amazing how many unstated assumptions persons who write math problems expect us to make?  Are there any crippled cows or chickens in this group, any having fewer than four or two legs?  If not, state it.  Don't expect the problem solver to have that knowledge independently of the situation.  Also, don't expect every problem solver to have the knowledge that healthy, fully formed cows have four legs and the same types of chickens have two legs.  Many inner city people have never seen a cow or a chicken.

 

I once asked a group of students to estimate the distance from point A to point B in the local locale.  I did not indicate any units.  The best answer I got was US$5.00.  That was the taxi fare to go from point A to point B.  That student really thought "out of the box."

 

And while I have time to type, Vinaire, I don't like the word "opposite" in your writing, I would prefer "inverse" then it has additional applicability later.  Also the word "cancel" is being used with two different meanings.  In my language usage "cancel" means to make worthless, as in cancel a stamp.  What you are really doing is carrying out one of the operations, perhaps getting zero or perhaps the unity of the system.  Also, I again agree with Brian that left to right with operations of the same valence is the only way to go, not subtraction before addition and division before multiplication.

 

Buck Dick

Rick <rcastrap@yahoo. com> wrote:

There are x cows and y chickens.

x + y = 30 animals
4x + 2y = 98 legs

-- Rick

--- khybermaarij2000 <khybermaarij2000@ yahoo.fr> wrote:

> Dear all,
> I have recently joined this group and i have a little bit english
> problems as well, bus any way now i want to write a question that
> involves math, and i have been asked this question when i wanted to
> do
> AS math in a college:
>
> In a big room we have a number of cows and chickens, a person get
> inside the room and count all the cows and chickens together and the
> total number of them is 30,
> then he counts all the legs in the floor of that room, and he notice
> that there are 98 legs together, now the question is how many cows
> and
> chicken are there in the room;
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

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