To ask what your answer would be- How many numbers are there between 1 and 5?

[NorwegianMoon]

to do with my maths education at school. I was told three different answers by three math teachers at school.

Im wondering what answers you will suggest?

"4 (2,3,4,5) 1 isnt a number its a primary number"

hahaha! 2, 3 and 5 are also prime numbers (is that what they meant?) - never heard that argument in my life before!

I would have said 3. Considering that 1 and 5 are the numerical "bookends", then only 2, 3 and 4 are between them. Assuming they meant whole, real numbers only.

Answering the question as it stands, I would say an infinite number.

If it were whole numbers, I'd want to know if it were inclusive (so the answer is 5) or exclusive (answer is 3)

3,4 or 5. It's all down to your interpretation of the question.

that's based on whole numbers. Otherwise infinite.

"I dont agree with maths anyway, who says x is really x, it might be z and what is z...its all relative to how we have named it. one day something will pop up and we will find all we knew was crap."

you don't agree with maths?

"I dont agree with maths anyway, who says x is really x, it might be z and what is z...its all relative to how we have named it. one day something will pop up and we will find all we knew was crap"

You do sound unnecessarily depressed about arithmetic! As long as you can do basic stuff like tot up a bill or work out that you've got the right change from a tenner or that you've paid the right amount of VAT.... I don't think you need get too worked up about algebra.

"Any connection between mathematics and anything you experience in day to day life is purely co-incidental."

People who apply such a principle to arithmetic and their everyday lives, however, tend to end up either broke or in jail

Or very successful accountants, come to think of it.

"I dont agree with maths anyway, who says x is really x, it might be z and what is z...its all relative to how we have named it. one day something will pop up and we will find all we knew was crap."

That is actually brilliant (c'est la vie!) may you are good at physics then all my physic friend are also philosophic.

Takver - almost all of Mathematics has nothing to do with the arithemtic we use every day.

How true - my mum would very much agree with you Coalition (or at least that's her excuse for being haphazard at arithmetic and a v good mathematician).

The important word is between - therefore 1 and 5 cannot be counted so the answer has to be three. Of course the question would refer to whole numbers, that is how we normally count things unless specifically told to do otherwise. The answer is so obviously 3 that it worries me that anyone (especially a teacher) could do otherwise.

depends if you are couting arithmetically
e.g. in this sequence
1 9 4 4 2 6 3 9 5
there are 7 whole numbers between 1 and 5
:o

Fair play, TCNY.

Perhaps the answer to the OP depends on whether she is wanting arithmetic (3) or mathematics (an infinite number)?

I think all this 'mathematics' vs 'arithmetic' hair-splitting & clever-cloggery is entertaining but I don't think it's doing anything to boost NorweigianMoon's confidence where numbers are concerned.

see this is the problem, if I cant even be sure how to count properly how can I understand maths?

MamaLoco I am very much a philosopher and have no trust that anything is hard fact, which is why I have issues agreeing with maths

Thecoalitionneedsyou-What the fuck? ive never even heard of that in my whole life.

I think there are somethings I just dont get, maths being one of them.

NorweiganMoon - WTF to which statement ;)

You CAN count properly - if we are only dealing with the counting numbers, then between (i.e within/bounded by) the numbers 1 to 5 there are 3 numbers, 2,3 and 4.

both coalition. my question was just a counting question and i was told 3 different answers by my teachers.

it wasnt anything complicated like axinoms or whatever you said. you must believe me that my maths class was not taught that sort of thing if you understand me lol!

It's just an ambigiously worded question, nothing wrong with your ability to count!

The answer would definitely depend at what level you were studying, at a higher level they might be expecting you to say something about the density property of real numbers and how there are infinitely many between 1 and 5 (same as if it was between 1 and 2). But if the question's for someone learning basic arithmetic then obviously that isn't what they're after, and it would be 3, 4 or 5 depending on how you interpret the question. Or maybe the idea is actually to see if you can spot the ambiguity, to demonstrate the importance of precise language in maths!

Actually agree about the arithmetic/mathematics distinction, I managed to get a First in Maths from a good university, despite being really quite bad at mental arithmetic. I just get in a panic when I have to work something out, especially in front of other people! But once you get on far enough in maths, there aren't really many number involved any more :)

3

Aye - all the ambiguity is to do with the English language and not to do with Maths or Arithmetic.

Aye - all the ambiguity is to do with the English language and not to do with Maths or Arithmetic.

Just wanted to make that point EXTRA hard.

It's an incredibly badly worded question.

In context, it might have been clearer.

At primary-school level, I would expect an answer of either "three numbers", or "five numbers", depending on whether it is meant to be inclusive, or exclusive of the numbers 1 and 5.

And an A-level student would say "an infinite series of real numbers" or similar.