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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To do the Junior Maths Challenge myself?

59 replies

Amaretti · 01/07/2011 12:16

DS1 is in year 7 and recently obtained a gold certificate in the junior maths challenge. I was pretty impressed, and decided to have a go myself to see how hard it was. Turns out it's not actually that hard Grin

Anyone else up for it? The link is below, you can't spend more than an hour on it and read the mark scheme before you start, as you can lose marks for answering the later questions incorrectly.

www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/b_file.php?id=381

Go on- give it a try?

OP posts:
worraliberty · 01/07/2011 12:21

I'd rather shit in my hands and clap

Grin
WowOoo · 01/07/2011 12:23

I'm saving it for later so i can concentrate fully. Thanks for sharing.

I very much doubt that I will think it's easy!

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 15:10

Come on, I thought we were all intellectuals on here?

Anyone else?

I scored 110 out of 135 which puts me in the top 5% of twelve year olds in the country [ grin]

And I've done no maths since A level 20 years ago.

OP posts:
LRDTheFeministNutcase · 01/07/2011 15:13

Crikey, you're nice ... Hmm

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 15:21

Twelve year olds, LRD, twelve year olds. It's not really a claim to fame Grin

OP posts:
LRDTheFeministNutcase · 01/07/2011 15:25

Seriously?!

This is your own child and your response is 'it's not really a claim to fame'. Confused

I'm sure it's not, but I'm equally sure you didn't have to piss all over his success either. You come across as a right charmer.

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 15:33

No no no no you misunderstand. I have said nothing to him other than to praise his success. He is at school. I am on here. I thought others might find the paper interesting, as I did.

It is no great achievement for me to be in the top 5 % of twelve year olds. I am an adult.

Now, are you having a go at the paper or not?!

OP posts:
mayorquimby · 01/07/2011 15:34

Yup cause I'm sure in real life she responded with "so what? come talk to me when you've got a double first from cambridge. How dare you bring that weak shit into my house. Gold star in the junior maths challenge? pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourself for thinking I'd care."

OracleInaCoracle · 01/07/2011 15:36

ah, the curse of AIBU... everyone thinks that the title of the board gives them the right to jump to conclusions and be aggressive!

LRDTheFeministNutcase · 01/07/2011 15:43

I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Blush

I thought what you were getting at was that it was too easy a paper and not really a challenge for 12 year olds.

I'm really sorry I got that wrong - FWIW I thought getting a gold was really good and I wanted to be saying 'go, Amaretti's DS'.

Maybe we can ignore my posts and pretend I just wrote 'GO, AMARETTI'S DS'?

mayorquimby · 01/07/2011 15:45

done and done. Grin

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 15:58

It most definitely is a challenge for twelve year olds, it's a challenge for us too, but it's doable. I found it interesting. I am far too scared to attempt the intermediate one though, I didn't even understand the notes on the website about what was included!

OP posts:
LRDTheFeministNutcase · 01/07/2011 16:03

I'm really sorry Amaretti.

FWIW I think they're really good tests - much more interesting than boring old GCSE-type questions. I know people who're very dismissive of them and think they're not 'proper' maths and I don't get why - other than that they're not deadly serious but usually jokey questions that are quite nice.

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 16:07

Oh thanks, please don't worry, my posting style is overly brief I know, so I am easily misinterpreted. I really want you to have a look at it but I bet you're going to say you're a maths teacher or something now!

OP posts:
WowOoo · 01/07/2011 16:12

I'm not a maths teacher but I'm still going to try it later when kids in bed pre wine.
Or perhaps tomorrow...!

Where are the answers by the way? How can I mark it? Or are they at the bottom?

LadyThumb · 01/07/2011 16:21

I was lost at integers! We didn't have them in my day!!!

nickelbabe · 01/07/2011 16:24

how do you get the answers?

nickelbabe · 01/07/2011 16:24

LadyThumb - an interger just means a whole number.
so 3 is an integer, 3.5 isn't.

hugglymugly · 01/07/2011 16:36

nickelbabe - go to www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/, scroll down and you'll see the link for the Junior challenge solutions.

I've printed the questions and solutions off for perusal later on.

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 16:47

Yes, just scroll down. The link I gave is to this year's question paper which was taken in May.

OP posts:
LRDTheFeministNutcase · 01/07/2011 16:52
Grin

Not a maths teacher, no! Proud owner of a C grade at AS maths ... I got a silver the same year, my teacher was a bit pissed off.

I've been reading the thread in news about Michael Gove talking about maths, that's all ... it is making me want to go hug all teachers (except the twats going on about 'low standards').

TrilllianAstra · 01/07/2011 16:55

I'd probably do worse than I did when I was 12 - I may still have certificates somewhere :)

I don't have an hour that I want to spend doing maths, sorry.

nickelbabe · 01/07/2011 16:56

i got 2 wrong in the first set. because i misunderstood question 9 (i thought it meant in the numbers quoted, where the diffference between 4 and 5 was the smallest Blush )
and 11, because i 'm a bit dim.

Shouldn't have done the 2nd set becausei attempted4 and only got 1 right.
i didn't attempt part 3.

Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 16:56

Was that a silver in the Senior one? That's really impressive!

OP posts:
Original poster
Amaretti · 01/07/2011 16:59

So nickel you got 65 for the first 15 questions, plus another 9 in the second part? A score of 74 gives you a silver certificate!

OP posts: