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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for your help with this maths question?

18 replies

MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 15:50

“Here are some digit cards:

2
4
9

Max uses the cards to make a 3 digit number. Write down all the numbers between 250 and 550 that Max can make.

(2 marks)”

DD put 249 and 429 and was given 1 mark.

Teacher has underlined “all” and says she should have written 250 and 550 as well.

I think they are both wrong and I’m not sure how you can get 2 points from this question.

Am I going mad?

OP posts:
MaryTruss · 07/10/2022 15:52

Also 294 and 492 ?

newsaint · 07/10/2022 15:53

The answer missed out 294 and 492, both of which are also in the desired range.

Original poster
MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 15:53

duh! I am going mad, but teacher has really confused me!

OP posts:
Squiblet · 07/10/2022 15:55

Also, 249 is less than 250

Toooldtocareanymore · 07/10/2022 15:57

isn't 249 clearly wrong as its not between 250-and 550, so I get not getting a mark for that, but teachers reply makes no sense as with those 3 digits you cant make 250- this new math's is beyond me but i'd have assumed answers were 294, 429, and 492

Getoff · 07/10/2022 15:57

I don't understand everything in the OP, but the answer is obviously 429 and 492.

249 (that you say he put) is wrong.

Original poster
MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 15:57

Yes, I’d got that, so knew DD was wrong.

Why I hadn’t seen to swap the tens and ones, I’ve no idea.

I got an A* in maths. How embarrassing 😳

OP posts:
LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 07/10/2022 15:58

From what I can see DD can make
249
294
429
492
924
942

So three numbers. Why you would score 2 for this and not 3 (or 1, if you wanted all three for a correct answer), or include 250 and 550 in the answers, I really don't understand. Am I missing something fundamental?

Getoff · 07/10/2022 15:59

I missed 294...

Yes, it's odd that there are two marks for three answers.

malmi · 07/10/2022 15:59

Correct answers are
294
429
492.

All 3 numbers for 2 marks.
2 correct numbers for 1 mark.

Your DD should have got a zero.

www.grimsargh-st-michaels.lancs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Year-3-Place-Value-Answers.pdf

Original poster
MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 16:10

She should!

…and I’m going to have to go and review all the budgets I’ve worked on today to make sure my maths brain hasn’t actually gone completely to shit!

OP posts:
GasPanic · 07/10/2022 16:22

Is this is some sort of nonsense modern question ?

Write down all the numbers "between" 250 and 550.

so :

250, numbers you can make, 550.

Instead it should be greater than 250 and less than 250 ?

Original poster
MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 17:10

GasPanic · 07/10/2022 16:22

Is this is some sort of nonsense modern question ?

Write down all the numbers "between" 250 and 550.

so :

250, numbers you can make, 550.

Instead it should be greater than 250 and less than 250 ?

No. DD was just confused and my bafflement temporarily stupefied me.

The confusion has come about because the teacher wrote 250 and 550 either side of DD’s answers and DD said the teacher told her she’d missed these 2 numbers.

I now realise the teacher had intended this as a number line and was not saying 250 and 550 were correct answers.

Prior to asking Mumsnet, I couldn’t see much beyond “you can’t make 250 or 550 with the digits 2, 4 and 9” and had only come up with 1 correct answer when there are, of course, 3.

TLDR: I’m an idiot.

OP posts:
Idratherbepaddleboarding · 07/10/2022 17:51

I agree 250 and 550 shouldn’t count as there isn’t a 0 or more than one of each card. If you imagine actually moving the cards around, you wouldn’t be able to make those numbers other wise you’d be able to make 222, 244 etc and actually, there’s not even a 5 digit card so the teacher is just all kinds of wrong!

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 07/10/2022 17:52

Oh except those numbers aren’t over 250 but you get what I mean 🙈.

Original poster
MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 18:20

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 07/10/2022 17:51

I agree 250 and 550 shouldn’t count as there isn’t a 0 or more than one of each card. If you imagine actually moving the cards around, you wouldn’t be able to make those numbers other wise you’d be able to make 222, 244 etc and actually, there’s not even a 5 digit card so the teacher is just all kinds of wrong!

I don’t think the teacher actually thinks 250 and 550 are correct answers. I think she was just trying to show the range in which the correct answers would fall, in a number line format.

It’s just that DD misunderstood and thought the teacher had written these as correct answers (as did I initially). The other 2 questions DD had got wrong were corrected with the right answer, so I understand why DD was confused…and subsequently confused me!

My faith in the teacher remains solidly intact!

Unlike my own primary school maths teacher (the head) who was quite frequently corrected by my Mum!

OP posts:
Softplayhooray · 07/10/2022 18:58

Well you've made my day OP, because I'm shite at maths, and I still consider the fact that I got a C for my GCSE maths about a thousand years ago a bloody wonderful miracle....this thread is the only time in my life when I can say I solved a maths problem that someone with an A* couldn't get, even if it is intended for a school age child (I'll take my successes where I can find them🤣).

Original poster
MelvinThePenguin · 07/10/2022 19:06

I’m glad it’s made one of us feel good @Softplayhooray!

I did tell DD’s teacher that we struggled with maths homework, but I meant because DD hates it, not because I can’t do it myself 😂

OP posts:
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