Maths: this does not make sense!

[theweekendisnear]

Hello,

Could you please explain this question to me? How would you answer it?

I'll give you my point of view later, after I listen to yours...

The question is:
"How many times can you double 14 before you go over 100?"

Thanks for any help you can give!

If the answer is 3 then Isabelle is right (and your child's teacher is hopeless at literacy and numeracy).

Who the hell is writing this stuff? Perhaphs a change of job might be in order.

I wonder if they mean (2x14) + (2x14) + (2 x 14) = 84 so the answer is 3.

I'd send it back with a [?]

I think you are right on the units one. (Maths teacher here). I think the teacher has followed a mark scheme without thinking! Unless the question clearly states the Nswer should be given in m, then 40 cm is correct.

It is not necessarily a bad question: I teach Maths in an EBD setting, and use this kind of ambiguity quite a lot in order to get the students to actually "engage with" (= have a furious argument about) Maths.

Last week, I had 2 boys who claim to hate Maths actually come to blows over BIDMAS! It was very satisfying, and I don't intend to let either of them forget about it anytime soon (in a constructive and supportive way, of course!)

2Bornot2B, I like what you are saying, but if there is ambiguity in the question, I would except not only one answer to be correct. The answer will depend on hoe you interpret the question, so how can the teacher accept only one " correct "answer"?

BTW, I am still waiting for DC to find out from the teacher what the correct answer is.