Maths homework help !!!

[pawarmum]

Hello, i need the help of maths teachers and all parents who have come across tough math questions

My nine year daughter has a question on her homework i cant solve to do with sequences -

Can any one help me as i cant solve it and so cant explain to her whats happening in the sequence -

310278 -- 310287 -- 310782
she needs to fill in the 2 spaces.

we have tried everything that i would usually think of, and at this age most of her homework i see the answer a mile off and so can explain, - but maybe im having a slow day because i have spent nearly an hour trying to figure it and cant

Please can someone see if they can solve it?

thanks

oh thanks,,, im not too good with posting on threads

Got my hopes up there and had thought somebody had worked it out!
Sorry can't ask DD as she's gone to bed and actually gone straight to sleep for once.

i asked a few other parents this morning, as this was weekend homework, and they all said they couldnt work it out, but one boy told my daughter his 14yr sister worked it out- so now i feel really bad that i cant

• surely this is too hard for homework?

My DD that I was going to ask is yr 10. I don't think my yr 6 or yr 4 DDs would have a clue!

Only thing I can think of is that there are six different ways to put the three final digits ie

278
287
782
728
827
872

but that would need 3 spaces and there isn't any particular reason for the order.

This will bug me - if you do get the answer please let me know

I think, as she is nine, the answer must be easier then we think?

Yes Noah

Are you sure she has the question written down correctly, with the spaces in the right place?

The most obvious would be the numerical order of the last three digits. Which would mean the first gap is wring, the second gap would be 310728. The next two numbers in the sequence would then be 310827 and 310872.

Hi,
the question is from a photocopy of a textbook resource for teachers
Abacus Evolve Framework Edition Year 5

it must be solvable, but im still stumped.
if i do find the answer i will let you all know

I'm with circular on this one.

text books for teachers can have a lot of tyops!

While I was thinking about it, I wondered if the numbers represented dates, ie 310278 was 31/02/78.

Duh!!!

(took me ages before I realised my stupidity)

I want to know what the answer is

And like the 31/02/78 thought

Hmm. Will have a think, hope we find out or it'll really bug me!

i bet if you post this question on the elevenplusexams.co.uk forum site, you will get the correct answer.
There are some seriously good maths brains on that site

posted to elevenplus - lets see

My DH suggested 310728 and 310872 but we both agree it's an arbitrary guess at which of the last few numbers are moved. And WTF do the first few digits have to do with it?

Have you tried googling them in date form? Just in case it is 31st feb?

Hello All,

Teacher update:
She said that if you read question more closely (i clearly didnt) it says what number COULD be placed in the spaces , and it what merely a series of increasing numbers, no sequencial rule - of course i did state that the question was then pointless as all other questions and stuff they are learning is about spotting patterns in sequences of numbers.

So - Sorry and thank you to all for your help it attempting to solve my misread question ---

Stupid stupid question. What a big fat damaging waste of a child's time. Shame on whoever said this should be homework.

WTF? So it was like a trick question or summat?

trust me in believing no one is more p*ed about this question - trick or just plain C**p who knows.
lets wait for next weeks homework !!

I love a maths puzzle, and I am keen to include as many as possible/useful in a lesson.

But when a teacher (who may well doubt his/her own skills) sets work that has no meaning, it can have an extremely destructive effect on a pupil's view upon maths as a whole.

There have been several times when I have questioned the suitability/accuracy of homework assignments that have been set my daughter (age 8/9 at present). Only to be told that this is a mistake, and that the fault lies within the publishers of the text.

This is SHODDY teaching, and will only help to extend the notion that 'maths is hard'.

Rant over!

(Can you guess what I do for a living?)

I like your name complexnumber but if I ever see you on MN again I shall refer to you as x + iy :o

I knew it was a trick question, I knew it. I completely agree with complex. Thsi is a pissy thing to do to a kid. Fair enough to bring it up at the end of a maths question for class discussion as a fun thing to do. But to hand it out as if there's a right and wrong andwer -- pissy, cruel, damaging and undermines confidence. Twats.

Thank you FreudianSlimmery.

We all have an imaginary part somewhere.

Am rather at that. Am slightly pleased that it wasn't something I couldn't manage to work out, if that makes sense