Many adults have recurring nightmares about their educational experiences. For some, these are reliving the horrors of the subjects in school they were not so good at. Math is a common trauma point for many. A recent post on the popular website Reddit added fuel to many adults' fear of math.
One sibling took to the site to share their sibling's fifth grade math test problem. Let’s just say it was triggering for many. Thankfully, a few kind souls broke down to solve it.
The problem in question is as follows: “Klein read 30 pages of a book on Monday and one eighth of the book on Tuesday. He completed the remaining quarter of the book on Wednesday. How many pages are there in the book?” Ahh, word problems — we remember those.
Many adults who were traumatized by word problems in their past immediately felt anxious. “And now we can all see why 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?' worked as a game show,” one user joked. They are not wrong.
Many users agreed. They were simply stumped by this seemingly simple question. “Today I learned I would fail fifth grade math,” wrote one user.
Another user admitted their arrogance. “I always think to myself; ‘Ugh. People should really be tested with basic skills before they’re allowed to go out into society. And then I see this and realize I shouldn’t go out into society LOL,” they said.
One smart cookie student was not phased by the question at all. “Not to be rude, but what is interesting about this? It looks just like any other math problem that I’ve done in 5th grade,” the student wrote.
Several users helped out those who were overwhelmed by this problem. One has a PhD in engineering, with a focus on applied mathematics. Who knew that was necessary to do a fifth grade math problem?
They explained it this way: You have to start with the assumption that Klein began the book on Monday and finished the book on Wednesday: three days total. Then you divide 30 pages by 5 to get 6. So one-eighth is worth 6 in this equation.
A commenter on the New York Post article about the problem explained it a little more thoroughly. You assume the total number of pages is 30 + 1/8 + 1/4:
"1/4+1/8=3/8. So that means 5/8 is 30 pages. 30/5 is 6 pages. Meaning 6 pages is equivalent to 1/8 of the book.
6(pages) X 8(parts) = 48 pages."
Many continue to be thankful they are through taking math classes while parents wonder how the heck they will help their aging children through the school system without getting their own PhDs.
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