The rather good Mathspig blog was brought to my attention in a recent Google subject alert which pointed to a list of the ‘10 Dumbest Maths Questions‘.
The maths pig
The God of Whizz, in his ineffable wisdom, was prompted to comment on the post, worth reading as much for the discussion it has generated from readers as for the nature of those 10 ‘dumb’ questions.
Whilst I didn’t agree that all ten examples were awful, I agree that test setters and teachers can do more to make the maths relevant, and stimulating, and that to do so isn’t pandering to a child’s limited attention span.
Mathspigger Kerry Cue seems a genuine evangelist for fun maths, for bringing the science of patterns into the real world, with problems like the downforce required to drive a car upside-down, or the number of balloons required to hoist a house (after Wired).
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