Eighth Grade Algebra

Xid wrote:

This little problem of yours was bugging me all day.  When it comes to puzzles I get a little OCD leaving them unsolved.

That is exactly why I don't like helping my daughter with her math homework! LOL! I can't stop until I've verified all the answers are correct!

On most word problems like this, you can solve them without algebra.  We used to when I was in high school.  Nowadays, they even have to use an equation to convert fractions to decimals and it takes several steps.  Why not do it the easy, LOGICAL way and just divide the bottom number into the top?  You get the answer in many less steps.

They keep making math harder by adding more unnecessary steps.  Give people the easiest way to solve the problem and you'll see math scores soar across the country.  Everything doesn't need a dang equation.

Staybrite wrote:

Incredibly poorly worded problem.  This is the reason that many kids can't get word problems because the teachers/text book writers can't seem to communicate effectively with words.  I have had this same problem with my kid's homework from public school.  On one occasion I gave my daughter three different solutions to the same word problem (in college) and told her to give them all to the teacher and tell him one of them had to be correct or else the textbook writer is a complete moron and is wasting everybody's time. 

In the real world if a client gave me a problem like this I would likely spend an hour and fifty minutes getting them to word the problem correctly and an additional ten minutes solving the problem....then they would wonder why I was charging them for 2 hours.

In the real world, you would look at Jim's accounting ledger and see how many lawns he mowed and how many lawns he mowed and trimmed. In other words, you wouldn't waste precious time with bullcrap.

I say that not to criticize the OP - rather to criticize our schools for sometimes teaching things that people will never use.

ishmael81 wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Incredibly poorly worded problem.  This is the reason that many kids can't get word problems because the teachers/text book writers can't seem to communicate effectively with words.  I have had this same problem with my kid's homework from public school.  On one occasion I gave my daughter three different solutions to the same word problem (in college) and told her to give them all to the teacher and tell him one of them had to be correct or else the textbook writer is a complete moron and is wasting everybody's time. 

In the real world if a client gave me a problem like this I would likely spend an hour and fifty minutes getting them to word the problem correctly and an additional ten minutes solving the problem....then they would wonder why I was charging them for 2 hours.

In the real world, you would look at Jim's accounting ledger and see how many lawns he mowed and how many lawns he mowed and trimmed. In other words, you wouldn't waste precious time with bullcrap.

I say that not to criticize the OP - rather to criticize our schools for sometimes teaching things that people will never use.

Yes and no. I use algebra, trig, and geometry a lot in my everyday life, so I think to some degree those are valuable. However, when I was first in college I was required to take calculus and I barel squeaked by ... a D, after two tries! And I have never used it.

The other thing to consider is that the schools do not know what the kids need for whatever career path they eventually choose. If the left it up to yhe 13YO kids their classes would education would be worth less than the low standing it already has, and most kids would not survive the post-HS world. Many would be about as valuable as a Walmart greeter.

BearDad wrote:

ishmael81 wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Incredibly poorly worded problem.  This is the reason that many kids can't get word problems because the teachers/text book writers can't seem to communicate effectively with words.  I have had this same problem with my kid's homework from public school.  On one occasion I gave my daughter three different solutions to the same word problem (in college) and told her to give them all to the teacher and tell him one of them had to be correct or else the textbook writer is a complete moron and is wasting everybody's time. 

In the real world if a client gave me a problem like this I would likely spend an hour and fifty minutes getting them to word the problem correctly and an additional ten minutes solving the problem....then they would wonder why I was charging them for 2 hours.

In the real world, you would look at Jim's accounting ledger and see how many lawns he mowed and how many lawns he mowed and trimmed. In other words, you wouldn't waste precious time with bullcrap.

I say that not to criticize the OP - rather to criticize our schools for sometimes teaching things that people will never use.

Yes and no. I use algebra, trig, and geometry a lot in my everyday life, so I think to some degree those are valuable. However, when I was first in college I was required to take calculus and I barel squeaked by ... a D, after two tries! And I have never used it.

The other thing to consider is that the schools do not know what the kids need for whatever career path they eventually choose. If the left it up to yhe 13YO kids their classes would education would be worth less than the low standing it already has, and most kids would not survive the post-HS world. Many would be about as valuable as a Walmart greeter.

I see what you mean. I just think there's a more practical way to teach something like this...

Agreed.  I also agree that my posts are terrible when coming from my phone! LOL!

Staybrite wrote:

Incredibly poorly worded problem.  This is the reason that many kids can't get word problems because the teachers/text book writers can't seem to communicate effectively with words.  I have had this same problem with my kid's homework from public school.  On one occasion I gave my daughter three different solutions to the same word problem (in college) and told her to give them all to the teacher and tell him one of them had to be correct or else the textbook writer is a complete moron and is wasting everybody's time. 

In the real world if a client gave me a problem like this I would likely spend an hour and fifty minutes getting them to word the problem correctly and an additional ten minutes solving the problem....then they would wonder why I was charging them for 2 hours.

This. I hate when problems are badly worded. I usually do what I can to make a question/comment as clear as possible when I make one. Whoever came up with that problem apparently didn't ask someone else if he/she understood it.