How to solve Hannah's Sweets: a former GCSE maths teacher (and Ukip MEP) explains - Telegraph
Took me 5 seconds. And I'm thick.
Took me 5 seconds. And I'm thick.
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I think the problem was in the way the question was phrased, which may have thrown a lot of kids.
It's really quite a simple question.
Not up to the difficulty of the 'cannon and the inclined plain' from my GCSE days. -
That may have helped. Actually, seriously, I think that programming experience would help a lot. The question is simple if you start with everything that you know, proceed to the required result without too much impatient faffing, and don't be tempted to try to solve anything that you don't have to solve. Most of our work is like that.Originally posted by DimPrawn View PostComment
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Isn't the question simply : Prove that: n^2-n-90=0 ?
n^2-n = 90
n has to be a small number bigger than 9, and 11 is too big.
So using 10 it all works.
What's all the sweets about?
**edit** never mind. I'm not sure I think the question makes sense. Then again, it's been a long time.Last edited by SpontaneousOrder; 5 June 2015, 23:27.Comment
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I couldn't see how it would be possible to misunderstand the question completely. Thanks for helping me out.Originally posted by SpontaneousOrder View PostIsn't the question simply : Prove that: n^2-n-90=0 ?
n^2-n = 90
n has to be a small number bigger than 9, and 11 is too big.
So using 10 it all works.
What's all the sweets about?
**edit** never mind. I'm not sure I think the question makes sense. Then again, it's been a long time.Comment
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The question isn't What's n? It's to show the proof that the equation is correct. I don't remember doing any proof type stuff at O level, but it was a few years ago.Originally posted by SpontaneousOrder View PostIsn't the question simply : Prove that: n^2-n-90=0 ?
n^2-n = 90
n has to be a small number bigger than 9, and 11 is too big.
So using 10 it all works.
What's all the sweets about?
**edit** never mind. I'm not sure I think the question makes sense. Then again, it's been a long time.
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MF has three steak and kidney pies and six plates. If all are divided equally, how much pie will MF share?What happens in General, stays in General.You know what they say about assumptions!Comment
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To paraphrase the articleOriginally posted by DimPrawn View Post
When adults on the internet are telling everyone how they solved Hannah's sweets in under 4 minutes
"Being nice costs nothing and sometimes gets you extra bacon" - Pondlife.Comment
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