7 Maths GCSE Questions

memyselfandi · 22 Aug 2013 at 21:50

desires said:
You're quite right! Now i've looked at the question again I think the question should really point out it's not to scale. It didn't even click in my head how much of an angle 72 is. Anything more than 60 degrees and it's going to be less than half which, with the options the BBC give, leaves only one valid answer

I admit that's how I did that question ...

.... overall 7/7

(GCSE Maths '91: A(ext) ... none of those "*"'s back then, we had to do another paper to get more than an A)

Pawnless Endgame · 22 Aug 2013 at 21:53

SlyReaper said:
...is complete bollards. On what planet does 4*(3/5) - 2*(1/3) make 34/15?

You have to multiply both by 15 to get rid of both denominators. You use the number 15 because 5 and 3 are both factors. That will make them whole numbers 69 and 35. Subtract them to get 34, re-divide by 15 so you end up with 34/15.

Tute · 22 Aug 2013 at 21:57

Being an electronic engineer, i'd have been horrified if i'd got less than 7. So luckily, I did get 7.

RomanNose · 22 Aug 2013 at 21:57

7/7.
I am really bad at mental arithmetic. Mixed fractions are ugly and should never ever be used also they kind of break convention unless proper formatting is used.

Mason- · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:16

Monserrat said:
You have to multiply both by 15 to get rid of both denominators. You use the number 15 because 5 and 3 are both factors. That will make them whole numbers 69 and 35. Subtract them to get 34, re-divide by 15 so you end up with 34/15.

He has a degree in maths. He knows.

or are you deliberately being patronising?

One · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:19

RomanNose said:
7/7.
I am really bad at mental arithmetic. Mixed fractions are ugly and should never ever be used also they kind of break convention unless proper formatting is used.

I think they are okay in a casual environment where little calculation is to be performed and it's a 'nice' fraction, i.e. 1 and 1/3 wouldn't be so bad, however something like 7 and 3/7 would just be stupid. I think what it boils down to is what you can imagine. Nobody can picture a pie and say, yup I know what 3/7ths looks like, so you'd never need a mixed fraction that included it. Like I say though, if you're actually going to be using maths with the number then leave it in decimal or full fraction form.

estebanrey · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:20

mufc802 said:
If it was 4 times 3/5 it would say 4(3/5).

No it wouldn't (necessarily). There is an "order" of operations when there is a lack of parentheses....

1) Exponents (Powers, Roots)
2) Multiply or Divide
3) Add or Subtract
4) Left to Right

So 4(3/5) gives the same result as 4 3/5. If you don't believe me, open up MS Excel then do some formulas without the parentheses, you see it always calculates following the order I mentioned above.

Having said that I'm a big fan of bracketing, just makes it easier to read.

esoteric · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:26

Unless I work with math, I forget math. I rocked at Math during College while doing my Engineering. Trig, Algebra, loved it. Algebra I actually still know how to do. I was working at A level Math during College, and 2 years ago I was doing Maths again. I actually have a piece of paper on my desk with different formula's to try help me retain what I learn. But it hasn't worked.

I just don't have a brain that can hold math unless it's an area I really enjoyed like algebra and long division, anyway I got 1 out of 7 on the BBC and scored much better on the O level link.

I am an Engineer, I can't afford to be wrong so I use a calculator, that's my defence.

Mason- · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:28

esoteric said:
Unless I work with math, I forget math. I rocked at Math during College while doing my Engineering. Trig, Algebra, loved it. Algebra I actually still know how to do. I was working at A level Math during College, and 2 years ago I was doing Maths again. I actually have a piece of paper on my desk with different formula's to try help me retain what I learn. But it hasn't worked.

I just don't have a brain that can hold math unless it's an area I really enjoyed like algebra and long division, anyway I got 1 out of 7 on the BBC and scored much better on the O level link.

I am an Engineer, I can't afford to be wrong so I use a calculator, that's my defence.

Probably gonna get flamed but I absolutely cannot stand when people say 'math' without the s.

estebanrey · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:28

esoteric said:
Unless I work with math, I forget math. I rocked at Math during College while doing my Engineering. Trig, Algebra, loved it. Algebra I actually still know how to do. I was working at A level Math during College, and 2 years ago I was doing Maths again. I actually have a piece of paper on my desk with different formula's to try help me retain what I learn. But it hasn't worked.

I just don't have a brain that can hold math unless it's an area I really enjoyed like algebra and long division, anyway I got 1 out of 7 on the BBC and scored much better on the O level link.

I am an Engineer, I can't afford to be wrong so I use a calculator, that's my defence.

It's maths, not math. It's 5 letters not 4. What's the difference?

1

Milton Jones

Mason- · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:30

^
strong.

bainbridge · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:30

3 out of 7.

G18241 · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:34

hmmm 5, and i took a random guess at one of them haha

estebanrey · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:35

Mason- said:
Probably gonna get flamed but I absolutely cannot stand when people say 'math' without the s.

To be fair neither is "wrong" and arguably the US version is 'more' correct. We don't retain the 's' is other contractions of words that end in that letter.

For example the contraction of Hippopotamus (singular) is 'Hippo' not 'Hippos'.

Mathematics is singular, so there's no logical reason to retain the 's' when we shorten it.

Mason- · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:38

estebanrey said:
To be fair neither is "wrong" and arguably the US version is 'more' correct. We don't retain the 's' is other contractions of words that end in that letter.

For example the contraction of Hippopotamus (singular) is 'Hippo' not 'Hippos'.

Mathematics is singular, so there's no logical reason to retain the 's' when we shorten it.

This is all true but it still makes me cringe when I hear people say it.

esoteric · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:38

English is something I am fairly good at. Math or Maths, both are fine, it's all down to the individual, like soft or hard G on "Gif".

estebanrey · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:41

esoteric said:
English is something I am fairly good at. Math or Maths, both are fine, it's all down to the individual, like soft or hard G on "Gif".

Funny you say that, I only heard someone pronounce it 'Jif' for the first time the other day, I though he was talking about a cleaning product.

P.S Your first sentence is rather ironic given your misuse of the comma in the second

Mason- · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:42

estebanrey said:
Funny you say that, I only heard someone pronounce it 'Jif' for the first time the other day, I though he was talking about a cleaning product.

I pronounce it jif :$

estebanrey · 22 Aug 2013 at 22:50

Mason- said:
I pronounce it jif :$

Why? Do you pronounce 'Gift' and 'Jift'?

muon · 22 Aug 2013 at 23:06

estebanrey said:
No it wouldn't (necessarily). There is an "order" of operations when there is a lack of parentheses....

1) Exponents (Powers, Roots)
2) Multiply or Divide
3) Add or Subtract
4) Left to Right

So 4(3/5) gives the same result as 4 3/5. If you don't believe me, open up MS Excel then do some formulas without the parentheses, you see it always calculates following the order I mentioned above.

Having said that I'm a big fan of bracketing, just makes it easier to read.

Excel would spit out an error if you did that. There is no implied multiplication in 4 3/5.