Interesting

This Math Question For Class 5 Students In China Has Stumped Adults

IANS, 02 Feb, 2018 04:22 PM

The world is divided into two kinds of people - those who love Math and those who don't. And this question meant for fifth graders in China will either reinstate your love for the subject, or make you hate it even more. But chances are you won't be able to look away from it until you've given it some thought.

11-year-olds at a primary school in China's Shunqing were asked to answer a question that many online have termed unsolvable, reports BBC. "If a ship had 26 sheep and 10 goats onboard, how old is the ship's captain?" asks the question. Pictures of the question have since created quite a stir on Chinese social media as many have been left utterly confused about the answer.

Before you think there was a misprint on the exam paper or that the question is incomplete, let us tell you, the question is absolutely fine. In fact, officials of an education department have defended the question saying it examines a student's critical awareness and ability to think independently, reports BBC.

The question received a varied number of answers from students as translated by South China Morning Post:

"The captain should be at least 18 years old because a minor is not allowed by law to operate a vessel," offered one student.

"The captain is 36 years old. He is quite narcissistic, so the number of animals corresponds to his age," suggested another.

"We cannot be sure of the captain's age. The number of the sheep and goats is irrelevant to the captain's age," concluded a third.

A Weibo user also offered this explanation for the question, reports BBC: "The total weight of 26 sheep and 10 goat is 7,700kg, based on the average weight of each animal. In China, if you're driving a ship that has more than 5,000kg of cargo you need to have possessed a boat license for five years. The minimum age for getting a boat's license is 23, so he's at least 28."

So can you solve this question without losing your marbles?

While this math problem has little to do with the subject, it has surely garnered a lot of attention. Something similar to when Donald Trump’s “Covfefe” made it to the ISI Kolkata question paper.

The second year students of the Master of Statistics programme at ISI Kolkata found a rather interesting question in their paper on Martingale Theory.

A question that read “Mr. Trump decides to post a random message on Facebook and he starts typing a random sequence of letters {Uk}k≥1 such that they are chosen independently and uniformly from the 26 possible english alphabets. Find out the expected time of the first appearance of the word COVFEFE.”

LOL. Today's exam at the Indian Statistical Institute. See Qn 5. pic.twitter.com/TrHHpyGCCP
— Grieve Chelwa (@gchelwa) December 1, 2017

Prev Next

MORE Interesting ARTICLES

Cocktail Leaves Delhi Man With Hole In Stomach: How Safe Is Liquid Nitrogen?

The latest buzz word in the national capital is 'liquid nitrogen,' after a recent incident where a Delhi-based man landed up in hospital after drinking a cocktail, containing liquid nitrogen.

Cocktail Leaves Delhi Man With Hole In Stomach: How Safe Is Liquid Nitrogen?

Sheila Michaels, Who Popularized 'Ms.' For Women, Dies At 78

NEW YORK — Sheila Michaels, a feminist and civil-rights activist in the 1960s who has been credited with popularizing the courtesy title "Ms.," died June 22 in New York. She was 78.

Sheila Michaels, Who Popularized 'Ms.' For Women, Dies At 78

Now, A 'Friendly' Car Horn That Alerts Without Jarring

A team of researchers has come up with a car horn that alerts people to danger while reducing the cacophony on city streets.

Now, A 'Friendly' Car Horn That Alerts Without Jarring

WATCH: Poland's First Lady Snubs Donald Trump's Handshake, And It's Going Viral

The footage is going viral on Twitter and people can't get over it. Many have also reminded how the FLOTUS herself refused to hold her husband's hand.