At the risk of
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Suzie Q
At the risk of
At the risk of making myself look dense....I'm happy to post this should it help other parents.
My daughter started this term in Yr 7 at her new Grammar school. Last week she brought home her first batch of maths homework. Knowing I love maths she asked me the first question. 3--2, that's easy I said it's 1. She burst out lughing and said no, it's 5. Why is it 5? I asked. Because 2 minuses make a plus, she said. Why do they? I asked. I dunno, she said, they just do.
At work the following day (worryingly, in finance) I asked my colleagues what's 3--2? Only 1 gave the correct answer. Why is it 5? I asked. Because 2 minuses make a plus, he replied. Why do they? I asked. I dunno, they just do, he said.
On friday my daughter came home from school and said, Mummy I asked my maths teacher to explain the 2 minuses to me in words that you could understand. (thanks babe). She said if you had a bowl of water with an ice cube in it and the temperature of the water was 3 degrees, and the temperature of the ice cube was -2 degrees, what would the temperature of the water be if you took out the ice cube? Er 5. Yippee I get it now.
My daughter started this term in Yr 7 at her new Grammar school. Last week she brought home her first batch of maths homework. Knowing I love maths she asked me the first question. 3--2, that's easy I said it's 1. She burst out lughing and said no, it's 5. Why is it 5? I asked. Because 2 minuses make a plus, she said. Why do they? I asked. I dunno, she said, they just do.
At work the following day (worryingly, in finance) I asked my colleagues what's 3--2? Only 1 gave the correct answer. Why is it 5? I asked. Because 2 minuses make a plus, he replied. Why do they? I asked. I dunno, they just do, he said.
On friday my daughter came home from school and said, Mummy I asked my maths teacher to explain the 2 minuses to me in words that you could understand. (thanks babe). She said if you had a bowl of water with an ice cube in it and the temperature of the water was 3 degrees, and the temperature of the ice cube was -2 degrees, what would the temperature of the water be if you took out the ice cube? Er 5. Yippee I get it now.
Re: At the risk of
Don't think the example as quoted is accurate as a physical example: perhaps how it should be phrased is "by how many degrees does the ice cube need to warm up to be the same temperature as the water ? "Suzie Q wrote:She said if you had a bowl of water with an ice cube in it and the temperature of the water was 3 degrees, and the temperature of the ice cube was -2 degrees, what would the temperature of the water be if you took out the ice cube? Er 5. Yippee I get it now.
Another way to look at it could be floors in a lift: you're on floor 3: how many floors down is it to the 2nd basement?