Maths Question

Region3

Region3

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I'm not interested in anyone answering this by trial and error, I would like to know if there is a logical way of working it out.

You have six individual numbers; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

We need to turn these numbers into a sum in the form of ABC / DE = F, using each number once.

I eagerly await the simple reasoning that I am obviously too stupid to see! :o
 
Region3 said:
I'm not interested in anyone answering this by trial and error, I would like to know if there is a logical way of working it out.

You have six individual numbers; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

We need to turn these numbers into a sum in the form of ABC / DE = F, using each number once.

I eagerly await the simple reasoning that I am obviously too stupid to see! :o
Click to expand...

There is an answer I assume :)
 
Beezerk said:
I imagine this could be worked out quite easily if you have the time and patience ;)
It's just a matter of working through the options.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call that 'working it out' though. The context in which the question was given ought to (imo) mean there was a way of solving it without resorting to trial and error.
 
If there is a true mathematical answer - then at first glance I'd put it down to prime numbers - 3,5 ans 7 all being primes and divisible only by themselves and 1.
 
you could create a spreadsheet in excel pretty quickly to do it all for you, ultimately still trial and error (but youd be automatically trying every possibility), dont think that you can use a specific formula as such to work this out though
 
I think you're looking for something that doesn't exist!

342/57=6 but if I move along one, so 345678 and use the same idea (2nd,3rd,1st/4th,6th=5th) it doesn't work and neither does going down a number!
 
This is verbal arithmetic and typically you solve these questions with a combination of reasoning and trial & error. It's more like a sudoku than an algebra problem.
 
I would agree with most of the posts above. Theres no real formula to it.

If you did a sequence of numbers and wanted to find out a number in the sequence you could use a formula for that though etc.
 
Thanks to all for the answers. I'm glad I'm not going mad!

So.... Am I right to be a little disturbed that this was part of my 10 year old daughter's homework?
 
Region3 said:
Thanks to all for the answers. I'm glad I'm not going mad!

So.... Am I right to be a little disturbed that this was part of my 10 year old daughter's homework?
Click to expand...

I've read some of my daughters past maths questions from Primary School (she's 12 now) and some of them were very vague.
We ended up arguing over some answers :D
 
Region3 said:
Thanks to all for the answers. I'm glad I'm not going mad!

So.... Am I right to be a little disturbed that this was part of my 10 year old daughter's homework?
Click to expand...

Tough question for a 10 year old but it's good that it starts developing logic skills as opposed to learning a rote way of solving a problem.
 
cookelad said:
I think you're looking for something that doesn't exist!

342/57=6 but if I move along one, so 345678 and use the same idea (2nd,3rd,1st/4th,6th=5th) it doesn't work and neither does going down a number!
Click to expand...

I have 364/52=7

Haven't spotted a pattern/sequence yet.
 
Region3 said:
Thanks to all for the answers. I'm glad I'm not going mad!

So.... Am I right to be a little disturbed that this was part of my 10 year old daughter's homework?
Click to expand...

In some ways I agree that it's strange to set this as homework as it cannot be solved directly by using maths.

But equally I can see a good reason for doing it - it is one question that will require repeated mathematical application to the numbers and deduction to arrive at an answer that satisfies the parameters of the question. It tests deduction and reasoning which are also valuable mathematical skills.
 
I think it would be more valuable for her to know the times tables before they start on getting them to develop their own sense of deduction. I keep going on about it and set her tasks for learning with rewards, but without the school pushing it as well I feel I'm fighting a losing battle.

They're too busy turning a simple long multiplication sum into a half page monologue with bridges and god knows what.

For what it's worth, I was in bed ill so couldn't help. My wife wrote in the comments section of the homework book words to the effect of "how the heck is she supposed to do that!" :)
 
a 10 year olds homework :eek:

plus if there is no answer/solution what message or learning does that inscribe?

Have they not got all the kids with their 'times tables' by 10 yet?
 
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