If you have young children, you know there are times when they need help with their homework. It can be challenging to assist them, especially if they are working on something that seems difficult to you.
Math is one of those subjects that many of us struggled with in school, making it tough to help our kids when we need assistance ourselves. Additionally, the fact that children today are using a different approach to math than what we learned in school can further complicate things. We may struggle to understand the logic behind it, and our children may have difficulty grasping it as well.
Perhaps that’s why a question from an elementary school student, shared on social media in June 2023, was so challenging for a parent to answer. When people saw the question, they thought they knew the answer, but little did they know it would spark a heated debate among adults.
Part of the confusion stemmed from the way the question was phrased. It wasn’t a straightforward answer but required some critical thinking.
Most people believed that option D was the correct choice because it was only 12:03, making it the closest to the original time of day. However, some argued that the question stated “the closest time to” and not “the closest time until,” which introduced ambiguity.
Jah know start diss a hurt mi head pic.twitter.com/ptYFtS9DSx
— Minister of Foolishness 🇯🇲 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@yawdmontweet) June 21, 2023
While creative thinking is admirable, it doesn’t have a place in math, which is meant to be logical. Many parents struggled with this question, which is still being debated.
In the end, many believe there is more than one valid answer. Some argue that an answer before midnight would be best, while others contend that the closest time, even if it’s after midnight, is also correct.
What was your answer?