Can you solve a maths question given to a 10yo for homework?

A maths problem given to a primary school student has left parents “stumped”, as many label it “genuinely hard”. Can you solve it?

A British TV host has left the internet “stumped” after sharing a question from her daughter’s maths homework.

Sky News presenter Anna Botting posted a complicated question given to her 10-year-old, explaining she found it “genuinely hard”.

The mum-of-two shared the puzzle in response to the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to make maths compulsory for every student up to the age of 18 after recent data showed just half of 16 to 19-year-olds in the UK study maths.

In response, parents have been sharing their child’s homework assignments online to prove the subject can be incredibly tricky for some, as a criticism for the PM’s plan swells.

Anna is among those who have agreed that even as an adult, maths has never been her strong point.

Can you work out the answer?

Can you solve this 10-year-old’s maths question? Picture: Twitter/AnnaBotting

It reads: “At the beginning of the day, Hasim counted his money. He gave his brother 1/3 of his money. He spent £12 on a present for his sister.

“He then counted what he had left, and it was half what he had at the beginning of the day. “How much money did he give his brother? Show your method.”

The question was quick to “stump” others too, with many declaring it was “definitely difficult”. Some teachers even weighed in, claiming they “can’t honestly see the point of these highly convoluted maths problems”.

If you couldn’t figure it out (you’re not alone), Anna shared the answer after seeking help from her daughter’s teacher.

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The teacher had to show Anna how to figure it out. Picture: Twitter/AnnaBotting

“For those like me who couldn’t do it…,” she wrote.

“To all who said 24 [tick emoji] ️And 72 – read the Q.”

How you can work out the answer

If Hasim gave his brother 1/3 of his money, spent £12, and has half of his money left, then:

12 = (1/6)x

Then resolve x:

x = 72

So how much did Hasim give his brother?

72/3 = £24

Anna later took to Twitter to give her 32,000 followers another question which was equally as tough.

“Stumped on another one … (they’ve not yet been taught algebra)… #mathshelp,” she wrote.

Stumped on another one @wallaceme … (they’ve not yet been taught algebra)… #mathshelppic.twitter.com/owZyQGUMpK

— Anna Botting (@annabotting) January 11, 2023

Can you figure out this one?

It reads: “There are 5 times as may pens in box A than box B.

“Tom moves 76 pens from box A to box B.

“Both boxes now have the same number of pens.

“How many pens are in box A now?”

As with the last question, many were left scratching their heads, with a pilot even responding to state: “I fly planes for a job, and this hurts.”

Two Twitter users were able to solve the puzzle using different methods, one using algebra while another used a model to figure out the problem.

Method one:

Model it. No algebra. Two step word problem. pic.twitter.com/VE3qGcaloc

— Mrs H (@MrsH58953955) January 11, 2023

Method two:

A=5B box A has 5 times the pens of B
A-76=b+76 - 76 pens are moved from A to B
B=A-152
A=5(A-152)
A=5A-760
760=5A-A
760=4A
A=760/4
A=190
B=190-152
B=38Proof 190=5*38
At the start
Box A has 190pens and B has 38
After Tom moves the 76 pens
Box A has 114 (190-76)
B also has 114

— JG_TVDIRECTOR (@jonathanglazier) January 11, 2023

Both have the correct answer – 114, according to the Daily Mail.

Mr Sunak announced he was looking into making maths a compulsory subject up to the age of 18 during a recent speech, stating he wanted people to “feel confident” when it came to finances.

But there have been critics of the plan, according to the BBC.

Originally published as Can you solve a maths question given to a 10yo for homework?