Editorial
An eight-year-old student’s math question has left the internet stumped.
A mum, named Dusty Sappington, took to Reddit and shared a photo of her daughter’s homework, which asked: “Janell had 15 marbles. She lost some of them. How many does Janell have now?”
She captioned the post: “This 3rd-grade maths problem…”
Simple Maths Question Divides Internet
The post has since accumulated over 900 comments, with many arguing that it’s an ‘unfair’ question to ask.
One joked: “Today I learned that I’d possibly score less than some 3rd graders on math homework. I used to be so confident and c***y.”
“But I don’t think that’s a fair 3rd-grade question,” added another.
A third pitched in, saying: “She lost some, so she has some left. Two can play at this game.”
“Janell lost her marbles,” a fourth quipped.
A fifth commented: “Looks like the person who wrote the question has lost all of his or her marbles…”
Apparently, no one could come up with a conclusive answer to the maths question. However, that didn’t stop some from giving it a go.
One suggested: “Hey everybody, that is the point of the question. Recognising when you don’t have enough information for a solution is a third-grade concept.”
A second said: “Wouldn’t it be 13> because 1. Can’t be 15 because she 100% loses something. 2. Can’t be 14 because she loses ‘some’ which means it’s more than one.”
“Looks like some addition and subtraction in word problems, not really feeling greater/less than signs in these. That being said, the rest of them was my answer,” a third penned.
A fourth joined in, writing: “It depends on what the students were taught in class before the lesson. If they had lessons on more and less, then they should be expected to answer questions just like this.”
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