PARENTS have been left baffled by their child’s maths problem – can you solve it?
One confused mum shared her youngest daughter’s homework, in the hopes that someone could help her solve it.
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However, the post on Mumsnet resulted in more questions than answers as people shared their theories.
The original poster revealed that her child is in Key Stage 2, or school years 3-6.
This would imply that her maths homework would be basic enough for the average adult to solve.
But this was not the case, as the mum wrote: “I’m baffled by it even though, since it’s [my daughter’s] homework, I probably should be able to work it out. Someone explain…please?”
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The question, which involved three lighthouses set on various timers, left Mumsnet users stumped.
It requires you to line up the timing of each light to determine the first point where they are all off at the same time.
Next, you must figure out when the timings line up again so that all the lights turn on at the same time.
The problem is, the lights each stay on and off for a set amount of time, with each one differing from the other.
This makes it more challenging to figure out when they are briefly in sync.
“Bleurgh my daughter is also in Key Stage 2 and sometimes I just Google the homework,” wrote one mum.
Another woman shared her frustration over the difficult problem, writing: “That is a ridiculous question and I’m only here to learn something.”
“I’ll wait till someone better than I am comes along.”
While most parents agreed to the first part of the question, the final problem divided opinion.
Some mums guessed the answer was 25, while others were sure it was 120, and a few even thought it was the first three seconds.
Still feeling baffled? We’ll put you out of your misery.
On the coast there are 3 lighthouses.
The first light shines for 3 seconds, then is off for 3 seconds.
The second light shines for 4 seconds, then is off for 4 seconds.
The third light shines for 5 seconds, then is off for 5 seconds.
All three lights have just come on together.
1) When is the first time all three lights will be off together?
2) When is the next time all three lights will come on at the same moment?
The first time all the lights will all be off at the same time is after five seconds, so the six second mark technically.
Once you have confirmed this, you can work through the pattern to determine the answer to the second part of the question.
And we can confirm, the lights all sync up to turn on at the time again after 120 seconds, so the 121 second mark.
And why not challenge yourself further with this Year 5 problem that’s left people scratching their heads?
There are also a series of primary school maths questions that are also confusing adults.
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