Son's teacher needs to go back to school

Sambucus_Nigra

bestpud wrote: »

So you think this teacher is teaching them to read from right to left then...

In mathematical language it means greater than.

It does have a figure either side of it in any case.

The 30 is one side and the pupil applies each of the other figures to that sum, therefore giving the sum two sides.

I have no idea what this teacher is doing! I mean, look how many people got it wrong on here for a start.

I haven't even pointed out that in the initial diagram, it's the space that is labelled - so we are assuming that the '>30' and the 'even numbers' labels apply to each of the 2 circles rather than the existential space on the outside of them which is where they are actually placed.

That's a whole 'nother thread, obviously.

bestpud

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

I have no idea what this teacher is doing! I mean, look how many people got it wrong on here for a start.

I haven't even pointed out that in the initial diagram, it's the space that is labelled - so we are assuming that the '>30' and the 'even numbers' labels apply to each of the 2 circles rather than the existential space on the outside of them which is where they are actually placed.

That's a whole 'nother thread, obviously.

Most on here answered it correctly...

I imagine what the teacher had done is used an incorrect worksheet and so her answer sheet is different, as suggested back on page one.

I really hope she doesn't think the greater than sign can mean less than!!

onlyroz

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

So > on it's own is just a symbol. Once it has something on either side, then you can call it a 'greater than' symbol.....but on it's own it is meaningless. At the same time as it becomes a greater than symbol, it also becomes a less than symbol if the thing on the right hand side is the subject. It is both at the same time, as each are correct. Just because you read from the left and call it 'greater than' doesn't mean that someone reading from the right can't call it a 'less than' symbol.

I am sorry but you are wrong. I have tried to explain why a number of times.

mico62

halibut2209 wrote: »

Don't get me started. The next homework was using "looking at multiplication using chunking"

Chunking???? What the hell is that?

Just do long muliplication like normal people!!!

It gets worse, I mentioned logarithm books to a friend's daughter who's just got her first job as a maths teacher and she said "ooh, we learnt about them when we were doing the history of maths"!!

When DS was learning < and > the teacher wrote them on the board and asked if anyone knew what they meant - smartypants put his hand up and answered rewind and fastforward :rotfl:

peaceandfreedom

mico62 wrote: »

It gets worse, I mentioned logarithm books to a friend's daughter who's just got her first job as a maths teacher and she said "ooh, we learnt about them when we were doing the history of maths"!!

When DS was learning < and > the teacher wrote them on the board and asked if anyone knew what they meant - smartypants put his hand up and answered rewind and fastforward :rotfl:

Ha ha, bless him.

I used log books when I was in secondary school, though I would need a bit of a refresher to use them properly now. 'History of maths' - that does make me feel a little bit old. :rotfl:

Meepster

Really? Six pages for a basic maths query?

1<x<5 (therefore, x is greater than 1 and 5 is greater than x)

5>x>1 (or, x is less than 5, and 1 is less than x)

> always means greater than in the same way that < always means less than. But is determined by where they number is.

So >30 or 30< would mean all numbers greater than 30 (31 upwards) i.e 31>30 or 30<31
and <30 or 30> would mean all numbers less than 30 (29 downwards) i.e 29<30 or 30>29
and =30 would mean the number 30 only i.e. 30=30
and ≠30 would mean any number, other than 30 i.e 1≠30

If you did ever see 30>60 then the only possible outcome could be the response: FALSE

redpete

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Hence proving that > doesn't categorically mean 'greater than'.

Wrong. "30>60" makes no sense, it is a false statement, because > always means "greater than". Are you suggesting that there is a case where "30>60" is a valid statement?

If I write 3+2=1 does this then mean that "+" can mean "minus" in some situations?

peaceandfreedom

Meepster wrote: »

So >30 or 30< would mean all numbers greater than 30 (31 upwards) i.e 31>30 or 30<31
and <30 or 30> would mean all numbers less than 30 (29 downwards) i.e 29<30 or 30>29

So, >30 or 30< reads 'greater than 30' or '30 less than'.
<30 or 30> reads 'less than 30' or '30 greater than'.

Whatever way you cut it a > symbol, reading left to right, means greater than.

You could argue that if you read the statement backwards, then > doesn't mean greater than, but given the misunderstandings that many people have, I think we should stick to reading from left to right.

The point is (going back to the OP), whatever direction you read '>30' in, it is never going to mean 'less than 30'.

Sambucus_Nigra

redpete wrote: »

Wrong. "30>60" makes no sense, it is a false statement, because > always means "greater than". Are you suggesting that there is a case where "30>60" is a valid statement?

If I write 3+2=1 does this then mean that "+" can mean "minus" in some situations?

I know it makes no sense.

That was my point.

Which is that > or < only means anything when something is either side of it.

Saying that > is the greater than symbol is meaningless on it's own - otherwise everything on the left would ALWAYS be greater than everything on the right - which is patently not true.

bestpud

Meepster wrote: »

Really? Six pages for a basic maths query?

1<x<5 (therefore, x is greater than 1, but less than 5)

5>x>1 (or, x is less than 5, but greater than 1)

> cannot always mean greater than, in the same way < cannot always mean less than. It all depends on where it is positioned in the statement or equation.

So >30 or 30< would mean all numbers greater than 30 (31 upwards) i.e 31>30 or 30<31
and <30 or 30> would mean all numbers less than 30 (29 downwards) i.e 29<30 or 30>29
and =30 would mean the number 30 only i.e. 30=30
and ≠30 would mean any number, other than 30 i.e 1≠30

If you did ever see 30>60 then the only possible outcome could be the response: FALSE

That does not explain how some on here seem able to read '>30' as 'less than 30' which is what we've been arguing.

Keep up!

It does always mean greater than, as 5 is greater than x.

It may be reversible in some cases, but it still means 'greater than'!