Math Problem for Russian elementary school students (Smart, Accord, American)
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I recently came across this transportation/math problem for Russian elementary school students (ages ≈ 12 years). I've changed the problem somewhat — miles for kilometers, etc.):
Two Russian cities, A and B, are 500 miles apart. At the crack of dawn, Person A leaves city A and drives to city B at a constant speed. At the same time (sunrise), Person B leaves city B and drives to city A at a constant speed. They take the same highway and pass each other at 12 noon without stopping.
Person A arrives at city B at 4:00 pm. Person B arrives at city A at 9:00 pm.
What time was sunrise?
I would bet that 75% of American six-graders would have trouble with this problem. We are falling behind in math and science, folks. More than half of the undergraduate physics majors at the University of Chicago are from south-east Asia, and I'm sure that is true of other science universities in the U.S.
I use stuff like this on occasion to solve problems at work.
This particular type of problem is more often just a tool to teach logical thought and application of substitution.
It's like a "widget" example in a finance class, guns and butter in an economics course or sitting there drawing pictures of fruit in an art class.
Basics to teach a concept.
I see the intention, but the skill acquired is useful to so few people, as is manifested by the number of people in this thread who have no idea how to solve this problem. I'm not worried about our education system based on the disparity in this type of ability, which is between the average American child and whoever. We'll remain competent as a whole if we teach kids to work hard and think outside the box.
This problem may have appeared on a Russian test for their elementary school students, but that does not mean that their students have any success in solving it. On standardized tests, there are usually a number of problems included which are not expected to be resolved successfully.
I'll comment no further; I agree this is more appropriate for the Politics or Education forums.
I'm Russian. My daughter spent a year in an American high school. She took an AP Calculus course, she was the only Junior in the class, and she still felt like the course is 2 years behind the Russian school. She never had less than 98%.
The situation with Chemistry was even more unfortunate. The whole Organic Chemistry was left behind the course.
However, she liked Government and Sociology, and overall, it was a great experience for her.
This problem may have appeared on a Russian test for their elementary school students, but that does not mean that their students have any success in solving it. On standardized tests, there are usually a number of problems included which are not expected to be resolved successfully.
I'll comment no further; I agree this is more appropriate for the Politics or Education forums.
I agree on it being more appropriate in another place. However, I wanted to add that not only are you correct about what standardized tests are for, but that there is another factor at play as well.
Other countries use stratified education systems. Meaning they take the kids and divide them into classifications and devote specific curriculum and indeed entire schools to teaching each of these "groups". American education works differently and we throw everyone in the same box with the only allowance being AP and honors courses being offered.
Many times comparisons are made through the administration of tests across the globe. The problem there is that we give it to our high schools to do and have an average cross sampling. Many foreign countries send these tests to their highest rated "group" schools, where they have all of their top students.
It's not that Americans are dumber or less educated than the rest of the world, it's just that we put more of an emphasis on teaching our worst than we do our best.
I recently came across this transportation/math problem for Russian elementary school students (ages ≈ 12 years). I've changed the problem somewhat — miles for kilometers, etc.):
Two Russian cities, A and B, are 500 miles apart. At the crack of dawn, Person A leaves city A and drives to city B at a constant speed. At the same time (sunrise), Person B leaves city B and drives to city A at a constant speed. They take the same highway and pass each other at 12 noon without stopping.
Person A arrives at city B at 4:00 pm. Person B arrives at city A at 9:00 pm.
What time was sunrise?
I would bet that 75% of American six-graders would have trouble with this problem. We are falling behind in math and science, folks. More than half of the undergraduate physics majors at the University of Chicago are from south-east Asia, and I'm sure that is true of other science universities in the U.S.
Russia has like 9 time zones...does this problem take that into account?
A traveled S1 distance for T hours: S1 = V1*T
B traveled S1 distance after the meeting, since 12 PM till 9 PM: S1 = V2*9
As I understood 9PM=12+9=21 hours after 12 noon? Not 9 hours? And you do not use distance 500 miles.
If sunrise 6-00 PM:
Speed1=500/(4+12+24-6)=14.70588235 miles/hour
Speed2=500/(9+12+24-6)=12.82051282 miles/hour.
Speed1*(24-6)+Speed2*(24-6)=495 miles.
They must to leave earlier to meet at midnight.
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