PISA tests .... (NLC)

[robin]

Understand that it is not just these questions they have to answer. I do think they are meant to be representative but given they are so easy I think I must be mistake.

Cheers,
Robin

[pete]

Understand that it is not just these questions they have to answer. I do think they are meant to be representative but given they are so easy I think I must be mistake.

Cheers,
Robin

I think you'd be surprised by the general level of maths in the population (I'm presuming here that you work mainly among engineers of some shade or another). I've despaired in the past at the ability of errm others to do simple time and distance calculations.


A maths lecturer was talking on the radio a few months ago and was saying that maths is mainly perseverance. He was lecturing in city college as part of some program in the evenings to people who hadn't passed maths in high school.
He spoke of one middle aged woman who stayed after class because she hadn't finished a problem, when he offered her the solution she just looked up grinning and said "No - i'll get it in the end!" as she tried first one approach and then another. He reckoned with a class full of people like that he could solve anything.

[Eric K]

I'm confused.

I was expecting questions about leaning towers.

[robin]

Leaning towers is later (sine/cosine rules). Straight towers, on the other hand ....

[Corranga]

Agreed, it's pretty pathetic, tough I'm another 6/6 with a non-option answer on the doors question first time around, mainly as I as pushing (hoping?) for a trick question, and simply fooling myself into it

On the other side of things, I did feel myself heading for a calculator, as my mental arithmetic is terrible, probably down to my maths classes in school where, from about 14 on, there was a calculator on my desk.
I resisted with the thought that all of the numbers in these questions were geared towards simple numbers. I was right..!

[tut]

Am I the only one that had no aids when at school? Everything was done on paper by long multiplication and division, and we had log tables.

I remember slide rules at some time but I think this was after A levels in 1958.

tut

[Claws]

I got 5/6 as I misunderstood the question, I thought it was asking when should he leave for the bottom.


Other than that, it was a PISA piss

[j2 lot]

Everything was done on paper by long multiplication and division, and we had log tables.

We werent allowed calculators and had to show our working out or lost marks

I still remember going with my dad when he was buying our first electronic calculator - cost £50 or something & was a thing of wonder and provided endless hour of fun ( yes I know hard to believe now)

[rossybee]

Everything was done on paper by long multiplication and division, and we had log tables.

We werent allowed calculators and had to show our working out or lost marks

I still remember going with my dad when he was buying our first electronic calculator - cost £50 or something & was a thing of wonder and provided endless hour of fun ( yes I know hard to believe now)

I can remember my dad getting our first video recorder....rented, just in case it didn't catch on

I was gobsmacked you could watch something which you'd already seen 5mins earlier on live telly....but then my kids still ask me (whilst rolling around LOLing [LOL]) to tell the story about running home from school all excited at the prospect of Channel 4 broadcasting for the first time

[robin]

Everything was done on paper by long multiplication and division, and we had log tables.

We werent allowed calculators and had to show our working out or lost marks

I still remember going with my dad when he was buying our first electronic calculator - cost £50 or something & was a thing of wonder and provided endless hour of fun ( yes I know hard to believe now)

You still have to show relevant working to gain full marks in the exams.

For all levels (perhaps with exception of foundation) there is a calculator and non-calculator paper. Having calculator papers makes sense - a calculator is a very useful tool for working out all sorts of stuff, but you do need to know how to use one properly to get the right result. Even though that is easier now than it used to be when you had to work with one of these:



It used reverse polish notation, which is awesome, though somewhat unpopular these days, unless you're a Forth programmer

Cheers,
Robin

[mckeann]

my level of maths

[tut]

Ch4, bloody luxury.

Our second channel was ITV in 1955.

tut

[Dominic]

I was more sophisticated that you Neil... 5318008

[tut]

I think these two were my first calculator and watch.






tut

[BiggestNizzy]

I remember my old man having a calculator like robins and at the time i liked it because you could see the numbers in the dark.

He prefered to use his trusty slide rule.