This 'impossible' maths exam question has both kids and parents stumped
One maths exam question has had parents and kids struggling to get the answer
Every year students complain that their exams are getting harder, which can often lead parents to express just how hard things were back in their day.
Teenagers could be right though, according to new research from Save My Exams, which challenged parents to complete a GCSE maths question, with 100 per cent of them failing.
While it is not reasonable to expect students to pass every question, it does show how difficult it can be to pass a test and how much praise kids deserve.
READ MORE: Teen's €3.4k Christmas wish list leaves people 'speechless'
Out of the 1,000 parents who were quizzed, a whopping 92 per cent were unable to answer and a further eight per cent failed to get the correct answer, the Mirror reports.
Despite this, an average of 75 per cent of these parents still think they would be able to pass their children's exams, although 52 per cent admitted that they do not always understand their children’s homework.
The GCSE maths question that stumped parents shows a shape along with all its measurements in centimetres, with the area of the shape being A cm². Respondents were then asked to show that A = 2x² + 24x + 46.
Save My Exams' maths lead Lucy Kirkham has come to the rescue, helping to work out the answer for anyone who could not figure out the answer.
Lucy explained: "Seeing questions with loads of Algebra can be scary but breaking them down into smaller chunks will help you work through them more easily.
"Our maths experts at Save My Exams create colour-coded model answers which break down each question into easier steps to carefully guide users to the correct answer.
"This question gives you the answer you're working towards, which can sometimes be off-putting as you wonder 'How am I ever going to get there?'. Don’t let it worry you, just try to start with the first step and you'll surprise yourself with how far you can get!
"Even if you don’t get all the way through, marks are awarded for different stages of your working so you can always try to pick up some marks and use our model answers to see how you’d pick up the rest."
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
