Who else remembers math class? If you’re like most people, you probably got assignments that had at least one or two issues that seemed to be totally unsolvable.
However; this is until the teacher explained the answer, leaving you in awe. When it comes to head scratching math problems, we should definitely mention this one.
It was given to 5th graders in China and it reached social media for being really hard, almost unsolvable.
And, believe us, we’re not joking. It actually has no answer…
Unsolvable 5th Grade Math Problem in Chinese Schools
A group of 11-year-olds from the Nanchong Primary School in China were completing a math test when one task made really confused them.
Here’s what the task said:
“If a ship has 26 sheep and 10 goats, how old is the ship’s captain?”
This is definitely not an easy riddle and we don’t even know where to begin with it. However, we give praise to the smart children who did their best.
They definitely gave some amazing answers.
One actually wrote that the captain should be at least 18 years old as a minor can’t operate a vessel by law.
Another said that the captain is 36 and he’s quite narcissistic so the number of animals corresponds to his age.
This is definitely pure creativity that even adults can’t come up with. However, what’s the REAL answer?
The Real Answer of the Unsolvable Math Task in Chinese School
The school’s response given in a statement said that the exam was made in a way to test the capacity of students to think outside of traditional math issues and to use and develop other skills like awareness and ability to ask questions.
The educators noted how some primary school students in their country lacked critical awareness concerning math.
So, as educators, they want to help express each of the child’s different and unique personality.
They believe a question that can be answered in multiple ways is a good question.
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