What Happened To Numeracy?

[ToraToraTora]

https://news.sky.com/story/all-pupils-in-england-to-study-maths-until-18-under-rishi-sunaks-new-mission-12779266
Not sure what the PM means by, pupils will study Maths until 18, I assume he means the ones that are still in education. Anyway I find it shocking that:
"Around eight million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children, " - so what happened? Why are we so innumerate as a nation? I'm not talking about Calculus here just basic 'rithmetic.

[ZebuSanctuary]

// In 2018 it was 299, and in 2022 it was 45,756. That is a huge increase, but what is the exact answer? //

15,203 % (to one d.p)

Hope that helps.

[ZebuSanctuary]

// the brain is exhausted pick on the banal! //

TTT, don't feel too sore. I've awarded you 9.5 out of 10 ;-)

[Gromit]

Thanks ZS.

[carrot99]

Thanks zebu. I'm still a bit confused. I'm sure that when I was at school 12m² or 12 metres squared meant 12m x 12m so 144 square metres. If I had an area of 12 square metres I'd write 12sqm not 12m².

How do you write a number if you want it to be squared?
If I had a square room which was 12m on all 4 sides what sum would I use to get 144 square metres without writing out 12m x 12m if not 12m².

Sorry I'm making such heavy weather of it.

[ToraToraTora]

There is no short way to write 12 metres squared. 12m² means 12 square metres even though the index comes after the m, that is the way it is written in maths notation.

[ToraToraTora]

you could write 12² M I suppose that would give 144m²

[bobbinwales]

4m x 3m gives you a area of 12 m² or 12 square meters. Think of 12 carpet tiles 1m x 1m eqch
12m x 12m, gives you a area of 144 m² (144 tiles) (or 144 metres squared or 12 metres sqaure but why use that term)
Am not sure what your disagreeing with carrottop

[ZebuSanctuary]

carrot, TTT is correct when he says 12 square metres = 12 m²

Let's look at this from another angle.

Even though it's tempting to do so, it would be wrong to utter 12 m² as twelve metres squared! Therefore in mathematical parlance use TTT's expression above.

Look upon 12 metres squared as (12 metres)²

Therefore everything inside the brackets is squared giving 144 m²

Hope that tidy's up your query.

[Togo]

""Metre is the unit of length in the SI system and square metres is the SI units for calculating area. The confusion arises when we see metres squared written or spoken. People cannot make out the difference between square metres and metres squared and assume they are the same, which they are not!""

E.G a "SQUARE" room has a length of 2 metres and a breadth of 2 metres. 2 metres X 2 Metres = 4 square metres. or Area = 4 m2.

Now ... if you that you have a room that is 4 metres squared you are implying that you have a square room that is 4mtrs in length and 4 metres in breadth which is 16 square metres.
Metres squared and square metres are not the same.

https://www.mrsphysics.co.uk/blog/difference-between-square-metres-and-metres-squared/

[ToraToraTora]

Zebu has a good idea, we could write (12m)² for 12 metres squared.

[Togo]

We already have the rule TTT. The symbol ² should only be used attached to a value and never with a description or adjective. It was drummed into us in school. Sadly our new and exciting tutors ignore this. Words need square or squared. Number or abstract values need ² .

[ToraToraTora]

Yes but it's quite acceptable to have the index outside the brackets.
https://thirdspacelearning.com/gcse-maths/algebra/indices-with-brackets/

[Atheist]

Maths notation says that 12 square metres (sorry I can't show it properly here) means something different from a 12 metre square. Any non-maths literate people here need to accept that fact. If you speak maths you need to understand the vocabulary; if you want to speak French ditto.

[Stargazer]

The first place that should be conquered is learning the times tables in chanted form until it is embedded in ones brain. This was done in the forties and fifties and we had to practise at home until it became as easy as counting to twenty. I can reckon up what I owe before the cashier can scan items into the till (if that's what you call those machines.

[Togo]

For those of you struggling with "symbols", math symbols included. If using windows you RIGHT click in the space that you want the symbol. A pop up menu appears. Choose emoji, which is likely at the top. For maths symbols click on the Omega sign at the top(like a horseshoe). Then at the bottom of that list click on the symbol at the bottom that says "maths symbols" if you hover the cursor over it, and looks like a figure 8 lying down. ³ ¼ ¾ ⅕ ⅔ ² and more are in there.

[ZebuSanctuary]

DTC // A bat and a ball cost one £ and ten p in total. The bat costs a pound more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? //

//Method: deduct the “excess” from the total; divide what’s left by 2 and that’s the cost of the cheapest item. This is not really maths. The only arithmetic involved is taking £1 away from £1.10 and dividing 10 by 2. But it demonstrates perfectly that having a calculator will not solve everything. I solved such puzzles at primary school. We called them “problems.”//

new judge-mental // This is not really maths //

Do you derive pleasure in making such misleading statements?

[Peter Pedant]

Maths notation says that 12 square metres (sorry I can't show it properly here) means something different from a 12 metre square. if you want to speak French ditto.

bon-jewer, missewer ( thx to Tommy Handley)

Fractions apparently - they cant get froo fractions 1/3 plus 2/5
I cdnt believe how many joiners and plumber were stumped by this

[Peter Pedant]

new judge-mental // This is not really maths //

yeah we had that at school - Sarky the ex-patriate ex-tea-planter said we werent doing maff, but - - arithmetic I think. Altho we were gonna do arith, algebra and geom one hour papers ( and Math B where we werent allowed log books for er logs)

he also said we werent scholars as he was not aware that was the census category for school children. Instead we were potential scholars as none of us at that time has scholarships to secondary schools

at that stage we just said 'yes sir' as by then we knew there were some weird teachers at schools