Grade 5 Math Question - What's your answer?

[bjcheung77]

[NotJoeBiden]

Not an easy question for a 5th grader imo. For those interested I have the solution below.

The student read 30 pages, then proceeded to read 3/8 of the book (1/8+1/4), meaning the 30 pages must have been 5/8 of the book. Therefore the pages is 30/(5/8)=48

[ss20ts]

There is no book. It's now confetti. How did that happen? I got to the page this word problem was on so I had to rip up my book.

[davewill]

I agree that's it's tough for a 5th grader. Unless they've been drilled on this specific type of word problem, I don't see how they can be expected to do it. It's easy enough to set up as an algebra equation (30/x + 1/8 + 1/4 = 1), but without using algebra, you have work up the logic as @NotJoe Biden did.

[P226mem]

I hear the distance echos of homeschooling days using Singapore math and bar diagrams saying... (same answer as above with 48)

We are told that Wednesday = 1 out of 4 bars were finished. But another part of the problem talks about 8. So let's remember 1/4 is the same as 2/8. and draw it out

Monday and Tuesday together equals 6 of the 8 bars (of pages).

____ _____ ______ _____ _____ |____ | ____ ____ The last two horizontal bars are Wed. They are supposed to be equal sizes, but hard to show on this forum. The vertical is the sections of days.

Monday + 1 bar (aka 1/8 on tuesday) = 6 bars, which means Monday is 5 bars.

and we are told Monday is 30
30 is 5 equal bars
so each bar is 6 pages. and there are 8 bars. so 6x 8 = 48. It's not hard if using a program like Singapore math because the idea of logic with bar diagrams is taught all along. But it might be the problem on the challenge page.

feels like an old discussion from a message board far far away...... I'm going back into hiding now

[ifomonay]

@bjcheung, just curious, where did you do elementary/middle school? They don't teach this stuff here in the US until 7th grade. Depending on math placement scores and request from the parents, they may enroll in Pre-Algebra in 6th. But definitely not 5th grade. Of course, that was a few decades ago, maybe that's changed.

[Kevin Cooper]

That's for 5th grade? My grandson is studying 3th grade in an Asian country and he has been taught multiplying three-digit numbers. I guess fractions will be learned soon. Kids these days are really good.