When is Wrong, Right!

[Zeb_Carter]

I'm sure you teachers out there will find this enlightening, maybe even stupid. I hope you find it stupid. I really do.

NY passes students who get wrong answers on tests
By CARL CAMPANILE and SUSAN EDELMAN
Last Updated: 11:32 AM, June 6, 2010
Posted: 1:40 AM, June 6, 2010

When does 2 + 2 = 5?

When you're taking the state math test.

Despite promises that the exams -- which determine whether students advance to the next grade -- would not be dumbed down this year, students got "partial credit" for wrong answers after failing to correctly add, subtract, multiply and divide. Some got credit for no answer at all.

"They were giving credit for blatantly wrong things," said an outraged Brooklyn teacher who was among those hired to score the fourth-grade test.

State education officials had vowed to "strengthen" and "increase the rigor" of both the questions and the scoring when about 1.2 million kids in grades 3 to 8 -- including 450,000 in New York City -- took English exams in April and math exams last month.

 

[sr71plt]

Not sure what really happened. (It's customary to do a lot of presuming and then to get ranty.) If the pupil showed that they knew the formula/process being specifically taught/tested but came up with the wrong number answer, they aren't completely wrong. The education bit is to learn a specific process not to get separate processes right all the time too. So, if they showed they mastered the actual process/concept/formula being tested, I don't see why they can't be given some credit for that. Not full credit, of course. Their failing then isn't in the process being tested but in some other process--that now needs reviewed.

If it were an essay question, they would get credit for the parts they did do right.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Its called the NEGROFICATION OF AMERICA.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

(Ignoring JBJ...)

Yes, and the Ministry of Education in my Province once adopted a textbook that was shown to have more than 600 errors in it. No problem, said the Minister, as long as the students answer what's in the book; no matter how wrong it may be, they'll be marked correct. If they give the really right answer, though, he added, they'll be marked wrong because it isn't what they were supposed to learn from the book.

At least it wasn't a med school course.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Nowadays all you need is breath and a pulse to be a Special Olympics Scholar.

 

[egelante]

I'm sure you teachers out there will find this enlightening, maybe even stupid. I hope you find it stupid. I really do.

NY passes students who get wrong answers on tests
By CARL CAMPANILE and SUSAN EDELMAN
Last Updated: 11:32 AM, June 6, 2010
Posted: 1:40 AM, June 6, 2010

When does 2 + 2 = 5?

When you're taking the state math test.

Despite promises that the exams -- which determine whether students advance to the next grade -- would not be dumbed down this year, students got "partial credit" for wrong answers after failing to correctly add, subtract, multiply and divide. Some got credit for no answer at all.

"They were giving credit for blatantly wrong things," said an outraged Brooklyn teacher who was among those hired to score the fourth-grade test.

State education officials had vowed to "strengthen" and "increase the rigor" of both the questions and the scoring when about 1.2 million kids in grades 3 to 8 -- including 450,000 in New York City -- took English exams in April and math exams last month.

I'm sure that someone once proved to me that 1=2 or something of the sort... there's some odd little corner of equations that roves into the impossible. But perhaps I'm mistaken in my memory of that!

I'm sure that this is not at all related.

Does seem a strange thing to do though!

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I'm sure that someone once proved to me that 1=2 or something of the sort... there's some odd little corner of equations that roves into the impossible. But perhaps I'm mistaken in my memory of that!

I'm sure that this is not at all related.

Does seem a strange thing to do though!

There was an Intel processor that had that little quirk and would give incorrect answers if the equations had too many decimal places.

Other than that...in all math 1 = 1 unless 1 is a variable but in most math equations nobody would do that, well at least I wouldn't would get a little confusing.

a = 1
1 = 2
@ = 3

x = @ * 1 * a + 1

Ok, sure, you betcha.

 

[R. Richard]

I'm sure that someone once proved to me that 1=2 or something of the sort... there's some odd little corner of equations that roves into the impossible. But perhaps I'm mistaken in my memory of that!

I'm sure that this is not at all related.

Does seem a strange thing to do though!

The normal path to 'proving' that 1 = 2 is to sneak in a vision by zero. Division by zero is not a defined arithmetic operation. After a division by zero, al sorts of nonsense is possible.

Assume 1 = 9

Multiply 0*1 = 0*9, TRUE
Divide (0/0)*1 = (0/0)*9 UNDEFINED
Since it's assumed that dividing a number by itself yields a result of 1 then
1*1 = 1*9
Simplify 1 = 9

 

[TE999]

A child's' 'self-esteem' is of greater significance to todays' education bureaucrats than good grades...no one is permitted to fail as it would cast them in a poor light. Favorable graduation stats, giving inflated or phony grades and passing state mandated exams are considered 'progress' in education. The teachers and the students are pawns in the game.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

The normal path to 'proving' that 1 = 2 is to sneak in a vision by zero. Division by zero is not a defined arithmetic operation. After a division by zero, al sorts of nonsense is possible.

Assume 1 = 9

Multiply 0*1 = 0*9, TRUE
Divide (0/0)*1 = (0/0)*9 UNDEFINEDERROR
Since it's assumed that dividing a number by itself yields a result of 1 then
1*1 = 1*9
Simplify 1 = 9

To get undefined (null/null)*1 = (null/null)*9 You can not divide by zero. And zero/zero would not equal 1 it would equal ERROR.

Dividing by null is a defined mathematical process which results are undefined. Therefore the equation above results will be null

 

[TheeGoatPig]

To get undefined (null/null)*1 = (null/null)*9 You can not divide by zero. And zero/zero would not equal 1 it would equal ERROR.

Dividing by null is a defined mathematical process which results are undefined. Therefore the equation above results will be null

I am so tempted to post one of those "Divide by zero" memes...

 

[bronzeage]

This was once known as, "grading on the curve."

 

[Handley_Page]

There's enough "divide by zero" errors in a pc these days.

If you divided anything by zero the answer must be infinity.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

There's enough "divide by zero" errors in a pc these days.

If you divided anything by zero the answer must be infinity.

Nope, it would be the other way around if it were possible.

 

[R. Richard]

There's enough "divide by zero" errors in a pc these days.

If you divided anything by zero the answer must be infinity.

If you divide a quantity by zero, the answer is UNDEFINED.

If you divide zero by zero, the answer is also UNDEFINED, but many texts state that dividing a number by itself yields one.

In a computer, an attempt to divide by zero will yield an operating system exception. The exact handling of an attempt to divide by zero depends upon the operating system.

 

[R. Richard]

What I showed in my example was an obvious attempt to divide by zero. Most 'clever' examples use variables and don't bother to tell the observer that dividing by (A-B) is a dividsion by zero, because A = B.

 

[bronzeage]

Nope, it would be the other way around if it were possible.

If one multiplies any number by zero, the product is zero.

If one divides a number by a number very close to zero, the quotient is a larger number. The closer the divisor gets to zero, the larger the quotient. Eventually the quotient will approach infinity, but never actually get there.

It turns out, division by zero is possible, just not very practical because it takes such a long time.

 

[R. Richard]

If one multiplies any number by zero, the product is zero.

If one divides a number by a number very close to zero, the quotient is a larger number. The closer the divisor gets to zero, the larger the quotient. Eventually the quotient will approach infinity, but never actually get there.

It turns out, division by zero is possible, just not very practical because it takes such a long time.

From Wiki:
In algebra
It is generally regarded among mathematicians that a natural way to interpret division by zero is to first define division in terms of other arithmetic operations. Under the standard rules for arithmetic on integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers, division by zero is undefined. Division by zero must be left undefined in any mathematical system that obeys the axioms of a field. The reason is that division is defined to be the inverse operation of multiplication. This means that the value of a/b is the solution x of the equation bx = a whenever such a value exists and is unique. Otherwise the value is left undefined.

For b = 0, the equation bx = a can be rewritten as 0x = a or simply 0 = a. Thus, in this case, the equation bx = a has no solution if a is not equal to 0, and has any x as a solution if a equals 0. In either case, there is no unique value, so is undefined. Conversely, in a field, the expression a/b is always defined if b is not equal to zero.

In a computer, integer division by zero causes an operating system error. Attempts to divide a non zero 'floating point number' (an attempt to emulate a real number) by a very small quantity results in an overflow condition (the floating point number can't express the answer, since it's out of range of the floating point algorithm.) Most computer systems will return a zero if an attempt is made to divide a zero numerator, however, no division actually takes place, the computer just returns the zero numerator.

 

[Boxlicker101]

When I was in elementary school, back in the Stone Age, we had to memorize arithmetic tables and recite them individually to the teacher before advancing to the next grade. I had no problem, but some kids did, before finally getting them right. I don't know if they still do that or not, or if "Educators" have decided that it is too much of a strain on the poor little dears. I have heard about "New Math" but I don't know much about it, or if it is being used.

 

[Boxlicker101]

If one multiplies any number by zero, the product is zero.

If one divides a number by a number very close to zero, the quotient is a larger number. The closer the divisor gets to zero, the larger the quotient. Eventually the quotient will approach infinity, but never actually get there.

It turns out, division by zero is possible, just not very practical because it takes such a long time.

Okay, now what is the square root of -1?

 

[D_K_Moon]

In the days of the 8080 and Z80 and even the 8086 processors there was no divide routine in the arithmetic functions of the processor. Division was accomplished by repititive subtraction.

IE 16/4

1st pass 16-4=12 not equal to or less than zero- no Accumulator=Accumulator+1

Do again 12-4=8 ......Accumulator=Accumlator+1.

It will do this until it counts through the divisor and the Accumulator or A register will equal 4.

So with a divisor of zero, the operation will never start, and possibly could lock up the proccessor. But, that's just a guess on my part.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

This thread make Hulk head hurt.

http://comicfigs.net/Faces/Hulk01Hulk.jpg

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Odd....I wuz thinking that thinking makes your head hurt. For most Usual Suspects thought is indistinguishable from a migraine.

 

[bronzeage]

Okay, now what is the square root of -1?

(i)(i)= -1 or, -1/i = i

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Odd....I wuz thinking that thinking makes your head hurt. For most Usual Suspects thought is indistinguishable from a migraine.

Ooooh, look at this, boys and girls....a complete sentence with no spelling errors this time, save for the colloquial phonetic version of "was."

Did your male nurse feed you the strained prunes with carrots for breakfast today, Jimbo? I hear they increase the cognitive abilities of the aging cerebrum on top of giving you more fiber for your thrice-a-day bedpan breaks!