Actual math problem of the day

[conuly]

Mom divided 56 crayons so that Margie got 8 more crayons than her sister. How many crayons did Margie get?

Eva: Wow.
Me: WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS?

We did eventually do the math, but seriously, what's with the favoritism? In this problem, Margie's sister isn't even given a name.

Comments

[mindstalk]

It's good pedagogy! You and Eva will remember it for life!

Like language sentences. "The elephant ate the umbrella" or "I had died."

[conuly]

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously?

[flexagon]

The went grasses a had.

[conuly]

Don't recognize that one.

[jack]

The thing is, this could be entirely reasonable. It doesn't say they were equally desirable crayons. If they divided them in some way that everyone wanted that just happened to have that number, the sentence would sort of be correct. But it strongly implies that the important thing was the number.. .

[conuly]

Well, it is math. The numbers have to be important or it's not math anymore.