Parents are scratching their heads over a confusing question in a 10-year-old's maths homework book

Parents are left scratching their heads over ‘simple’ maths problem in 10-year-old’s homework – can you work it out?

  • Parents are confused over a child’s maths problem in homework
  • The question asked to divide 934 ‘equally’ by four
  • Many guessed what the solution was but the question went unsolved

Parents have been baffled over a seemingly simple maths question on a primary school student’s homework. 

A mum shared the confusing question in a post to a popular Facebook group after she could not work it out for herself. 

The Year Five worksheet asks students to divide 934 children ‘equally’ into four teams but hundreds where perplexed as the number is not divisible by four. 

Members shared their various theories but in the end it was agreed the contradicting question was poorly worded and could not be solved.

Parents are scratching their heads over a confusing question in a 10-year-old's maths homework book

Parents are scratching their heads over a confusing question in a 10-year-old’s maths homework book 

‘Nine hundred and thirty four children were divided equally between four teams. How many children were on each team?’ the question read. 

‘Complete the part whole model to show your working out. You may not need to use all parts.’ 

The mum of the ten-year-old student shared the maths problem online saying, ‘It’s not me, is it? 934/4 doesn’t go equally?!’ drawing in hundreds of responses. 

Most agreed the questions was flawed as 934 can’t be split equally into four however some pointed out it states ‘not all parts’ needed to be used. 

People shared their various theories but in the end it was agreed the contradicting question was poorly worded and could not be solved (stock image)

People shared their various theories but in the end it was agreed the contradicting question was poorly worded and could not be solved (stock image)

‘233.5, erm who they cutting in half?’ one woman joked while another said: ‘There must be a typo here’.

‘It does say you may not need to use all parts so 934/2 = 467,’ guessed a third.  

Poll

Do you find this 10-year-old’s maths homework question confusing?

‘It’s 934 in top “whole” circle then 467 in two of the “part” circles,’ a fourth replied.  

Some people pointed out the question refers to the chart as a ‘part-whole model’ which is a diagram used to show the components of a number. 

One replied with a drawn diagram of the model with 934 in the top circle and 900, 30 and four in the sections below. 

However the theory was quickly shut down as people pointed out the question specifically asks for four equal teams.  

‘Having googled it, this is the craziest maths for primary school. So sorry I can’t help,’ one parent replied. 

One mum had a plausible theory saying: ‘Maybe if you use the 900 and the four from the part-whole diagram and do 904 divided by 4 = 226…. So no using all the parts by leaving the 30 out.’

The mum eventually closed comments on the post and said she put a note on the child’s homework saying the equation could not be solved. 

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