Hilarious maths questions – part one

Don’t get me wrong, the people who write maths exam questions are geniuses.

In the UK, GCSE students are examined on up to 80 topics across 3 papers, totalling 4.5 hours … and it’s been the same way for nearly 20 years.

How the examiners can create consistent, challenging and relevant questions is quite beyond me. And I’m a maths tutor – I spend my days immersed in preparing students to face the rigours of the national exams.

But it’s not all simultaneous equations or frequency polygons. Just occasionally there’s a little chink of light in the educational horizon.

And I’m going to make it my mission to curate, and nurture, these excellent maths questions. It would be such a shame if they were lost to the next generation of students; there is a serious intention to each problem but … y’know …. I can’t help smiling.

Please note that I have nothing against burgundy trousers (I own a pair), and I’m not going to spoil something so perfect by suggesting alternative scenarios. It is what it is, and should be celebrated.

So, here’s the first question in (hopefully) a long list. Please do let me know what you think, and feel free to share yours in the comments.