The suggestion by Rishi Sunak that mathematics education should continue up to 18 has provoked a lot of debate. In some cases it has caused intellectual malfunction. You can take a basic maths quiz to check if you would benefit from more maths training.
Not everybody is a fan of mathematics which is reasonable. Some remember childhood exposure to maths learning with varying degrees of trepidation. For some memories of simultaneous equations (which I find strangely satisfying), calculus and algebra can produce cold sweats.
A firm grasp and understanding of even basic maths and logic is important. Everyone is at risk of being misled by inept journalists, politicians being inventive with facts, over excited brands promoting their goods, dodgy car dealers and occasional bad-faith employers.
With a few exceptions, most journalists are not mathematically or scientifically literate. The whole idea of more maths has caused one Sunday Telegraph journalist (who puts historian and author as her skills) to descend into a pointless ramble that includes a frankly ludicrous reference to the Chinese and their ‘play book’ in the piece. If you choose to read it (I felt obliged to, but it is pants) you will notice that there is no connection between the Chinese and Rishi Sunak’s suggestion.
Why she wrote it is anyone’s guess. Sometimes people feel obliged to comment on things they don’t understand, and if you have a streak of xenophobia why not let it out to get some air occasionally.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hand-writing-mathematical-formulas-on-a-blackboard-6256258/
So how good is your grasp of basic maths?
Why not try our little quiz to find out…
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