Heptaphobia ResearchTEN SHORT SCHOOL MATHEMATICS QUESTIONS |
\(58 + 39\)
\(75 + 65\)
\(53 - 18\)
\(73 - 18\)
\(21 \times 58\)
\(27 \times 50\)
\(2952 \div 6\)
\(5915 \div 7\)
\(45 \times 21 + 21\)
\(37 \times 22 - 67\)
Thank you for taking part in the research. Your results are shown below.
With a 7 | Without a 7 | |
---|---|---|
Addition | 58 + 39 | 75 + 65 |
Subtraction | 53 - 18 | 73 - 18 |
Multiplication | 21 × 58 | 27 × 50 |
Division | 2952 ÷ 6 | 5915 ÷ 7 |
Mixed | 45 × 21 + 21 | 37 × 22 - 67 |
Heptaphobia means fear of the number seven. Half of the questions you answered contained a seven and the other half did not.
Your results show that the presence of a seven had no effect on your ability to answer the questions. You certainly do not have heptaphobia!
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InstructionsWithout using a calculator work out the answer to the question above. Type in your answer then press the next button. There are a total of 10 questions to be answered and when you have finished you will be shown your results. At that time you will also be told the purpose of this research - you can't know in advance as it may affect your performance. ExplanationIt is hard to believe but around 10% fewer students will get an exam question correct if it contains a seven! You can hear Trevor Senior (AQA’s Chief Examiner for the Maths GCSE) talk about this when he was interviewed on the excellent Mr Barton Podcast. The activity you have just done was designed to collect data to support this claim. |
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You will be able to work out some of the answers in your head but you should use pen and paper to work out the answers to the more difficult questions. Set out your working neatly in your exercise book so that you can look back over your calculations at the end of this exercise. A Transum Trophy is available for those who answer at least 7 of the questions correctly. Take your time and do your best but if there is anything you don't understand ask your teacher for some help. Teacher notes and solutions to this and other Transum puzzles, exercises and activities are available here when you are signed in to your Transum subscription account. If you do not yet have an account and you are a teacher, tutor or parent you can apply for one by completing the form on the Sign Up page. A Transum subscription also gives you access to the 'Class Admin' student management system, downloadable worksheets, many more teaching resources and opens up ad-free access to the Transum website for you and your pupils. Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments. More ActivitiesTo see examples showing how to these calculations see the Formal Written Methods page. If you would like more practice have a look at the Arithmetic or Mental Methods topic pages. |