Just the other night, my husband was surfing the Channel News Asia forum and a topic caught his attention. It was a call for help by a desperate father. It read "Primary 3 Math, please help! Otherwise I cannot face my son!"

This was the problem that was posted.

OOOO + @@@ = 300

OO + @@ = 200

OOOO + @@ = ?

No algebra or simultaneous equations allowed. Can you solve this and explain your solution to a 10 year old boy?

It took less than a minute for us to solve the problem. However, we were tickled pink by some of the comments posted. Many of the adults / parents were appalled by the difficulty level of the primary school math problems.

As I read the comments, I couldn't help but sympathised with some of the parents because they were completely clueless. Even if they did get the answers right, they had no inkling as to how to explain the solution to their child without using algebra or simultaneous equations. Many of them were grousing about the challenges and stresses of being a parent these days.

On the contrary, I find solving these math problems rather fun and addictive. Perhaps, I should grab a copy of a Primary 6 Math assessment book so that I can "challenge" myself when I'm bored!

Hahaha… Cheap thrill!