Harder Than Chinese Algebra

The Daily Telegraph has a story this morning about how a gap is yawning in mathematical standards between Great Britain and China. And 1916 or no, as it goes across the water, so it goes here. I’ve been assured that the current Leaving Cert Honours Maths paper is now considerably easier than the hellspawn that was delivered to Honours Maths students in that year of grace 1989, for instance, when your humble correspondent was in the van, trying to interpret the runes of the algebra question on the much feared Paper I.

The Telegraph, however, does more than just give out and tut-tut, the way we as a society do; no, it’s offering a marvellous prize of £500, sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry, to anyone that can solve the above three questions concerning a square prism ABCD. The closing date is Friday, April 27, and you can enter via the Royal Society’s website or its postal address as above. Best of luck!






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