Three easy math problems. Can SMP do better than MIT?

[illusionS]

1 - .05
2 - 5 min
3 - 47 days

Simple enough. #1 was the easiest.

EDIT: SMP seems to be making a strong showing.

[TheHusky]

it seems absurd that anyone would get any of these questions wrong. I would guess that the figures for the various schools are bs.

[Borodog]

I taught physics and astronomy at a public university and I have no doubt that the vast majority of the students I taught would not be able ot answer these questions. Admittedly these were non-major, elective courses, but still.

[Pauwl]

Here's what I think the people who got them wrong would have said:

1) 0.1$
2) 100 minutes
3) 24 days

But, IMO, anybody who graduated from high school math should get

1) 0.05$
2) 5 minutes
3) 47 days

[yukoncpa]

[ QUOTE ]
I taught physics and astronomy at a public university

[/ QUOTE ]
No wonder all you guys think circles around me. I do love this forum though. Say, I found this math quiz to be extremely easy. I think I could have tackled it in the 6th grade, and I don't consider myself all that smart. Is this dumbness a recent phenomenon? Could entry level college students have done better on it 30 years ago? 50? If so, what has changed?

[Bremen]

[ QUOTE ]
Could entry level college students have done better on it 30 years ago? 50? If so, what has changed?


[/ QUOTE ]
I remember reading a newspaper article from 1900 bemoaning the sorry state of higher education. X percentage of Harvard freshmen couldn't identify such and such country. Nothing has changed, we're still as dumb as we used to be ;0)

[chrisnice]

[ QUOTE ]
Here's what I think the people who got them wrong would have said:

1) 0.1$
2) 100 minutes
3) 24 days

But, IMO, anybody who graduated from high school math should get

1) 0.05$
2) 5 minutes
3) 47 days

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont think its the math that is hanging anyone up. Majority of people are just poor critical thinkers. The math required to do these is probably on a 2nd grade level. I cant believe that schools dont make logic/problem solving/critical thinking type classes mandatory. That said those stats are still surprising.

[Riddick]

Off the top of my head and quickly...

A1) $0.05

A2) 5 minutes

A3) 24 hours <<edit: i obviously completely misread that problem

[Unoriginalname]

These were extremely easy. It's very shocking how bad these students from top tier schools did. And I got my degree at a 4-year state school. It doesn't surprise me that we all got the questions right. We got a pretty well educated, smart group of people here.

edit>>I didn't even click the link yet. Just noticed that this article is about much more than these 3 questions. Going to read it now.

[SammyKid11]

[ QUOTE ]
U.Michigan (Ann Arbor): 14%
Bowling Green: 13%
U.Michigan (Dearborn): 6%
Michigan State: 6%
U.Toledo: 5%


[/ QUOTE ]

Are these really ELITE universities, deserving of being on the same list as MIT, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, and Harvard?