Tweet of the Week #159: Right Answer, Wrong Equation

With school math problems, the text matters just as well as creating and solving a numerical equation. But understanding the logic behind wording can be challenging for students, and their parents, too!

Twitter user @nao_p_on shared a picture of her son’s elementary school test earlier this week, and a buzz ensued. Her son scored 95 out of 100, losing five points for one tiny mistake. He got the correct answer (32), but the proper formula was “8×4” and not “4×8.” Mom also joked she’d take it up with Japan’s highest authority if she had to.

Many shared their frustration at what appears to be vague instruction. However, some teachers said the instructor was just following their training, i.e., educating children to read problems and infer the proper order.

Mom vs math

朝、息子のランドセルからぴらりと出てきたテスト。95点。納得がいかず悔しくて出せなかったらしい。

【問】4人の子供に8枚ずつシールを配るには何枚シールが必要か。

【解】
☓4×8=32枚
○8×4=32枚

大丈夫、母さんも納得いかない。

おはようございます。
最高裁までいく。 pic.twitter.com/NoemLquPtV

— なおぽん (@nao_p_on) November 28, 2021

朝（あさ）、息子（むすこ）のランドセルからぴらりと出（で）てきたテスト。95（きゅーじゅーご）点（てん）。納得（なっとく）がいかず悔（くや）しくて出（だ）せなかったらしい。

【問（もん）】4（よ）人（にん）の子供（こども）に8（はち）枚（まい）ずつシールを配（くば）るには何（なん）枚（まい）シールが必要（ひつよう）か。

【解（かい）】

☓4×8=32枚

○8×4=32枚

大丈夫（だいじょうぶ）、母（かあ）さんも納得（なっとく）いかない。

おはようございます。

最高裁（さいこうさい）までいく。

In other words, you understand, are convinced or agree because it’s consistent with what you believe in.

“This morning, my son’s test popped out of his school bag. 95 points. He was so frustrated that it seemed he couldn’t take it out.

[Question]

How many stickers do you need to distribute so that each of the four children gets eight stickers?

[Solution]

☓ (wrong) 4×8 = 32 stickers
○ (correct) 8×4 = 32 stickers

It’s okay. Mom doesn’t understand it either.
Good morning.
We’re going to the Supreme Court.”

Express ‘convinced’ in Japanese

Photo: iStock: kuppa_rock

The JLPT N3 verb and phrase “納得（なっとく）する” is convenient to express your agreement in a conversation. It conveys the acceptance of other people’s thoughts, views and actions, compared to your own. In other words, you understand, are convinced or agree because it’s consistent with what you believe in.

Here are some examples:

• 納得（なっとく）のいかない話（はなし）: An unconvincing story, a story that doesn’t add up
• 説明（せつめい）を聞（き）いて納得（なっとく）する: “I’ll be convinced when I hear the explanation.”
• 君（きみ）の意見（いけん）には納得（なっとく）できない: “I’m not convinced by your opinion.”
• この件（けん）については、理解（りかい）はできるが納得（なっとく）はできない: “I understand this case, but I’m not convinced.”
• その説明（せつめい）で彼（かれ）が納得（なっとく）するかどうか教え（おし　）て下さ（くだ ）い: “Let me know if that explanation makes sense to him.”

理解（りかい）する, which means ‘to understand.’

It’s important to note that 納得する is different than the verb 理解（りかい）する, which means “to understand.” The second one refers to correctly (or objectively) perceiving a situation regardless of your system of belief.

For example:

• 数学（すうがく）の公式（こうしき）が理解（りかい）できた: “I was able to understand the math formulas.”
• 現状（げんじょう）を理解（りかい）するのに少（すこ）時間（じかん）がかかった: “It took me a while to understand the current situation.”
• 私（わたし）は彼（かれ）の心情（しんじょう）を理解（りかい）した: “I understood his feelings.”

Vocabulary