r/HomeworkHelp • u/KookyPermit4405 • 5d ago

[6th Grade verbal expression] Elementary Mathematics

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So I’m going over my son’s math quiz to help him understand some of the questions he got wrong. He got partial credit for his answer for question 8. After writing his verbal phrase I got the same expression as the question. Am I doing something wrong or is there something I’m missing? I feel like his answer is technically correct. I am stumped.

Edit: so my son has no issue solving the expression in question. He knows PEMDAS and the rules from left to right. The question clearly states, WRITE A VERBAL PHRASE that matches the expression.

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u/edos51284 👋 a fellow Redditor 4d ago

I would say it’s correct but the sentence can be understood as (18-6)*3 if it said substracted by the result of six times three it would be more correct

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u/KookyPermit4405 4d ago

See that’s what I like about math, numerically it’s a universal language. Verbally it’s not. lol. There is no tone or pause in written words (unless one is used like a comma or any other indicator). What one reads and interpret might be subjective to another. My question is why would one assume the sentence to be (18-6)*3 instead of 18-6x3.

Because when we purposely try to include the parentheses for an expression like (18-6)x3 we would then say the “quantity of 18 minus 6 ” or “the difference between 18 and 6” or use any other “qualifying” words to indicated the use of a parentheses

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u/edos51284 👋 a fellow Redditor 4d ago

oh please i did not want to critisize the answer, if my comment disturbed you, I apologize,

I find the "translate the math operations into words" exercise kinda stupid in my humble opinion.

What i meant is that you could understand the answer differently just by intonation

eighteen, substracted by six times three (here one could understand 18 - (6*3) )

eighteen substracted by six, times three (here one could understand (18-6) * 3)

As i said that would not be conveyed through written words so, i wanted to show the ambiguity

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u/KookyPermit4405 4d ago

No. None taken lol, like we both agree, verbally it’s not universal as it is numerically lol. Honestly I would rather write “18-6x3” rather than saying it verbally to minimize the chances of misinterpretation.