Math Arguments

Problems, Questions, and Puzzles to spark discussion and argument in the maths classroom.

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Primes' Product and Sum

The really difficult questions on the SAT (the ones at the end of each section) are often not really that difficult -- they just seem to be hard to answer because they're hard to read and understand because of the formal mathematical writing style and the complexity of the sentence. Often the best tactic is to plug in some numbers for the vague-sounding variables and make the problem more concrete.

"The positive number k is the product of four different positive prime numbers.

If the sum of these four prime numbers is a prime number greater than 20, what is the least possible value for k?"

So what can we do with this one to make it simpler to understand the question?

Where would you start?

What other mathematical aspects of this caught your attention? What do you wonder about the situation?

Search for similar questions:

Notice, Wonder
T.R.Milne
SAT

Source: T.R.Milne

More Information:
Noticing and wondering is a tool to help students:
- Understand the story, the quantities, and the relationships in the problem.
- Understand what the problem is asking and what the answer will look like. Have some ideas to begin to solve the problem.
More Here at NCTM