Students’ Understanding Of The Equal Sign Not Equal

Re:Students’ Understanding Of The Equal Sign Not Equal by Gibbon on Friday August 13, 2010 @11:53AM (#1601239)

I don't recall ever in my life seeing a math equation with an empty parenthesis on one side.

Is this some American method of teaching math? It's bizarre.

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Re:Students’ Understanding Of The Equal Sign Not Equal by Jtsummers on Friday August 13, 2010 @03:14PM (#1601927)

I don't think it is. From my own recollection the usual notation would be more like:

4+3+2 = ? + 2 or 4+3+2 = _ + 2

Along with instructions asking something like "What number would make this true?" And usually it wouldn't be so trivial (though still not difficult, except perhaps at the time):

4+3+2 = _ - 8

Maybe it's just Texas?

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Re:Students’ Understanding Of The Equal Sign Not Equal by rpmcb on Saturday August 14, 2010 @09:32PM (#1604391)

Not sure why they used parentheses rather than a letter variable in the example. Having gone through the American education system myself, I can definitely tell you 4+3+2=x+2 is a much more common syntax.

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