I would like to share with you guys a math quiz.
I asked this quiz to my eleven-year old son and his twelve-year old cousin while we were taking a ten-minute break when I was helping them with their mathematics revision at home.
Here's the question:
One day there was a hunter walking in a jungle hunting for some birds. He got his rifle ready when he saw four birds on a few branches of a big tree.
He shot his rifle and hit one of the birds.
The question I asked my son and his cousin was:
“If the hunter shot down one of the birds, how many birds are there left on the tree?”
It was a very easy question for the kids, wasn't it?
They answered “three”, as four minus one equals three.
What's your own answer?
Is your answer “three”?
You should be surprised if I tell you that most people that I asked the same question answered “three”.
The right answer is … "zero!"
Did you get your answer right? If you didn't, it's OK because you have joined my son, his cousin and many others.
The answer is “zero” because once one of the birds got shot; the other birds would definitely not want to stay long there on the tree. They surely flew away once they heard a loud noise from the hunter's rifle. So, there wasn't any bird left on the tree!
This simple question not only serves as a joke but also tells us that not all mathematical problems should be solved mathematically, but instead, should also be looked into logically.
~george