Thread: maths year six

trying to help son with homework!!!!!!!!!

you have 3 ltr jug (E) and 5 ltr jug(F) how can you measure 7 pints in one jug? You can only use the two jugs?

clueless mum

Hello, Kelly!

Are you sure of the wording of this problem?

It's not reasonable at any level ... certainly not for a sixth grader!

You have a 3-liter jug and a 5-liter jug.
How can you measure 7 pints in one jug?
You can only use the two jugs.

We can not convert liters into pints by pouring water back and forth.

. . . . . . see?

thanks for the reply at the end of the question it states

7 pints = 4 litres

but i still cant work it out

Hello again, Kelly!

A strange way to state the problem.
It's both confusing and untrue . . . very misleading.

This is a classic (old) problem.

We have a 3-liter and 5-liter jug.
And we wish to measure 4 liters.

Fill the 3-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      |::3::|     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Empty the 3-liter jar into the 5-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |     |     |:::::|
      |     |     |::3::|
      |     |     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Fill the 3-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |:::::|     |:::::|
      |::3::|     |::3::|
      |:::::|     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Empty the 3-lliter jar into the 5-liter jar
. . until the 5-liter jar is full.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |:::::|
      *     *     |:::::|
      |     |     |::5::|
      |     |     |:::::|
      |::1::|     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Empty the 5-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |     |     |     |
      |     |     |     |
      |::1::|     |     |
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Empty the 3-liter jar into the 5-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |     |     |     |
      |     |     |     |
      |     |     |::1::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Fill the 3-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      |:::::|     |::1::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

Empty the 3-liter jar into the 5-liter jar.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
      *     *     |:::::|
      |     |     |:::::|
      |     |     |::4::|
      |     |     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         3           5

. . . . . . . . There!

wow thanks so much but i do feel a bit thick now. Im sure my son will be very impressed with me

thank you

sorry to bother you but i have two other similar problems if u could help me out

1) 1 ltr jug (a) and 1 pint jug (b)

need to measure half pint ?

1 litre = 1.75 pints


2) 11 ltr jug (d) and2 gallon (c)

need to measure 1 litre?

2 gallons= 9 litres


Thank you so much

Hello, Kelly!

I'll do the first of these.

1) We have a 1.75-pint jug and a 1- pint jug.
We want to measure a half-pint.

Fill the 1-pint jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      * - - *     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      |::1::|     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Empty the 1-pint jug into the larger jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      *     *     | - - |
      |     |     |:::::|
      |     |     |::1::|
      |     |     |:::::|
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Fill the 1-pint jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      * - - *     | - - |
      |:::::|     |:::::|
      |::1::|     |::1::|
      |:::::|     |:::::|
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Pour the 1-pint jug into the larger jug
. . until the larger jug is full.

Code:

                  * - - *
                  |:::::|
                  |:::::|
      *     *     |:::::|
      |     |     |:1.75|
      | - - |     |:::::|
      | 0.25|     |:::::|
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Empty the larger jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |     |     |     |
      | - - |     |     |
      | 0.25|     |     |
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Empty the 1-pint jug into the larger jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      *     *     |     |
      |     |     |     |
      |     |     | - - |
      |     |     | 0.25|
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Fill the 1-pint jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      * - - *     |     |
      |:::::|     |     |
      |::1::|     | - - |
      |:::::|     | 0.25|
      *-----*     *-----*
         1         1.75

Empty the 1-pint jug into the larger jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      *     *     | - - |
      |     |     |:::::|
      |     |     |:1.25|
      |     |     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         1         1.75

Fill the 1-pint jug.

Code:

                  *     *
                  |     |
                  |     |
      * - - *     | - - |
      |:::::|     |:::::|
      |::1::|     |:1.25|
      |:::::|     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         1         1.75

Pour the 1-pibnt jug into the larger jug
. . until the larger jug is full.

Code:

                  * - - *
                  |:::::|
                  |:::::|
      *     *     |:::::|
      |     |     |:1.75|
      | - - |     |:::::|
      |:0.5:|     |:::::|
      * - - *     * - - *
         1         1.75

. . . . . . . . . . There!



The second problem takes 16 steps.
But, by now, you should be able to work it out yourself.