Common errors made in general mathematics by high school students of Louisiana

Author(s): ROGERS E. RANDALL

Source: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 48, No. 4 (APRIL 1955), pp. 228-231
Published by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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Common errors made general
mathematics by high school
students of Louisiana
Rogers e. randall, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Evidence continues toaccumulate that our high school
graduates do not know how to compute; however, in striving
to improve computation, care should be taken that this
does not overshadow themore importantmathematical
goals in our high schoolmathematics classes.

Because of the generally poor perform their respective high schools. The students
ance of students in the mathematical com were selected by their respective mathe
putations required in a physical science matics teachers. The time period for the
course taught by the writer, he set out to test was two hours.
learn the extent of the mathematical liter The mastery test referred to above in
acy of Louisiana's Negro high school stu cluded problems involving themathemati
dents in the areas of arithmetic and alge cal operations of addition (decimals, frac
bra. Specifically, he wished to determine tions, mixed numbers, and conversions),
(1) thecommonerrors
made by highschool subtraction (decimals, mixed numbers,
students enrolled presently in a general fractions, and conversions), division (deci
mathematics course, and (2) to what ex mals, whole numbers, and mixed num
tent these students had the ability to bers), multiplication (decimals and mixed
solve word problems. numbers), solving linear equations, factor
ing, and solving word problems.
Procedure
One hundred thirty-one students from
As a part of the competitive testing of fifty-six high schools, composed of 65 fe
the Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic male students and 66 male students, par
Literary Association for the second semes ticipated in the general mathematics
ter of the school year 1954, an outline competitive testing program in the state.
coveringtopics to be taughtwas mailed
to each participating school during the Results
first semester of the academic year 1953 The results of this test in terms of scores
54. reveal a score range for females of 0-70) for
Dr. Leroy R. Posey, Jr., Head of the males, 0-96.6.1 The mean for the female
Mathematics and Physics Department of students is 33.3; for the male students,
Southern University, constructed a mas 37.6.?

tery test in general mathematics, which

1Scores based on 100
was administered to the best students en per cent.
1No data were secured that would
give a reason
rolled in a general mathematics course in for a better performance from the male studente.

228 The Mathematics Teacher

|April, 1955

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 TABLE 1.?Types of Problems and Common Errors

Problem number Problem

Problems Common errors made
and process number

I. Addition (a) 0.00214, 4.32, 4.6009, and I & II 1. Wrong position of decimal
174.01018 point
(b) 23 2/3, 5 1/8, 6 3/4, 5/12 2. Changing numbers to frac
(c) 1/6, 5/9, 7/30, and 2/3 tions
(d) 4 yards, 2 feet,and 7 inches 3. Adding and subtracting
(Express the result in feet) fractions
(e) 5.42 kilometers, 156.3 me 4. Changing from one unit to
ters, 56.8 centimeters, and 8 another
millimeters (Express results 5. Subtracting larger number
in meters) from smaller number

II. Subtraction (a) 5.007, 12.02

(subtract the (b) 2 7/8, 5 1/4
first number (c) 9/25, 8/15
from the sec (d) 5.2 centimeters, 1.3 meters
ond) (Express result in centime
ters)
(e) 3 1/2 feet, 5 1/4 yards (Ex
press result in yards)

III. Division (a) 0.510224 by 0.104 III 1. Dividing and not placing
(b) 5.83 by 58300 zeros in answer
(c) 202,570 by 235 III & IV 1. Changing mixed number to
(d) 2 5/8by 5 1/3 correct fraction
(e) 0.003 by 15 2. Placing decimal in wrong
place
IV. Multiplication (a) 2.05X0.6
(b) 77.7X.0009
(c) .0606X.2002
(d) 9 5/7X33/5
V. Linear equa (a) 5c+9c-6c = 132 V& VI 1. Simplifying linear equations
tions (b) 7(0-8)-6(20-15) =4(6-0) 2. Removing denominator
(c) 3s/2-7/3=4s/5-7/5 3. Factoring
(d) 3d-5d/6=d/2+5/9 4. Solving for unknown

VI. Factoring (a) 4m2r2+8m2r-60m2

(b) 9s2-16i/2
(c) 15z2-fl4z-8
(d) a 2-2a -35a

VII. Word problems (a) The sugar contained in the VII 1. Setting word problems up
sugar beet is 6 1/4% of the correctly
weight of the beet. How 2. Changing per cent to deci
many pounds of beets will mal
be required to produce 175
pounds of sugar?
(b) A lady buys a piece of cloth
containing 48 yards at 22 fia
yard. She uses 33 yards for
various purposes, and the
rest for making four skirts.
What did the cloth cost per
skirt?
(c) In a certain triangle having
three unequal angles, the
smallest angle is 1/6 the larg
est, and the remaining angle
is 1/3 the largest. Compute
the size of each of the angles
of the triangle.

Common errorsmade in general mathematics by high school students 229

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 Table 1 shows the types of problems and just did not know anything about the
common errors made on the test. processes involved in factoring. The diffi
Table 2 shows the number and per cent culty in solving problems containing linear
of correct and incorrect responses and equations seemed to be that the majority
problems not attempted. The principal of the students did not know algebra.
difficulty in decimal problems proved to
Conclusions and recommendations
be placement of the decimal point. A large
number of the students did not attempt to An examination of the data in Table 2
solve word problems. This may suggest revealed that:
their inability to read and interpret word 1. There were signs of carelessness in
problems. The principal difficulty in solv multiplication, addition, subtraction, and
ing problems involving factoring appeared division. (Common errors shown in Table
to be that the majority of the students i.)

TABLE 2.?Number and Per Cent of Correct Responses, Incorrect Responses

and Problems Not Attempted

Correct responses Incorrect responses No attempts

Problem numbers3
Number Per Cent Number Per Cent Number Per Cent

I (a) 83 63.3 47 35.8 1 .77

(b) 70 53.6 57 43.5 4 3.05
(c) 46 35.1 76 58.01 9 6.8
(d) 65 49.6 50 38.1 16 12.2
(e) 19 14.5 48 36.6 64 48.8

II (a) 90 68.7 36 27.4 5 3.8

(b) 87 66.4 36 27.4 8 6.1
(c) 78 59.5 40 30.5 13 9.9
(d) 23 17.5 61 46.5 47 35.8
(e) 27 20.6 77 58.7 27 20.6

III (a) 70 53.6 50 38.1 11 8.3

(b) 57 53.5 49 37.4 25 19.08
(c) 82 62.5 34 25.9 15 11.4
(d) 46 35.1 63 48.09 22 16.7
(e) 56 42.7 39 29.7 36 27.4

IV (a) 81 61.8 37 28.2 13 9.9

(b) 72 54.9 39 29.7 20 15.2
(c) 73 55.9 41 31.2 17 12.9
(d) 51 38.9 53 40.4 27 20.6

V (a) 60 45.8 50 38.1 21 16.03

(b) 26 19.8 69 52.6 36 27.4
(c) 10 7.63 76 58.01 45 34.3
(d) 11 8.3 61 46.5 59 45.03

VI (a) 3 2.2 68 51.9 60 45.8

(b) 19 14.5 50 38.1 62 47.3
(c) 7 5.3 56 42.7 68 51.9
(d) 14 10.6 51 38.9 66 50.3

VII (a) 69 52.6 44 33.5 18 13.7

(b) 4 3.05 82 62.5 45 34.3
(c) 9 6.8 41 31.2 81 61.8

1See Table 1 for number and description of problems.

230 The Mathematics Teacher .[April, 1955

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 2. A large number of students did not 1. Competence in arithmetic be stressed
know how to handle the decimal point among high school students.
correctly in addition, multiplication, sub 2. A great deal of mathematical think
traction and division. ing be stressed on the part of the student
3. A large percentage of the students and teacher (word problems may serve
did not know how to handle denominate well at this point).
numbers correctly. See problems 1(d), 3. Emphasis be placed on accuracy and
1(e), 11(d), and 11(e). speed in learning the skill operations, but
4. A large number of students did not that accuracy be stressed most.
know how to change mixed numbers to 4. Teachers ofmathematics in the State
fractions. See problems 111(d) and IV(d). of Louisiana make concerted and conscious
efforts to improve the teaching and learn
In light of the results and conclusions of ing of general mathematics by raising the
this study, it seems justifiable to recom existing academic standards in teaching
mend that: the subject to high school students.

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What's new? 231

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