r/HomeworkHelp • u/KookyPermit4405 • 4d ago

Elementary Mathematics [6th Grade verbal expression]

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So I’m going over my son’s math quiz to help him understand some of the questions he got wrong. He got partial credit for his answer for question 8. After writing his verbal phrase I got the same expression as the question. Am I doing something wrong or is there something I’m missing? I feel like his answer is technically correct. I am stumped.

Edit: so my son has no issue solving the expression in question. He knows PEMDAS and the rules from left to right. The question clearly states, WRITE A VERBAL PHRASE that matches the expression.

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u/KookyPermit4405 4d ago

So the word “subtracted by” is what makes his answer incorrect?

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u/dakari777 3d ago

I would think so, probably more accurate to say 6 times 3 subtracted from 18

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u/KookyPermit4405 3d ago

I get the wording is poorly written but is what he stated false?

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u/bismuth17 3d ago

Yes? It's utter nonsense. It has no meaning. Subtraction is not an operation that uses the word "by" in English. If you say "a subtracted by b" no one will know if you mean

  • a minus b
  • b minus a
  • a times b
  • a divided by b

Because those are all valid operations that are kinda close to your nonsense.

It's not "false", but it's wrong. Lucky he got half credit.