this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2026
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Mildly Infuriating

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Measurement homework in a math textbook... horribly out of scale.

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[–] Admetus@sopuli.xyz 84 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (5 children)

This would appear to be testing the concept of length from position 1 to position 2, helping students to understand that measuring from zero is not a necessity. I don't think they intended proper ruler measurement.

I don't like the use of the word 'cubes' when 'squares' would have been just fine though.

[–] myplacedk@lemmy.world 34 points 5 days ago (2 children)

We used centimeter cubes when I was a kid. Actual plastic cubes. We could use it to add length, we could use it to add volume.

For an illustration of using them for adding lengths, a 2D certainly is fine. They know what the cubes looks like, and a 3D version would just add lines they would have to ignore. Unnecessary complexity.

As an adult who knows how basic addition and basic length measurement works, I would agree with you. The cubes are simplified to squares, that's the correct name.

But for these kids that doesn't know the difference of the terms and don't need it yet, it's another simplification to avoid unnecessary complexity.

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[–] Bluewing@lemmy.world 20 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Having taught math to young kids, I used cubes at the beginning to give a real feel to the numbers. Having tangible items to play with gave them a real world demonstration of how numbers work.

And when the kids grasped the physical manipulation, I would transition to paper exercises like you are looking at. And I would call those squares "cubes." because doing so linked the physical with the abstract. And for some students, to suddenly switch terms could be confusing at first.

Teaching is about linking back to things the student already knows and is comfortable with.

That's how I learned algebra and it really really helped having a physical x and cubes or numbers on either side.

[–] charokol@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Maybe this assignment was meant to be done with those same cubes. Like physically placing them in the boxes.

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

What makes me homicidal is that the companies that make those cubes don’t make them a centimeter cubed. I want the kids to fucking measure them with rulers and be able to make that connection!

[–] Bluewing@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Nope. The work assignment is the transition counting a tangible 3D item to counting a 2D picture. The next step is to go from the 2D picture to using just the numbers. And all the while they are learning to use counting and basic addition and subtraction. We are teaching from real world items to more and more abstract ideas.

Remember: The numbers are real, the exact units don't matter.

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

6-12 are in Piagets “concrete operational” stage. They need manipulatives, things they can touch. Like you can do algebra with them - you just need to show them the explicit comparison with a scale and even ideally have them physically manipulate a scale to solve for x.

Even a lot of teens/I suspect many adults aren’t able to operate fully in “formal operations” mode.

[–] Bluewing@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Sadly, I think there is a lot of truth to that. They don't develop an interest in math because they don't know how they are going to use the math. So the "formal operations" thought process is never taken aboard and they lose what little they did have due to lack of practice.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

I don’t like the use of the word ‘cubes’ when ‘squares’ would have been just fine though.

I don't like either because they are actual units of measurements for volume and surface, respectively.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

i suspect the cubes part is literal and this is meant to be performed with small colored cubes. I've seen stuff just like this. I suspect the difference is the slop of piling up many cubes.

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[–] ShellMonkey@piefed.socdojo.com 55 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Maybe someone hit the 110% size on a copy machine?

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 23 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] ShellMonkey@piefed.socdojo.com 35 points 5 days ago

Eh, could also just be 'assume each box is 1 cm' without intending to be accurate.

Now if they said use a ruler to figure it out and they claimed it's 10 then there's an issue where someone needs a new tool

[–] zikzak025@lemmy.world 15 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That'd be my guess. Lot of potential scaling issues in print.

[–] Zarobi@aussie.zone 12 points 5 days ago (2 children)

One of my exes was really into making clothing. I learnt second hand (via venting) how difficult it is to get a printer to print 1cm=1cm accurately when you buy a "pattern" (basically a tracing you follow to chop up the fabric).

They would check every printout, and half the time they had to print the same thing multiple times because the printer decided to be stupid and add a half centimetre here or there or subtly stretch it; which matters a lot for a good fit. It was a whole big thing, apparently. At least for cheap printers.

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[–] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 5 days ago

What's the issue here? Your ruler is metric, not centimeter-cubic. 🤷

[–] spazzman6156@sh.itjust.works 35 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Those are squares, not cubes

[–] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago (3 children)

The kids work with actual physical cubes in class. The consistency is way more important than pedantry

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[–] Ooops@feddit.org 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Does it really matter if you write down a length in squares or in cubes? 😂

[–] aarRJaay@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Cubes implies you're working in 3 dimensions as in 10 cm³

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

It's definitely in the "lies to tell children to help them learn" category. The concept of length Vs counting is only just being taught here. The difference between dimensional cubes is a bit beyond most of them.

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[–] CrimeIsLegalNow@ani.social 20 points 5 days ago (5 children)

I'd like to thank all the people that think the representations in math problems should be or are to scale for my quite impressive SAT scores, it helped a lot in my college admissions to have you all for comparison, and I slept through half of high school so I really needed that.

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[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Nobody? This is mildlyinfuriating

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's why they took centimeter cubes.

[–] cloudshouter@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 days ago

They just didn’t draw the z axis which is where the difference is.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That math problem did not scale well...

[–] Batman@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

The shear audacity of this graphic

[–] lenocolomo@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 days ago

Then they be saying "Never let a graphic fool you."

[–] Leviathan@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

They probably intended it to be a centimetre but somewhere from concept to final print the squares ended up 1mm longer and wider than intended. Not really a problem as they figured teachers might need the extra space to use centimetre cubes to help with teaching but didn't figure someone would bring a ruler along.

[–] remon@ani.social 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

They provided you with the scale to measure the marker. You were not supposed to bring in a second, different scale.

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[–] sorter_plainview@lemmy.today 9 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I just hope you had a good ruler, and not a printed ruler from your home printer. If this is aprinted ruler, I am not sure which print made the mistake, as in home printers it is very difficult to get things at exact measurements.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 days ago

same thing with a metal ruler
I wondered the same thing.

[–] lauha@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

It's not "very difficult". You just cognizant of the scale your ruler is drawn on and scale you are printing it, i.e. not have printer auto scale it for example.

[–] tobebannedbygaymods@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago

I thought its a penis at first

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Is that a lightsaber hilt?

[–] harmbugler@piefed.social 7 points 5 days ago

No need, the math question already killed the youngling.

[–] SW42@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I dont see anything wrong with it. The unit is defined as a “centimeter cube” which is a non-standard unit so while it is not really a great unit definition, it would still be correct.

I could just randomly divide the scale in equal length sections, say one section is a “squelchon ” and the marker would be 17 squelchons long.

That’s how measurements based upon human appendages came to be ;)

EDIT: of course I mean squelchons and not squenchons (completely different unit) ;)

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 days ago

See, inconsistent scale has you confusing squenchons and squelchons. The difference should jump out at you.

[–] plc@feddit.dk 2 points 4 days ago

I would settle for hypo-cube though.

[–] KulunkelBoom@lemmus.org 2 points 5 days ago

Ah! I remember the second grade as if it were Tuesday.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

Crappy unit choice. For clarity I would cross out "centimeter cubes" and write "millilitres", or just put the length as roughly 1/50 of a pint

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