'Diabolic' maths question that experts say is too hard to solve

22 October 2023 , 11:38

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Students found the test question difficult (Stock Photo) (Image: Getty Images)

Frustrated students have taken to social media to reveal a tricky maths equation that left them stumped - with some labelling the exam question 'brutal.'

The impossible question was featured in a higher-level test paper for Year 12 students in Australia. Experts agree the maths problem is difficult to tackle, and had been designed to test the brain of Australia's most advanced mathematics students.

Miriam Lees, a consultant for the Mathematical Association of NSW, stated she had 'not seen a question like this in an extension 2 paper.' The exam question involved complex numbers, an extension of the real number system that involves combining real and imaginary numbers, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Australian maths teacher Ringo Mok from Sydney Science College has shared a video breaking down how to solve it. “We have this question where we have complex numbers W and Z that lie on the unit circle,” Mr Mok explained. “And they are separated by an obtuse angle.” The full video can be watched here.

While Vivian Xu, a student at the James Ruse Agricultural High School explained how she answered the tricky question in a video shared on the Sydney Morning Herald TikTok page. The student goes into full detail on how she solved the problem. The equation has people scratching their heads with some saying they would have difficulty solving it with a calculator.

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On the social media platform, one person joked: “This reminds me of the time I had an argument with my ex." Another person teased: “I wouldn’t even know how to put it in my calculator." A third person chimed in: “I don’t even understand the question!”

One student who took the exam shared a video describing the equation and branded it “diabolic” and “sadistic” writing: “The whole thing was so messed up." A user agreed: “All the math tests have been brutal this year." As one weighed in: “I literally had no clue.”

Ayaan Ali