“In which direction is the bus pictured below traveling?”
Look carefully at the picture.
Do you know the answer?
(The only possible answers are “left” or “right.”)
Think about it
Still don’t know?
Okay, I’ll tell you.
The pre-schoolers all answered “left.”
When asked, “Why do you think the bus is traveling in the left direction?”
they answered:
“Because you can’t see the door.”
How do you feel now ???
I know, me too.
Have a Great Day
Very funny, but I thought it was going right for similar reasons to the kids. I am in the UK though, so it would be going the other way to how the yanks see it…
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[...] This is a actual pre-school test. Your choices are LEFT, or RIGHT. Can’t get the answer? Mofomon has got the answer… [...]
I don’t feel bad about missing it. Having much more experience with visual models that a preschooler, I didn’t know whether the lack of a door was intentional, as was the lack of signage, tail pipe, engine area, etc.
i bet that it’s actually traveling toward the back of your screen. (”,)
[...] Anyway, I came across this “problem” the other day online – a test for preschoolers. Apparently preschoolers “get it” but I certainly didn’t. I stared and stared at the bus and thought – three year olds know the direction it’s going? But how do they know this? The wheels aren’t moving, it’s impossible to tell. [...]
[...] Filed under: Child Development, PreschoolerI’ve always been really horrible at math, to the extent that the mere thought of equations and percentages and decimal points make me feel vaguely nauseous. As a kid, I remember in particular those “problems” that were more than problematic for me: “Jenny bought 7 t-shirts, one for each of her seven brothers, for $9.95 each. The cashier charged her an additional $13.07 in sales tax. She left the store with a measly $7.28. How much money did Jenny start with?” Problems like these made me cringe. If I am honest, they still do. Thank Pete for calculators and the fact that no one is asking me how much money I started with.Anyway, I came across this “problem” the other day online – a test for preschoolers. Apparently preschoolers “get it” but I certainly didn’t. I stared and stared at the bus and thought – three year olds know the direction it’s going? But how do they know this? The wheels aren’t moving, it’s impossible to tell.And then I scrolled down and saw the answer and thought that, lo, there is probably much I can learn from a pre-schooler. Have a look. And don’t tell me if you totally knew the answer right away.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Published Saturday, April 07, 2007 11:00 AM by ParentDish Filed under: Child Development, math tests, MathTests, Preschooler, problems, riddle, tests for preschoolers, TestsForPreschoolers Anonymous comments are disabled [...]
GAH too funny I really couldn’t figure it out. I guess I really do sux
[...] esoterica: dang, ANY GIRL remotely even wanting to be with me needs to read this india is running out?! of high-tech workers? wow, wow, wow, wow. this is devout. the rich are oblivious. this guy stole old documents from a library?! wtf!? seriously, a library?! i’m one of the hyperconnected a school where kids play all day World Bank Corruption [ps, Bush put Wolfowitz in place] Obama received funding of $535,000 in 24 hrs from the INTERNET about the $4.5b offer for chrysler, private equity might just be what it needs and now kroger’s… LBO? maybe? maybe not?? disney opens up to gay weddings! best places to live preschool test i got owned on =[ how David Copperfield MIGHT have the Statue of Liberty disappear.. james bond versus joson bourne sculptures made from smoke. cooool. i’m tried twitter, and it’s cool.. but not for me.. okay my parents will never go in one of these homes google desktop is now for mac how to pick the perfect colors [...]
In this situation the pre-schoolers are using a rudimentary form of mathematical induction to prove a hypothesis (ie. the door is on the other side of the bus, hence the bus is traveling to the left). This assumes two things, the bus has a door (which is a reasonable assumption since all buses have doors) and that the bus is traveling forward (which is not a reasonable assumption because at least some buses can travel both forward and backward). To prove a hypothesis you must show that in all situations it is true, but to disprove it you have to come up with but one counter-example. Therefore, I suggest that the bus is moving to the right because it is actually moving backwards.
Young children do well with these kinds of “tests” because they have not yet been taught to be critical and analyze a situation, they respond on gut instinct, which is sometimes correct. Adults on the other hand, especially those that have received a University level education, have been taught to be more analytical and try to apply logic to find the right solution. The logical solution is sometimes the same as the gut instinct solution, but has the added benefit of being proven true, rather than just felt to be true.
I used to date an elementary school teacher, she had a whole bunch of questions like this, and I used to drive her crazy by pointing out the flaws in them.
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