I was not taught algebra at primary school. I first met algebra at the age of 11 in the first year of secondary school. If i remember correctly, a problem like that was typical of what was learned in the first year.
I remember that we were taught algebra, in a mathematics class, by a quite young teacher who was notionally one of the three chemistry teachers. Yet as a graduate with a BSc in Chemistry, teaching mathematics at that and quite possibly much higher levels would have been well within his capabilities.
I remember how he started teaching algebra.
He said something like, "Think of a number, let's have 3, double it and then subtract 1, giving 5.
Then he gradually went on to having an unknown number to start and said that if we double it and subtract 1, suppose we got 9, what was the number with which we started?
Then he introduced the concept of representing the number with which one started as x, and thus explained the idea of having an equation in x and how to solve it.
So, in fact, at the age of 10 I would not have been able to solve that problem using an equation involving x as at that age it was preparing to the the 11+ examination, for which I think that the most advanced part of what I possibly did not know at the time was called mathematics, possibly just known as arithmetic, was long division.
I know we had to do what were called Reading for Meaning exercises where there was text and then questions to be answered where some of them required deducing things, so it is quite possible that a problem like the problem in the web article was encountered, but not presented as arithmetic. But mostly we had the class teacher for most topics, so although arithmetic, spelling, composition were done in separate chunks, it was mostly all in the same room with the same teacher, so pupils not having a timetable for different lessons, the teacher just said that now we are going to do, for example, history.
Alas I have seen it referred to as the culture of "the badge of honour of not being any good at maths" in which some media personalities seem to revel.
It concerns me that that attitude is being presented to young people, because it then can have the effect of people who like maths and are good at maths being ridiculed as being stupid for liking maths. (I know that deeming someone as being stupid because they like maths is illogical - I did not say I think that myself, quite the opposite).
There was all the cultural emphasis on sport.
On that sort of topic I remember an episode of The West Wing where CJ went back to her home town for a 25 years since finishing high school party and lots of people there were very successful, in particular CJ herself. One man worked at an ordinary sort of job, he had not been to college and not had a graduate career. If I remember correctly CJ did not recognise him as (in the fictional backstory) he had become almost bald. He had been the star quarterback in the school football team back then. "I peaked at 17" he said somewhat mournfully.
William
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