Why Asian Kids are Good at Math

by Joey deVilla on November 17, 2006

It could be that their textbooks are more motivating:


Photo courtesy of Miss Fipi Lele and hardhat.

I recognize the trig and geometry bits, but if any of you out there can translate the Korean, could be you please enlighten us in the comments? I’m burning with mathematical curiosity.

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07.30.08 at 1:45 pm

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Anonymous 11.17.06 at 3:19 pm

Top Part:

Let’s assume that from the top part of the skirt to where the thighs meet is veritically 4cm. Also assume that from the end of the skirt to the point we are interested in viewing is horizontally 12cm. Looking from the side, the point of interest and the edge of the skirt form a triangle ABC.

Bottom part:

Extending BC we reach our ideal observation point E where we our point of interest comes into view. blah blah explanation of where ABCDE is we come to the conclusion that DE must be 53.3cm in order to achieve the optimum viewing angle. Assuming an average height of 170cm and seating height of 70cm the observer must bluntly lean over and reduce his viewing height by 17cm to see the inside of her thighs. I don’t think she would mind so much. Go for it.

Anonymous 11.18.06 at 8:14 am

Thanks for the translation!

Anonymous 11.21.06 at 3:05 pm

Holy crap!

What the hell is going on in the Korean education system? There’s no way this shit would fly in China.

Korean speaker 12.15.08 at 4:30 pm

Thanks anonymous for the last two bits of nugget. It’s actually translated as follows: “A typical sitting height of a 170cm-tall person [ed: a purported average height of Koreans] is about 70cm. He cannot see inside the skirt without lowering his sight by 17cm, and this would require his hip to be awkwardly advanced by 45 cm.”

This is also not from a textbook as some may think, and from the top left corner I think it’s from a local sci-fi magazine not really intended by kids.

James 12.15.08 at 8:12 pm

I’m not sure why Asian “kids” would find this motivating. Asian boys, maybe.

Steven Choi 12.16.08 at 4:11 am

I am from Seoul, what is the fuss about? Why do you find it interesting, just elementary school geometry.

Jennifer Park 12.16.08 at 4:21 am

This is a translation of a Japanese fiction book. Any Korean speaker should be able to recognize that it is Korean text translated from Japanese.

Anonymous 12.16.08 at 4:51 am

If I’m correct, that page is actually from a comic book, not a school textbook.
You can check it out here :
_http://blog.naver.com/kytx?Redirect=Log&logNo=150003510779

holyshit 12.16.08 at 4:51 am

well, i’m korean.
and that’s NOT a textbook. that’s only a book of HUMOR.
korean education system is extremely conservative, and all korean agree with it.

holyshit 12.16.08 at 5:33 am

hm

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