The frog and toad question is one which is at about the level of a year eleven pupil, although a lot of younger pupils would be able to tackle it if they have a good grasp of mathematics. Access to a computer spreadsheet helps as well. If I've got it right, the toad escapes from the well on the twelfth day, whereas the frog never rises above two feet below the top of the well.
The crocodile question is far harder, and the reader might find this video helpful.
I was pleased I could make sense of it.
A lot of the comments on Mail Online are to the effect that no one needs to understand this kind of mathematics, and it is true that most people do not - but most people do not work in engineering or accountancy.
Actually you do not need to be a mathematical genius to be an accountant. At the heart of accountancy is the trial balance, which is two lists of numbers. Each list should add up to the same total as the other. You do not need to be able to understand complex algebra to add up two lists of numbers. Nevertheless accountancy is often complicated, and requires tenacity. Therefore someone who can leave school able to tackle the crocodile question would probably be better prepared for a career in accountancy than someone like myself who could only manage the frog and toad question.
As for engineering, it was reported during Tony Blair's tenure in Downing Street that many first year engineering students could not cope with the mathematical content of their courses - and these people are presumably now in charge of building the nation's infrastructure.
If exams are getting harder under the present government, then that is surely to be welcomed. Then again, this is Scotland we are talking about, and so I'm not sure that David Cameron can take any credit whatever for this.
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