My 9 year old has got some homework based on the 12 days of Christmas. Most of the questions are straight forward. How many nests would be needed if all the birds needed one...etc. But the last question is difficult. I think too difficult for a child of his age.

If all the pipers (11 of them) played continuously in 2 and a quarter hour shifts for 12 days, how many hours would each piper play for?

Now I know the answer is pipers 1-7 would play for 27 hours and pipers 8-11 would play for 24.75 hours but I can't see how to show the working out of it all.

12 days x 24 hours = 288 hours

288 hours ÷ 2.25 hour shifts = 128 shifts

128 shifts ÷ 11 pipers = 11.63636363..... Shifts

But that's not the final answer. How do we then show that pipers 1-7 play 12 shifts (27 hours) and the remaining pipers play 11 shifts (24.75 hours)?

I'm not trying to do my boys homework for him but I would like to steer him in the right direction with the method on it. My feeling is the question is way too hard for a 9 year old and it's not as difficult as its made out and perhaps they expect the answer to be 288 hours (12 days) divided by 11 pipers. But that's not what it says.

Two things:

1 - Posted Sunday evening at 11pm, homework no doubt been at home since before Christmas and due tomorrow. Terrible parenting.

2 - Let them answer whatever they would have answered if it were a test. Then speak to the teacher or get someone else to, asking for an explanation of what they expected the child to do with that question. I really, really doubt they would be expecting an answer in that depth and primary school maths questions often confuse parents by including extra details that make a material difference to the approach, but which would be well beyond the child at that age and which aren't acknowledged in the marking. I would guess in this example that they aren't expecting the child to spot the fact some do an extra shift and are just expecting the kid to divide the big numbers. But as that doesn't produce a whole number, I would be surprised if that is the answer (Unless it's a calculator based homework). As it's for a nine year old I'd expect a whole number answer?

Except it is not 11.636363636 shifts per piper since they can't do a fraction of a shift.
In old style kiddy maths, it's 11 remainder 7 (11r7)
So the remaining 7 shifts have to be taken up by the first 7 pipers.
So they all do at least 11 shifts and the first 7 do 12.
So 12 shifts x 2.25 hours = 27 hours, done by pipers 1 to 7
and 11 shifts x 2.25 hours = 24.75 hours, done by pipers 8 to 11

Humbug!!

Brilliant

Homework day is Wednesday. He's not particularly arsed about it. It's me who's got themselves worked up into a lather because I can't do the working out

Perhaps you're looking at the question too deeply.
The key word is "Each", so the answer is each Piper would play for 2.25 hours x 12 = 27 hours.

The actual number of Pipers is irrelevant to the question being asked.

I'll now go get me coat!

I think the OP wrote the question down wrong? Based on how it's written the answer is 288 hours each (and they'd be knackered)!

I would also be very surprised if the answer that the teacher is looking for is as convoluted as the one we have proposed.
There must be an element of 'send three and fourpence we are going to a dance' about this.

Teachers make mistakes, just like we all do.
They can't seriously be looking for this answer.

Is the question correct in its wording?
If not, the teacher needs sorting.
Especially if it is a she.

Its 42.

Hitchhikers Guide etc...
Answer to the Universe.