wathe Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) He's not wrong - there are an awful lot of word problems based on US numbered highways. Beltway isn't a common term here. Edited February 20, 2021 by wathe 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 33 minutes ago, wathe said: He's not wrong - there are an awful lot of word problems based on US numbered highways. Beltway isn't a common term here. Hah. So why IS it called the Beltway? 😛 Why is this problem math?? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeineandbooks Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 That is gold! We have the old Singapore math books, and my kids occasionally like to rewrite a problem too. Book: "Mrs Wang buys 1236 chicken satay sticks and 1007 beef satay sticks for a party." My kids: "How many guests will be disappointed there are no sausage rolls, chips and sandwiches?" 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 I'm in my 40s, am mathy, and have no idea why that highway is called The Beltway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Just now, historically accurate said: I'm in my 40s, am mathy, and have no idea why that highway is called The Beltway. I'm in my 30s, but same here, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) In case this is helpful to anyone: The MUS Canadian Edition has been "Canadianized" by changing units from imperial to metric, for many, but not all, of the exercises, and not always in ways that make sense. There is still a lot of focus on imperial units. (I suppose that it's not a bad thing that my kids will be fluent in ounces and pounds and gallons and quarts and pints and feet and yards and miles and pennies.) The rest of the content remains American. Edited February 20, 2021 by wathe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 Official Answer, "Because it goes the whole way around the city." Meaning encircles the city? And the highway is circle-shaped? I don't know. I think it's a bad question, and I will let DS's answer stand on merit. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 7 minutes ago, wathe said: Official Answer, "Because it goes the whole way around the city." Meaning encircles the city? And the highway is circle-shaped? I don't know. I think it's a bad question, and I will let DS's answer stand on merit. It's a TERRIBLE question. I kind of can't believe how terrible, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 11 minutes ago, caffeineandbooks said: That is gold! We have the old Singapore math books, and my kids occasionally like to rewrite a problem too. Book: "Mrs Wang buys 1236 chicken satay sticks and 1007 beef satay sticks for a party." My kids: "How many guests will be disappointed there are no sausage rolls, chips and sandwiches?" My kids would love this. DH's family is Indonesian-Canadian. Mak makes awesome satay. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 On 2/20/2021 at 2:56 PM, wathe said: He's not wrong - there are an awful lot of word problems based on US numbered highways. Beltway isn't a common term here. Beltway isn't a common term here either. The highway around DC is the only one I've ever heard called the beltway. What a strange question for a math book. I think his answer is great because, unless he needs to visit DC, he doesn't need to know that the beltway goes around the city. 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 My oldest appreciated his answer :). That said, beltway *is* a common term for us, in that the (non-DC) big city we go through to get to grandparents has a beltway. I explained it as the road goes around the city like a belt (i.e. makes a complete loop). In our case, we already had a Loop, so I'm guessing the newer and outer one is the Beltway to differentiate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 On 2/20/2021 at 2:44 PM, wathe said: Official Answer, "Because it goes the whole way around the city." Meaning encircles the city? And the highway is circle-shaped? I don't know. I think it's a bad question, and I will let DS's answer stand on merit. American highways with the number 4 to start, are loops around cities so you can avoid having to go through downtown. I lived in Lexington, KY for a while, and they have New Circle Road, which is Highway 4, in a circle around the city. Highway 465 goes around Indianapolis, IN. I've never put it together with "the Beltway" name before. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 The American interstate system is amazing! Even-numbered 3-digit interstate highways (285, 465, 495, etc) always take you back to the main highway. The 3-digit extensions that begin with an odd number are spurs, and will not connect back (395, 165, etc). Even-numbered 2-digit highways run east-west, and 2-digit odd-numbered highways run north-south. Every few (5 or so) miles there's a stretch straight enough to land a plane in emergency or time of war (the president who commissioned them was a General 😉 ). That said, "Beltway" (capital B) is a national landmark, at least to me; certain things are done differently "outside the Beltway". If it's a lower-case b, it can refer to any loop around a city - Boston calls 495 a beltway (sometimes), but theirs doesn’t make a complete circle because of the ocean. I LOVE this stuff! 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said: The American interstate system is amazing! Even-numbered 3-digit interstate highways (285, 465, 495, etc) always take you back to the main highway. The 3-digit extensions that begin with an odd number are spurs, and will not connect back (395, 165, etc). Even-numbered 2-digit highways run east-west, and 2-digit odd-numbered highways run north-south. Every few (5 or so) miles there's a stretch straight enough to land a plane in emergency or time of war (the president who commissioned them was a General 😉 ). That said, "Beltway" (capital B) is a national landmark, at least to me; certain things are done differently "outside the Beltway". If it's a lower-case b, it can refer to any loop around a city - Boston calls 495 a beltway (sometimes), but theirs doesn’t make a complete circle because of the ocean. I LOVE this stuff! After DS's complaint, I spent some more time looking through his math workbook, and indeed, it explains everything you've outlined in your first paragraph (bolded). It does seem like odd content for a Canadian edition of a math textbook though. I guess if he ever goes to the States, he'll be less likely to get lost? Maybe? Edited February 24, 2021 by wathe 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 2 hours ago, wathe said: After DS's complaint, I spent some more time looking through his math workbook, and indeed, it explains everything you've outlined in your first paragraph (bolded). It does seem like odd content for a Canadian edition of a math textbook though. I guess if he ever goes to the States, he'll be less likely to get lost? Maybe? Agree re: the Canadian version, LOL. Personally, this info was VERY useful to me back when I was routinely criss crossing the USA with no cell phone and no internet. Now it's more trivia value, but I still think it's really cool (even if rendered somewhat obsolete by ubiquitous smartphones). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 If it makes you feel better, this would be a 'thinking logically' rather than a 'knowledge' question for most Americans, too. The Beltway is used to describe the DC area, but most kids wouldn't watch political shows to know that. I've lived in 9 states and occasionally encountered 400-numbered roads and could have told you that they circled the city, but they aren't actually called 'beltways' anywhere that I've lived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisdomandtreasures Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 I am American and I have never heard a highway called a "beltway" in my life. *crawls back under a rock* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Ha, I like your ds's commentary! I'd never heard of the term beltway until I lived in DC back in the 80's, but now I'm hearing it more often in different metro areas too, including our own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 3 hours ago, Clemsondana said: If it makes you feel better, this would be a 'thinking logically' rather than a 'knowledge' question for most Americans, too. The Beltway is used to describe the DC area, but most kids wouldn't watch political shows to know that. I've lived in 9 states and occasionally encountered 400-numbered roads and could have told you that they circled the city, but they aren't actually called 'beltways' anywhere that I've lived. I'm all for logical thinking! It is a neat system. But 400-series highways has a completely different meaning here. I'm not sad to have learned the logic of the US highway system. More irritated that the "Canadian edition" means changing some of the unit s to metric, but leaving all other content very American. Live and learn. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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