Real world problems

Real world problems are not the same as mathematical exercises. There is usually a trick involved. An example is the following puzzle:
"A cat is at the bottom of a well 30 metres deep. Every hour it climbs up 3 metres, but then it slides back down 2 metres. How long will it take for the cat to climb out of the well?"
The person schooled in mathematical routines will notice that for every 3 metres the cat climbs it slides back 2 metres, so it is climbing 1 metre per hour. It has 30 metres to climb so it will get out after 30 hours. Unfortunately, this is not the correct answer. The cat gets out in 28 hours. This is because it does not slide back as it climbs, it only slides back after it has traversed 3 metres. This means that it gets to the top and out of the well after 28 hours, and does not slide back that last time because it is no longer in the well. This seems to be a sneaky trick, but it actually an important learning event. In the real world boundary conditions are important, they have to be considered. In engineering they are often the main focus of attention. Unless children as subjected to this type of problem rather than idealised questions, they will not learn to how to apply mathematics to the real world. At Puppet Maths we engage pupils with these problems which engage imagination with mathematical