Math ideas for this story

I’m doing a story about two brothers. Both are teenagers around 13-14 years old. Boy 1 is smart. Boy 2, not so smart.

The story starts with the director of the school telling Boy 1 about his brother’s not so good performance in class, and that if his grades kept going the way they were he would retake the year again. Because of that, he’d arranged with the math teacher to give Boy 2 a test. If he passes the test, he doesn’t retake the year, but if he doesn’t pass the test, he retakes it. The director tells Boy 1 to teach Boy 2 at home and help him practice for the test.

One of the topics for the test was an exercise in which there were two different ways to do it. One of the ways is the one that Boy 1 does and learns from the teacher, and another that Boy 2 managed to discover, a way that was easy for him to do. Boy 1 didn’t think that way to solve the maths exercise was a good way, and thought that it would not always work. But Boy 2 insisted that it would.

Now the thing is that I want ideas for a math exercise that has those requirements. That it has at least two ways to solve it, and that both ways are the right ways to do it, only that one of them is easier.

I haven’t taken a math class in a year or two, so my math is a little rusty. But, the two things I remembered are 1. Quadratic equations, and 2. Polynomials. Both I believe have 2 or 3 methods and answers (and the answers may vary depending on how you solve them - I think). I learned these in like, my sophomore or junior year of high school, but it may be taught earlier in other places, so idk if either would work for your story.

I love Maths and I am also a Maths Student.The Chapters like Trigonometry, Quadratic Equation, Differential Integral, Complex Number, Linear Inequalities, Binomial Operation, Matrics and Determinants are my favorite…:smiling_face_with_three_hearts::kissing_heart:
These exercises are little messy too but I love them.

Yeah I sort of want it to be like Boy 2 manages to find a very easy way to do a math operation (a basic way I must add), but Boy 1 thinks that way is too simple and stupid, even though it also works.

Any ideas? :sweat_smile:

I’ve got an idea, but it’s calculus and even the simple way involves knowledge of derivatives. I can still tell you about it though if you want to try to incorporate it.

Are the brothers your main characters, because I think having a main character under a certain age breaks the guidelines? :slight_smile:

This might just be for cover, but I’m not too sure. :slight_smile:

Wait. What do you mean? Is it not possible for a teenager (aged 13-15) to be the main character of a story? I mean, stories with young characters are also very common. Why is it not possible here?

Oh I would like to hear about it.

I took the screenshot from the guidelines under Cover, so it could just be for the covers. It’s probably best if you just e-mail Episode and ask. :slight_smile:

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