numeration of minutes and hours. Table 4.6: Student Failure Rates (%) by Work, Errors, Causes of Errors and Misconceptions on Computation of Units of Time, and Length % Student’s work Errors Associated misconceptions Noted errors Causes rate 2:55 addition of minutes Unable to Did not 1:40 is done in the same differentiate the distinguish 72.7 8:05 way as for base 10 hours/minutes decimal number + 3:20 numeration. numeration notation from 15:20 from the base hour/minute ten decimal notation. numeration. 57.3 km m cm Did not know Does not know 3 25 75 the relationship the meaning of × 5 between the the Prefix 16 125 375 given units of in the ‘centi’ Did not split length and word into cm m km m cm hence unable to ‘centimeter’ 3 25 75 make proper × 5 Does not know conversion. 16 28 75 the meaning of Created a ‘carrying the prefix ‘kilo’ figure’ from the in the term product of added m ‘kilometre’. it to the product of Thinking that km 100m = 1km Each of the metric units of length is related to the metre. The relationship between kilometre is that, 1000metres = 1 kilometre (Kilo means 1000) and, the relationship between a metre and centimeters is that 100cm = 1m (Cent means 100). In item 38,
numeration of minutes and hours. Table 4.6: Student Failure Rates (%) by Work, Errors, Causes of Errors and Misconceptions on Computation of Units of Time, and Length % rate Student’s work Errors Associated misconceptions Noted errors Causes 72.7 2:55 1:40 8:05 + 3:20 15:20 addition of minutes is done in the same way as for base 10 numeration. Unable to differentiate the hours/minutes numeration from the base ten decimal numeration. Did not distinguish decimal number notation from hour/minute notation. 57.3 km m cm 3 25 75 × 5 16 125 375 km m cm 3 25 75 × 5 16 28 75 Did not split cm into m Created a ‘carrying figure’ from the product of m added it to the product of km Did not know the relationship between the given units of length and hence unable to make proper conversion. Does not know the meaning of the Prefix ‘centi’ in the word ‘centimeter’ Does not know the meaning of the prefix ‘kilo’ in the term ‘kilometre’. Thinking that 100m = 1km Each of the metric units of length is related to the metre. The relationship between kilometre is that, 1000metres = 1 kilometre (Kilo means 1000) and, the relationship between a metre and centimeters is that 100cm = 1m (Cent means 100). In item 38,
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