Madam - Yet again the nonsense of the flawed Higher Level maths paper 2 in this year's Leaving Cert has been aired (John MacGabhann's article, July 8th).
The criticism of the two questions by various misinformed correspondents is unfair. A brief look at the questions will show why.
Question 1, part (b): It is axiomatic that the three circles have their centre on a common line; yet the students were still afforded this information in the form of a correction to the question.
Question 8, part (c): This question caused much outrage among teachers and students, who claimed that it was really a question more suited to the Higher Level applied maths paper. This is rubbish.
The question involved a simple application of the relationship between speed, time and distance.
For the non-mathematical, let me paraphrase that part of the question which caused the grief:
Two points are 4 km apart.
A vehicle starts from one point at a speed of 6 km per hour.
What is the distance to the second point after a time interval defined as t?
The solution involved elementary knowledge of Pythagoras and differential calculus - a prerequisite for any student attempting this question. - Yours, etc.,
JAMES EWINS M.Sc, Cragmoher House, Corofin, Co Clare.