math in uk

A poor grasp of maths among British science undergraduates is threatening the country's future prosperity, says a report.Comparing tests in this country with China, it says that while many university students in England struggle to answer basic questions, China demands a high level of mathematical competence of anyone seeking to enter higher education.First-year science students in England being assessed for their maths ability are given questions expected of 14-year-olds in the national curriculum tests, such as calculating the area of a triangle and using the Pythagoras theorem to find sides in a right-angled triangle.Meanwhile, students in their last year of school in China sit a tough university entrance test which requires them to determine a series of angles in a square prism.The report by the Royal Society of Chemistry warns that an increasing number of science undergraduates have dropped maths at 16 and have to sign up for remedial courses when they arrive at university.