Today, a picture of a multiple-choice problem in the Math section of the Chinese National College Entrance Examination, commonly known as Gaokao, circulated widely on Chinese social media.
The Gaokao, known for having punishing questions and being the toughest exam in the lifetime of a Chinese student, had a question in the math section that was, well, relatively easy for people who’ve studied music theory.
The Question
“As pictured, the 12 keys on the piano are marked as a₁,a₂,…,a₁₂. Let a ≤ i < j < k ≤ 12. If k – j = 3 and j – i = 4, then aᵢ, aⱼ, ak is a ‘major third chord‘; if k – j = 4 and j – i = 3, then aᵢ, aⱼ, ak is a ‘minor third chord‘. How many major & minor third chords can these 12 keys build?”
A. 5
B. 8
C. 10
D. 15
Can you figure out the answer before scrolling down?
The Answer
People on the internet were quick to post the mathematical solution to this:
However, a good portion of the Chinese population have gone through some sort of music theory training, and they were extremely happy that they were able to save some valuable time on this question, and used the musical solution instead:
If one simply plays out all the major third and minor third chords, you’d get 10 chords.
The correct answer, therefore, is C.
Did you get it right? Let us know in the comment section below.
