Elizabeth Field

I am usually very happy to watch Pointless, as early evening tea-time, light entertainment. However, I was disappointed by a recent episode where a question about basic algebra was presented. The way the presenters portrayed the topic of Mathematical knowledge as ‘difficult’, ‘mystifying’ and obscure was uncalled for, as if the answers were beyond a reasonably educated 9 year old, and too tricky for adults. They never do that to other branches of knowledge, literature, classics, art, music, history, medicine etc etc. I am surprised that Richard Osman went along with this ruse, as I normally respect his broad general knowledge and the accuracy and depth of information and learning. Mathematics is a branch is of study like any other.