"UK chemistry departments are often world-renowned for their creativity..."
Is that so? That's the first time I hear about it, but BBC and all, it must be true. Too bad RSC (or BBC) messed up the translation for the math problem.
The RSC is running the contest in a completely idiotic way. No age or educational level limits, and no protection against cheating, copying, plagiarism or submitting a solution composed by someone else. Maybe they do believe the problem is so hard there will be very few entrants and none of these problems? Maybe nobody on the board of the RSC can do the problem? "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
I'm guessing that these people are thinking something like: "OMG, look at that crazy thing, all those lines! No one could possible understand that question! The lines, the lines!!!! And planes too!! Whhaaahahah."
I'm not saying they do it in a clever way or the best way by any means but I think that is where the motivation comes from for this kind of gimmick. Ad astra per aspera
It will backfire, anyway. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
"We must halt the decline of chemistry in the UK! I know! Let's illustrate the issue with a geometry problem!"
You're right. Something about this plan - I can't quite put my finger on it - doesn't seem to work, for some reason.
