Do you know the Pythagorean theorem? Or how do you calculate Pi? Tricky exam questions for secondary school students appeal to half of British parents – see how you score in our maths quiz

From trigonometry to the Pythagorean theorem, there are plenty of math terms you might remember from school, but can you actually answer a question now?

After a survey found that half of British parents admitted they would fail their high school exams if they had to retake them, MailOnline has put together some sample questions for you to test yourself.

Long division, the elements of the periodic table and even the dates of the two world wars are among the things parents would have forgotten from their school days.

About 44 percent say they have no idea when to help with homework in high school, while a third (34 percent) cannot help their primary-school-aged children.

Trigonometry (52 percent), the Pythagorean theorem (46 percent), algebra (46 percent), calculating Pi (39 percent) and the periodic table (35 percent) all leave parents scratching their heads.

About 15 percent have forgotten most of the world’s flags and 21 percent admit they no longer know the difference between a noun, a verb and an adjective.

One in three have no idea how to convert fractions, while a similar number fear long division.

The difference between the types of triangles (26 percent) and the dates of the two world wars (19 percent) also has mothers and fathers baffled.

On average, parents spend four hours a week helping their children with their homework, with 73 percent ultimately arguing about it.

Nearly nine in ten (87 percent) say homework has become much more challenging than when they were at school, with 77 percent believing their children work much harder than they did at the same age.

Maths (57 percent) is the subject that British parents struggle with most, according to the survey, commissioned by leading online education company MyTutor.

Two-thirds (66 percent) are embarrassed if they can’t do their children’s homework and 16 percent say they argue with their children because the young people are smarter than them.

One in five (19 percent) of the 2,000 parents surveyed have contacted their child’s school to ask for additional help, and a quarter (27 percent) have considered using a tutor.

Florence Milner from MyTutor said: ‘Although most parents spend a significant amount of time each week helping their children with schoolwork, it is not surprising that many find the task daunting.

‘Few will claim to be an expert in every subject, many will have left formal education years ago and the vast majority, according to our research, recognize that the curriculum is much more challenging now than when they were at school.’

Take MailOnline’s six-question maths quiz now to see how well you can do:

TO ASK

1) TRIGONOMETRY

Calculate the exact value of sin (60° ) + cos (30°) without a calculator.

2) PYTHAGORAS theorem

How long is the third side (side C) of a regular right triangle where the two shorter sides are 8 cm (side A) and 14 cm (side B)?

3) ALGEBRA

Solve this equation: x + 2 − 15/x = 0

4) PI

How can you calculate Pi?

5) PERIODIC TABLE

Since the element has the atomic number 13, what is the electronic structure of an atom? And what is the element?

6) CONVERTING FRACTIONS

Express 13/20 as a decimal.

ANSWERS

1) TRIGONOMETRY

Sin (60° ) = √3/2

Cos (30°) also = √3/2

So the calculation is √3/2 + √3/2, which equals √3. So the answer is √3.

2) PYTHAGORAS theorem

The third side (Side C) is the hypotenuse of the triangle – the longest side, opposite the right angle. You can use the Pythagorean theorem, namely a² + b² = c²

​In this triangle that is 8² + 14² = c², which corresponds to 64 + 196 = c²

c² is therefore equal to 64 + 196, so 260.

You then have to take square roots on both sides to get c.

The square root of 260 (shown as √260) is 16.1, accurate to one decimal place. So the answer is 16.1 cm.

3) ALGEBRA

The first thing you need to do is eliminate the fraction, which you can do by multiplying the entire equation by x.

This gives you x² + 2x – 15 = 0

Then factor the equation into parentheses to produce (x+5)(x-3) = 0.

Solve the equation, that is x = -5 or x = 3. These two answers are the solution.

4) PI

Pi, expressed as π, can be calculated from all circles as u Divide the length of the circumference by the length of the diameter.

The first 10 digits of pi (π) are 3.1415926535.

5) PERIODIC TABLE

The first shell, closest to the nucleus, contains a maximum of 2 electrons.

The second shell must be full, with 8 electrons, before electrons can occupy the third shell.

Since the atomic number is 13, the last 3 electrons occupy the third shell.

The electronic structure is 2,8,3 – what the answer is.

For a bonus point it is element aluminium.

6) CONVERTING FRACTIONS

You could divide 13 by 20, but there is an easier method.

It’s much easier to get to a point where you can divide by 100.

You achieve this by multiplying both parts by 5.

This results in 13×5 = 65 and 20×5 = 100.

This yields a new fraction of 65/100, which can easily be expressed as a decimal 0.65 – what the answer is.