10 years old Kids Vs. AI

4 min readFeb 6, 2025

With the boom of DeepSeek, people started to discuss the capabilities of artificial intelligence again. I was curious to find out if AI models could solve math problems suitable for 10-year-old kids.

I decided to use the most famous free models available today.

This question is from the Kangaroo Math competition for 9 years and 10 years old school children.

Before diving into the rest of the article, I invite you to take a moment to tackle this question on your own. It could be a fun challenge! 😊

ChatGPT (GPT-4o model)

Following is the output of ChatPGT.

To solve this problem, let us define the variables and equations based on the given conditions:

Variables:

TT: Sum of the numbers covered with triangles.
SS: Sum of the numbers covered with squares.
CC: The number covered with the circle.

Conditions:

T=ST = S (The sum of numbers covered with triangles equals the sum of numbers covered with squares).
C=14(T+S)C = \frac{1}{4}(T + S) (The number covered with the circle is one-quarter of the sum of TT and SS).
The total sum of numbers from 1 to 8 is: 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8=361 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 36 Therefore, the sum of T+S+CT + S + C must be less than or equal to 36.

Goal:

We need to find T+CT + C, the sum of numbers covered with triangles and the circle.

Solving:

Substitute T=ST = S into the second condition:

C=14(T+T)=14(2T)=T2.C = \frac{1}{4}(T + T) = \frac{1}{4}(2T) = \frac{T}{2}.

Thus:

T+S+C=T+T+T2=36.T + S + C = T + T + \frac{T}{2} = 36.

Simplify:

2T+T2=36.2T + \frac{T}{2} = 36.

Multiply through by 2 to eliminate the fraction:

4T+T=72 ⟹ 5T=72.4T + T = 72 \implies 5T = 72.

Solve for TT:

T=725=14.4.T = \frac{72}{5} = 14.4.

Check if integer values are consistent or reattempt solving.

Here, you can see the answer generated from ChatGPT is wrong. It couldn’t understand the problem clearly.

DeepSeek (Deepthink R1)

This is the correct answer

Gemini (2.0 Flash)

Here’s how to solve the problem:

Find the sum of the numbers from 1 to 8:

The sum of numbers from 1 to n is given by the formula n(n+1)/2. In this case, n = 8. Sum = 8(8+1)/2 = 8(9)/2 = 72/2 = 36

2. Let’s use variables:

Let “T” be the sum of the numbers covered by triangles.
Let “S” be the sum of the numbers covered by squares.
Let “C” be the number covered by the circle.

3. Write the equations:

We are given that T = S
We are also given that C = S/4

4. Express everything in terms of T:

Since T = S, we can rewrite C = S/4 as C = T/4

5. Use the total sum:

The sum of all the numbers is 36, so T + S + C = 36

6. Substitute and solve for T:

Substitute S = T and C = T/4 into the equation: T + T + T/4 = 36
Combine the terms with T: (4T + 4T + T)/4 = 36 9T/4 = 36
Multiply both sides by 4: 9T = 144
Divide both sides by 9: T = 16

7. Find C:

C = T/4 = 16/4 = 4

8. Find the sum of T and C:

T + C = 16 + 4 = 20

Therefore, the sum of the numbers covered with the triangles and the circle is 20.

The steps taken to solve this are a bit long but produce correct answer.

CoPilot

Output

The answer is correct and shows some details.

Final words

ChatGPT (GPT-4o model) struggled a bit with this problem and missed the correct results, which showed some areas that need improvement.

On the other hand, the newest DeepSeek (Deepthink R1) came through and nailed the answer, proving it has some solid problem-solving skills.

Gemini (2.0 Flash) took a thoughtful and detailed approach, leading to the right answer.

Also, CoPilot did a great job by identifying the correct solution, showcasing its talent for tackling similar math challenges.

In conclusion, while not all AI models demonstrated the same level of accuracy and clarity, some models like DeepSeek , Gemini, CoPilot showed strong problem-solving capabilities, proving that AI can effectively tackle math problems designed for young students. This comparison underscores the varying levels of proficiency among AI models and points to continuous advancements in AI’s ability to solve complex problems.