Definition
Relevant information
Relevant information is the information that can affect a maths problem’s model, steps, or answer.
What it means
Ask, “Could changing this fact change my plan or answer?” If yes, it is relevant. Some relevant facts are used later rather than first. Details that only decorate the story can be ignored, but conditions that limit choices must stay.
Remember it
Keep facts that can change the maths; park facts that cannot.
Example
A club buys 6 packs of 8 badges at £3 per pack. To find the cost, 6 packs and £3 per pack are relevant. The 8 badges per pack matters for the number of badges, but not for the cost. The badges being blue is irrelevant to both calculations.
Watch for
Relevance depends on the question: the same fact may matter for one question and not for another.
Common mix-up
Important-sounding story details are not automatically mathematically relevant.
Exact meaning
Relevant information is any given fact, quantity, condition, or relationship that affects how a mathematical problem is represented, solved, or checked.