Are we there yet?

'Are we there yet?'

A mathematician has found the answer to one of life's great questions - posed by kids in cars everywhere

As the nation sets off this week on its summer holidays, the back seats of family cars will ring to the sound of one of life's great questions - 'Are we nearly there yet?'

However, a mathematician has answered parents' prayers and put a stop to the question for good. Professor Dwight Barkley, Department of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, has formulated an equation to calculate the exact time into a journey it takes for a child to ask 'Are we nearly there yet?'

The equation takes the following form: The time it takes for a child to ask the question equals: one, plus the number of activities to do, divided by the number of children in the car squared. That figure is then added to the time the family left the house to give the answer - the exact time that a child will first ask, 'Are we nearly there yet?'

'mathematics can help answer many of life's questions'

The equation, commissioned by car maufacturers �koda, works by taking into account the length of time since leaving the house, the number of activities available and the number of children in the car. It illustrates how the length of time until a child asks the question will increase with the number of activities on offer and the number of children in the car.

Commenting on the triumph, Professor Dwight Barkley explained, 'mathematics can help answer many of life's questions and this equation can be a fun way to think about the problem of keeping children entertained on a family car journey'.

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