Mr. HFY, that was completely unexpected and so very true. I had a professor, much like the one in your story, who did something similar. The lesson we were taught was that there are things not written in books, things we need to understand, but can't be "looked up" in any reference material. As our professor taught us, the best doctors, lawyers, or teachers aren't those who rely on solely on what they were taught in class but on what their patients, clients, or students tell them. Good on you! Thank you for reminding me of this.
I have a problem with stuff like this. The students DID find the solution. But the corrector was dishonest and ignored their answer. (there is no solution IS a solution.) Also, the conclusion used by the professor is a total nonsense. It's a tangle of personal beliefs, racism, ignorance and worse, a failure to teach. All she did was show her students she can't be trusted.
Thanks for the comment! Like I replied to another comment.. this is exactly the purpose of this story! You want a logical answer to a complex problem, that sometimes just pure demonstration of knowledge and logical thinking is not enough. Humans reach their peak when logical and analytical thinking start walking together
