Advanced Math classes

Hey folks, I have a problem with schooling.

I don't think certain acidemic subjects should be required for graduation if the subject in question can easily be done with a computer/register/calculator. Meaning advanced mathmatics.

If any certain field of work requires this type of ability it should be taught specificly to the people planning on entering that field.




Discuss

I don't think that should be the case. Making up your mind about your career while still in school, by choosing what education you want, is very limiting. If you don't want that career anymore later on, you'll only have the specific education for that job.

Having overall knowledge is what schools are for in my opinion. Colleges, university, and trainee/apprenticeships should focus on the careers you want. Limiting your basic education to one branch isn't very smart in my opinion.

come on, like mathematics is going to hurt you.

on a side note, i failed calc. 2, and i feel like a retard. i need consolation

Ok, I could have sworn that there was already a thread on this exact topic. The person was whining about Advanced Algebra, I think. On a biased note, Algebra is NOT advanced math, nor is it hard... but onto the more objective view...

I don't think certain acidemic subjects should be required for graduation if the subject in question can easily be done with a computer/register/calculator. Meaning advanced mathmatics.

Hmmm. And what if you dont have a calculator, eh? Believe it or not, some places in this world ARE devoid of electronic devices... But to the point: if you don't understand the theory, than you are going to be lost if the calculator or register gives you strange values, or it breaks, or something like that. The idea is that if you can do it on paper first, than you can do it on anything else. Its a lot like that in other areas of life too. If you learn to twirl a heavy rifle on a drill team first, than twirling the lighter rifles is a cinch.

If any certain field of work requires this type of ability it should be taught specificly to the people planning on entering that field.

Question: What if your planned field of interest goes to the dogs? You will have all this knowledge, and while it may be nice to have, it wont be helping you survive. Most people will switch careers throughout their lives.


And yeah, the whole concept is being well-rounded. Centralizing your studies in one area means that you have no back up. But thats besides the point. Im assuming you have back ups in other subjects. If thats the case, than dont worry. Advanced Math will disappear very shortly (only one week left of school for me! hoo rah!).

Basically I've been asking the same thing since my high school years began. Why do I have to learn all this crap, if

1. I'm never going to use it
2. It can be done within miliseconds on a calculator
3. If it can't be done on a calculator, I don't need it.

My dad's answer was nice, that you learn it just to learn, learning how to learn, etc. etc., Also it's suppose to help you develop new thinking patterns and such and all that other horse jazz.

But, The one reason I highly don't like advanced mathematics, is that it (well, some of it) is completely useless, why? It can't be applied to anything in the world. Ironically I love Mathematical Philosphy (What is infinity? What is math? How did we discover math if it is truley embedded in nature? Is math just an interpretation of... etc).

And since my tiny obsession, everything I've argued has no true value since it's all based on (known) non-working or imaginary equations. The one fact I have uncovered, is that the only infinity in the universe, is the infinite amount of 0's. You can't have an infinite amount of anything else.

I guess it depends what you mean by 'advanced mathematics'. Since I have an engineering degree, advanced math probably means something different to me than it would to, say, my mom, who has an english degree, and panics at anything more than +-*/.

My definition of 'advanced mathematics' would be anything beyond first year university math, so anything past beginners calculus, statistics, and algebra. Of course, we'll probably all have different definitions for the term, but that's mine.

For the kind of math that I think should be absolutely required for everyone, the high school program is probably fairly reasonable, except that it should have more statistics. Statistics is useful for a lot of things, I think, which is one reason I tried to learn a bit of it even before I went to university. I found it helpful for a lot of the games I played, like AD&D, and a bunch of computer games. (Will a longsword that does 1d8 damage, has a threat range of 19-20, and criticals for x2, do more damage than a battleaxe that does 1d8 damage, has a threat range of 20, and criticals for x3 damage?) Of course, that isn't particularly practical, unless you design those kind of games, but it is a real world application. Statistics also applies to things like gambling, professional surveys, and the like. (If I have a 4-5-6-7 in poker, what are the odds I will get a 3 or 8?)

Calculus is also quite practical, but it doesn't have any everyday applications. You have to get hard-core into the sciences before it really has any uses. One strong point for teaching calculus is that much of it cannot be done with a calculator or computer. (in fact, for some of my calculus exams, we weren't allowed calculators, because they weren't needed) Conversely, a lot of practical statistics can be done fairly easily with the aid of a calculator, even if you don't really know what you are doing. I had a professor who argued that the engineering statistics course should be removed from the curriculum for that very reason, and that it should be replaced with something else, like another physics class.

you dont need to know "advanced" math to graduate.

you need algebra. Why learn algebra if you can just use a calculator?

Well, besides the times that you dont have a calculator handy, the most useful example I can think of is being able to recognize mistakes.

when I was at a fast food place, the person told me how much I owed and I gave her a gift card for $5 (although the cost was more than $5). When she repeated back my new total, it was off. When I told the cashier that there was no way a (simplified numbers) $12 bill minus $5 meant i still owed $9. She didnt know what to say...she just said "uhh...thats what the calculator says"

if you dont know the basics (note, these are basics, not "Advanced" like you call them) how will you catch errors like this? How will you figure out how much to tip? how will you balence your checkbook or budget for the future? Basic Algebra is a valueable tool later in life.

You also have to take less math than you have to take English. It is very argueable that English class is less helpful than Algebra. When will I need to analize a poem in life? Budgeting is much more real-life than that.

I also share a dislike for certain mathmatics, notably calculus. (Which I'm doing right now btw) It just doesn't jive too well with how I think. Although I dislike the subject, and it's not required to graduate, it is required for engineering, so I had to take it I have actually completed many courses not neccessary to graduate, including all the math and science courses available. It required a bit more work, but I feel it was worth it, as it ensures a more well rounded and fufilling education. Anyway, I forget where I was going with this, so back to gettin edumacated i go

Originally posted by pineappleupsidedown
You also have to take less math than you have to take English. It is very argueable that English class is less helpful than Algebra. When will I need to analize a poem in life? Budgeting is much more real-life than that.

Well, I would argue that English is very important in real life. Take a look at the quality of some of the posts here; punctuation, spelling, and grammar are practically non-existent.

How can people expect to communicate effectively without a good grasp of the language? Are you going to rely on SpellCheck to come to your defense?

As for advanced math, even though I rarely use it, the thinking skills I learned by learning math stay with me throughout life.

Anyone remember when we had to figure out square roots the longhand way?

Originally posted by jsobecky

Well, I would argue that English is very important in real life. Take a look at the quality of some of the posts here; punctuation, spelling, and grammar are practically non-existent.

How can people expect to communicate effectively without a good grasp of the language? Are you going to rely on SpellCheck to come to your defense?

It's too bad spelling is no longer taught in high schools, or I might agree with you

In high school, we rarely go over grammar. We spent about 2 days on parallel structure as our grammar for the entire year.

Instead, we read books (which I am NOT bashing - the books choices this year were overall useful for real-life) and analyze poems.