The point is, why would you need math unless you wanted to become a fountain pump designer when you were older?
Math should be something you can learn later on in life, when it actually matters. Think about - all the crap you learn in school could be learned later on in life in about 10 minutes if you really put your mind to it. For everyone else, they should go to school to learn things they want to learn.
Yeh, I do agree with the uselessness of the current math education. After adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, you're most likely not going to use any of the other stuff ever again.
Here's an essay that's a great summary of everything that's wrong with current math: http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf Basically, instead of teaching students to do math, we should let them discover math.
Actually he's right. Schools put all their focus on english, history, and sports; very little on math, science, and technology.
Some people are not made for math, and those who are will find rewarding careers. Why would anyone want a nation full of scientists or mathematicians, aside from competing with other nations using intangible objects such as "test scores"? True structures of power from pyramids to rockets can be designed by a few or maybe in rare cases by even a single architect. There would still have to be a class of workers to construct it, and even if scientists are a minority there is still probably more than enough.
Are you retarded? America sucks but were still the most powerful country in the world. Despite what people think we could fuck a country like China up no problem. Our technology can't be beaten. And if you use Iraq as an example that's stupid because we beat Iraq in a matter of days. Insurgents and IED's dont equal losing.
I agree. We're human beings, we already know enough math to get us through the day. For anything else, we have calculators.
You don't really need it unless you're a scientist or something, haha
If you wanna do anything more than the bare essentials with electronics, you need pretty advanced mathematics. To really grasp thermodynamics (which you need for anything involving big engines, steam generators, turbines etc.), you need to master a high level of math. Just two real world examples.
The thing is, in most of today's western countries most people do completely useless things. 80% of all office jobs could be scrapped without compromising the valuable services offered to the people. Most of our society is built on making people believe they need a service which does not provide any lasting benefit common sense can't offer, e.g. consultancy, marketing, management training, economical advise etc. However, the people in those circles have convinced the majority of the world they are the most important part of society. They make you believe math is useless because they want you to aim at a job which consists of selling creatively named air and to make you buy their bullshit.
Don't believe me? How else is it possible for companies to fire 50-80 percent of their staff during economic troubled times like these? It's because most of their staff is busy selling air to their bosses / coworkers / customers. If this recession turns into a real depression, how do you think you're going to get a job fastest? By telling a business owner "I can assess the performance of your human resources, evaluate your management strategies and consult you on reconsidering your marketing approaches" or by telling him "I can fix the machines which keep your plant running"?
If you're planning on making a living selling air, you don't need math. But it's not my problem if you can't find a job. If you're learning a trade, like welding, plumbing, masoning, you don't need much math either. But if you wanna become one of the people who design, build and maintain the intricate machines which feed us, clothe us, heal us and basically keep us happy while most of us are selling air, you need math and you will always have a job.
Oh, and mayberry, I didn't read the essay you linked to, but to let students "discover" math is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The only reason our society is more advanced than a hundred years ago is because we continue to build on the things discovered in the past. If 20 people have to reinvent the wheel, they won't ever get past the wheel. If 20 people learn what a wheel is, how it was discovered and how it works, one of them is going to invent gears, another one is going to invent pulleys and another one is going to build a cart. 17 of them are going to be thinking "whatever, stupid wheels, who cares" while they are constantly using and profiting from the wheel and related inventions.
Pacino
Regular
Comments
Math is useless.
I agree. We're human beings, we already know enough math to get us through the day. For anything else, we have calculators.
You don't really need it unless you're a scientist or something, haha
Math should be something you can learn later on in life, when it actually matters. Think about - all the crap you learn in school could be learned later on in life in about 10 minutes if you really put your mind to it. For everyone else, they should go to school to learn things they want to learn.
Here's an essay that's a great summary of everything that's wrong with current math: http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf Basically, instead of teaching students to do math, we should let them discover math.
Some people are not made for math, and those who are will find rewarding careers. Why would anyone want a nation full of scientists or mathematicians, aside from competing with other nations using intangible objects such as "test scores"? True structures of power from pyramids to rockets can be designed by a few or maybe in rare cases by even a single architect. There would still have to be a class of workers to construct it, and even if scientists are a minority there is still probably more than enough.
Yeah, OK. :rolleyes:
Are you retarded? America sucks but were still the most powerful country in the world. Despite what people think we could fuck a country like China up no problem. Our technology can't be beaten. And if you use Iraq as an example that's stupid because we beat Iraq in a matter of days. Insurgents and IED's dont equal losing.
Oh well then you are correct. My bad.
If you wanna do anything more than the bare essentials with electronics, you need pretty advanced mathematics. To really grasp thermodynamics (which you need for anything involving big engines, steam generators, turbines etc.), you need to master a high level of math. Just two real world examples.
The thing is, in most of today's western countries most people do completely useless things. 80% of all office jobs could be scrapped without compromising the valuable services offered to the people. Most of our society is built on making people believe they need a service which does not provide any lasting benefit common sense can't offer, e.g. consultancy, marketing, management training, economical advise etc. However, the people in those circles have convinced the majority of the world they are the most important part of society. They make you believe math is useless because they want you to aim at a job which consists of selling creatively named air and to make you buy their bullshit.
Don't believe me? How else is it possible for companies to fire 50-80 percent of their staff during economic troubled times like these? It's because most of their staff is busy selling air to their bosses / coworkers / customers. If this recession turns into a real depression, how do you think you're going to get a job fastest? By telling a business owner "I can assess the performance of your human resources, evaluate your management strategies and consult you on reconsidering your marketing approaches" or by telling him "I can fix the machines which keep your plant running"?
If you're planning on making a living selling air, you don't need math. But it's not my problem if you can't find a job. If you're learning a trade, like welding, plumbing, masoning, you don't need much math either. But if you wanna become one of the people who design, build and maintain the intricate machines which feed us, clothe us, heal us and basically keep us happy while most of us are selling air, you need math and you will always have a job.
Oh, and mayberry, I didn't read the essay you linked to, but to let students "discover" math is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The only reason our society is more advanced than a hundred years ago is because we continue to build on the things discovered in the past. If 20 people have to reinvent the wheel, they won't ever get past the wheel. If 20 people learn what a wheel is, how it was discovered and how it works, one of them is going to invent gears, another one is going to invent pulleys and another one is going to build a cart. 17 of them are going to be thinking "whatever, stupid wheels, who cares" while they are constantly using and profiting from the wheel and related inventions.
But I do agree with you amie.
E=I*R, ([1/R1]+[1/R2]+[1/R3])^-1, etc.