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Math 1950-2005
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Posted on 03/07/2006 6:56:04 AM PST by ZULU

Math 1950-2005

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this?

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

2. Teaching Math In 1960

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

6.Teaching Math In 2005

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80.


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: education; reasontohomeschool
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To: annelizly

Although I do understand the point. They don't teach "making change".

Our schools had the kids counting and making simple change starting in first grade.

Like you, I am thoroughly impressed with our school system! In fact, I could email my kids' teachers right now and have a reply in less than 1 hour!



41 posted on 03/07/2006 7:52:26 AM PST by RedRightReturn (Even a broken clock is right twice a day...)
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To: FormerLib
the teachers' colleges

Things actually weren't too bad while there were still actual teachers' colleges (as late as the 50s in Boston). What you're thinking of is **Schools * Of * Education**! To employ the Ed.D.s (Doctors of Education) and make more of them.

42 posted on 03/07/2006 7:52:53 AM PST by maryz
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To: ZULU

Once calculators hit the scene I realized computation was doomed. I would not allow my kids to use them until they were proficient doing it manually.

Blaming this on the schools is silly. Schools today frequently teach statistics, adv, statistics, calculus even adv. calculus. Getting a good education is like always dependent upon the student. If he wants one he can get it. But it is alway convenient to blame the schools.


43 posted on 03/07/2006 7:54:44 AM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: ZULU

This happens all the time to me. Buy something for 9 bucks and some change, and hand the cashier 21.00 bucks. Lean back and enjoy the show.


44 posted on 03/07/2006 7:57:41 AM PST by joe fonebone (Woodstock defined the current crop of libs, but who cleaned up the mess they left?)
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To: Little Ray

When I hand the cashier a bill, and know that I have change coming, I try to beat the cash register and come up with the correct amount. I usually win.


45 posted on 03/07/2006 7:58:16 AM PST by Ax (balut! balut!)
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To: River_Wrangler

New math!!!!!!!!! My son came home one day and asked me to help with his math. The problem was something like this: what is 2478 divided by 127, estimate the answer. Now, I am an estimator by trade, and told him to put down 1 for the answer. He said that was not right. I told him it was just an estimate, not a very good one, but an estimate nontheless. I then told him that if his teacher marks the question wrong, to politely tell this to her. He got the question marked correct.


46 posted on 03/07/2006 8:00:48 AM PST by joe fonebone (Woodstock defined the current crop of libs, but who cleaned up the mess they left?)
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To: Little Ray
Dunno. My five year old kindergartner read me "Green Eggs and Ham" last night. I couldn't read at five years old...

Well, given your tag line, I'll take a wild guess that you are male. If your five year old is female, that would be one explanation. Girls tend to be ready to learn to read before boys.

47 posted on 03/07/2006 8:07:38 AM PST by freespirited
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To: joe fonebone

OMG! Yeah estimation! I have heard of this!! If nothing else on earth MATH is an exact science. There is no estimation in math. morons


48 posted on 03/07/2006 8:08:22 AM PST by annelizly
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To: ZULU

Sadly, this problem is not all that new. Nor is the problem one of just school education.

I managed a fast food restaurant in West Texas in the mid and late 80s. I had a young lady who worked for me (for 3 days) that I had to teach how to sweep and mop.

This girl had never been exposed to a broom or mop. She told me that her mother paid somebody else to do that kind of thing.


49 posted on 03/07/2006 8:09:41 AM PST by NerdDad
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To: dhs12345
Counting back change is pretty easy, once you have done it a couple of times.

Back in grade school I learned it by counting up. Purchase is $2.43 given $10, start counting (pennies) 2.44, 2.45, (nickel) 2.50, (quarter) 2.75, 3.00, (dollar) 4, 5, (5 dollar) 10. It also makes sure you use the least number of coins or bills.

You can tell the older, more experienced cashiers because you can see them doing this mentally even though the register told them how much to give back.

50 posted on 03/07/2006 8:12:29 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: joe fonebone

And why the heck when they teach long division do they not just come out and tell kids that its a bunch of guessing??/ That it ain't like adding and multiplying which has rules.

parsy, who wonders why we waste much time on long division anyway. And algebra. And science fairs.


51 posted on 03/07/2006 8:12:55 AM PST by parsifal ("Knock and ye shall receive!" (The Bible, somewhere.))
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To: annelizly

in defense of cashiers(of which i am one, and i do know how to make change in my head) when you are busy and the cash register does the work for you, you learn to not pay attention to numbers you don't need to remember.

example. you buy 5.50 worth of stuff...i tell you what you owe and you give me 10$..I HAVE to punch in 10.$ and when i do the 5.50 amount leaves the screen and your change comes up....now when I have 50 transactions in 15 minutes I simply can't remember what everyone's tally came to so I simply try not to retain that number. Now if you gave me 10.50 it does stop me for a second because I have to get the number on the screen out of my head and think for myself for a second:)

Its not that I can't do it its that I have to stop mid transaction and make my brain think differently.


52 posted on 03/07/2006 8:13:02 AM PST by annelizly
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To: annelizly

Uh Uh!!! Long division is NOT an exact science. It is just guessing.

parsy, who knows.


53 posted on 03/07/2006 8:14:13 AM PST by parsifal ("Knock and ye shall receive!" (The Bible, somewhere.))
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To: maryz
What you're thinking of is **Schools * Of * Education**!

Correct.

54 posted on 03/07/2006 8:15:46 AM PST by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: annelizly
If nothing else on earth MATH is an exact science. There is no estimation in math. morons

Well, when you're down at this level. It gets freaky in Ph.D. land, and even engineering, "2+2=5 for sufficiently large values of 2."

55 posted on 03/07/2006 8:17:15 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: Alberta's Child
goals is to drastically reduce the company's exposure to losses related to the handling of cash on the premises of these restaurants (incorrect change, theft, etc.).

Sickness. A complete conversion to electronic cash would definitely result in fewer sick employees. Dollar bills are NASTY, I'm sure most of us did that experiment in biology class.

56 posted on 03/07/2006 8:20:59 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: Alberta's Child
My goal is to get to the check-out line and be within $1 of the actual total.

My personal best was within .43 on a total bill of over $90. My wife just shook her head and called me a freak.

57 posted on 03/07/2006 8:22:40 AM PST by Can i say that here?
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To: ZULU

It's the sign of an excellent economy when even the dumbest of the dumb can get a job working a cash register.


58 posted on 03/07/2006 8:23:18 AM PST by D-Chivas
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To: Alberta's Child
Every major restaurant chain is eventually going to rely on electronic transactions for more and more of their business. If you talk to someone in the corporate management of one of these companies, they'll tell you that one of their primary goals is to drastically reduce the company's exposure to losses related to the handling of cash on the premises of these restaurants (incorrect change, theft, etc.).

No doubt that this is the goal. Hard to say if it is realistic. It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't have a bank account. They want to do business solely in cash. When necessary they pay outlandish fees for money orders and check cashing services. I don't have data but it wouldn't surprise me if this population has not become any smaller despite the commitment you describe.

I am sure a lot of this population is here illegally but by no means all of them. I've run into any number of people with no bank account who demanded to be paid in cash. Only thing they had in common was an attitude.

59 posted on 03/07/2006 8:24:01 AM PST by freespirited
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To: FormerLib

That depends on the school. I was doing long division in 1st, fractions by 2nd grade, and sines, cosines, square roots, cube roots, etc. by 4th. That was a public school, and I can guarantee it is every bit as good today as it was then.

Most public schools in my area are every bit as good. If you look at test scores, they really are highly dependent upon economic status of the students more than anything else. More than ethnic background or school funding level. My gut tells me that means that the parents aren't doing their part in the process. The private schools in the area simply aren't any better than the well run public schools.


60 posted on 03/07/2006 8:25:35 AM PST by eraser2005
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