What Is the Value of Algebra?

The Washington Post ^ | February 16, 2006 | Richard Cohen

[SoothingDave]

Guess I just didn't realize how much I've suffered over the years by depriving myself of algebra. (yeah it's sarcasm)

I never said you were deprived. You asked a question. I answered it. Any time you "figure out" something by doing math on the numbers you are given, you are performing algebra.

SD

[linn37]

I'm 42 and taking it at the local college. (I want to go into a cardio vascular tech course and you can't start the course without having it first.)
Its hard , I had to start all the way at the bottom in 05 Math. You have to have a really good teacher. You also have to remember every stinking math rule they teach you.
This week we are factoring polyinomials...fun fun

[savedbygrace]

If x = Ping, solve for y.

y = Because I said so.

[smith288]

There is a diffrence between "idiot" and "ignorant".

I agree with that...yet I was called idiotic for admitting I do not excel in a subject many people struggle with. If a person struggles in word recognition from dislexia, are they idiotic?

[Moonman62]

Algebra isn't that difficult

That depends on the teacher.

[Brytani]

Not only that but without using algebra he woulndn't know how much paint was needed to complete the job. From bargain shopping, to home improvements projects, craft projects and general deductive reasoning, more algebra is used than most people ever dream of.

[DocRock]

As a jeweler, I use algebra every day to calculated gold content at current market values. I have to explain the math to more and more people lately as gold prices have been going up.

[shelterguy]

I see such a decline in people being able to figure stuff out if they are not in front of a keyboard that it scares me. My brother is a MBA yet he is amazed that I can measure something, cut it and it fits without all the trial and error. It is all just basic algebra.

[Toby06]

But you cite examples of stuff that require extensive training. Algebra, the subject of discussion, is no more than Junior High math.

Algebra is not advanced math.

[shelterguy]

You're asking me? I can't even spell
" difference".

[Vision]

I just mean the level of math. I understand it can be hard for kids but it's not that bad

[Euro-American Scum]

If DeShawn sells 27 crack rocks at ten dollars each, and then takes the money and buys a new Saturday Night Special, how many pimps can he whack in the next two nights before the cops can trace the bullets?.......

If Tito is issued X number of condoms in his health science course, how many gay prostitutes can he have sex with before he realizes he contracted AIDS because of George W. Bush?

[spinestein]

[...the name "al-Khowarizmi" is the origin of the word algorithm, which is a term used to describe a repetitive, or iterative, process of solving a problem.]


And the name Al Gore is the origin of the word "Algorism" which is a term used to describe the false belief that one is the inventor of things which existed before your time.

[george wythe]

If you have ever compared prices of products in different volume containers, you have used algebra in some form.

I can do this by reading and using simple addition and subtraction

That's the simple algebra high schoolers are being asked to solve.

All you have to do is . . . read, and then do basic arithmetic to both sides of an equation.

For instance, an 8-oz bottle of your favorite shampoo is selling for $3.20, while a 12-oz bottle of the same shampoo is selling for $5.40. Which one is a good deal?

Usually we do algebra on our heads, and we solve the problem.

In a classroom, you will have to solve two equations.

8 x = 3.20
x = 3.20 / 8
x = 0.40

The small bottle sells at 40 cents per ounce.

12 x = 5.40
x = 5.40 / 12
x=45

The big bottle sells for 45 cents per ounce. Not a good deal. End of algebra

[Señor Zorro]

I have my BS in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics, so I can do math. That said, I believe that the overall point is correct. Think about it. For most people, Algebra will have no relevance. Basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and percents) is something that people are forced to do in their everyday lives, but Algebra is not.

Yes, I have had to use Algebra for things, but that is not typical. Most people just don't have any use for it. As for the common arguments that it aids reasoning and problem solving, I would submit that these skills can be acquired through other topics--topics more relevant to whatever the student actually intends to do.

This is one of the symptoms of modern education. Everyone is to be treated exactly the same and made into a Renaissance Man. The problem is that people are not that uniform. People don't learn in the same ways and do not need to know all of the same things. Today this is more true than ever.

[N. Theknow]

A train leaves N.Y. City heading East at 50 MPH. How long before someone drowns?

Was Teddy driving?

[RightWhale]

Algebra is not advanced math

It is vital in proofs of real and complex analysis, along with trig, unless one wishes to prove everything such as the quadratic formula and the double angle formula every time.

[Political Junkie Too]

Any form of math that has letters in it is useless.

Base 16 hexidecimal is the basis for mainframe computing. I remember the years of tracing through COBOL core dumps looking for my S0C7 error.

-PJ

[Quilla]

My son has worked in construction for the past four summers, and I've seen his math grades improve as a result. He plans to be a home builder after he earns a BS in Business Administration (he's a college freshman this year).

[joylyn]

I loved algebra and was a straight A student. However, in my high school -- this was 1962 -- girls did not take trig. Times have changed.