Posted on 03/07/2006 10:12:59 AM PST by RBroadfoot
None, according to Richard Cohen of the Washington Post.
EXCERPT: I am haunted by Gabriela Ocampo. ... failing algebra six times in six semesters, trying it a seventh time and finally just despairing over ever getting it.
The L.A. school district now requires all students to pass a year of algebra ...
Here's the thing, Gabriela: You will never need to know algebra. I have never once used it and never once even rued that I could not use it. ...
Gabriela, sooner or later someone's going to tell you that algebra teaches reasoning. This is a lie propagated by, among others, algebra teachers. Writing is the highest form of reasoning. This is a fact. Algebra is not. The proof of this, Gabriela, is all the people in my high school who were whizzes at math but did not know a thing about history and could not write a readable English sentence. ...
Algebra ruined many a day for me. Now it could ruin your life.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
My wife tells a story about being a young girl and her aunt was struggling with a college algebra class. My wife's older sister, who was about 10 at the time looked over their aunt's shoulder and said,
"Well of course you cant do this, you cant add letters"
I'm in the computer field and 20+ years out of HS. I have NEVER had a NEED to make a Trig calculation. I have done it, only as a mental exercise in wood working and often as a means of not having to take a measurement.
But I have never needed Trig.
Pie aren't square, pie are round! CORNBREAD are square!
I can't see how you could do Trig if you didn't pass Alg.
Yep, it goes into detail but tht is it.
"I never passed algebra and only made it to pre-algebra. I am now a professional programmer and web developer. "
So, if I need you to write ray tracing programs, or something to do 3D reconstruction of a series of 2D slices, you can do it? Could you write the polygon shading routines for Unreal Tournament?
To say I don't use it, so therefore it's not needed is a weak arguement. If you can't PASS a beginning algerbra class, then you should get a diploma. I suspect you could pass an algerbra class. Remember, passing is a "D". Let's work on raising the bar, not lowering it. A High School diplomma should indicate to prospective employers a certain level of baseline ablity.
Until recently, I would have agreed with Richard Cohen about the dubious value of algebra. However, to my very great surprise, I actually used algebra and trigonometry in a recent home improvement project. I saved money by calculating the optimum size of the project and quantity of materials required. I'm still not entirely convinced that it was worth the long hours spent in math class. :-)
This is really simple algebra but it actually happened to me within the last few days.
Somebody walked into my office and said "My bill after tax was $508.00 and the tax rate is 6%. How do I figure out what the original charge was?"
So:
"An unknown number plus 6% of that unknown number is 508."
x + .06x = 508 (express the problem)
1.06x = 508 (combine the terms)
1.06x / 1.06 = 508 / 1.06 (isolate the variable)
x = 479.25 (solve for the variable)
"The unknown number is $479.25."
I hope some math genius will tell me that's right and there's no simpler way to do it.
You just reminded me of one of my favorite George Burns/Gracie Allen shows. Gracie's niece is talking to her about having to study geometry. Gracie says to the niece, "Say something to me in geometry." Gracie's niece replies, "Pi R Squared". Gracie replies, wearing a puzzled look, "Is that what they're teaching you in school? They're wrong! Pie are round; cracker are square!"
This kind of nonsense is exactly what Spanish Jose Ortega y Gassett had in mind when he suggested that the natural progression of a modern society is a degree of specialization that makes every person a freakin' idiot except in one specific area of expertise.
Only trouble with Algebra is that it's a doggone arabic word.
And the gobmint tells you exactly how much to give them every year - no need to check the math... (1040EZ folks, that is)
53 years here and doing just fine! Of course, I value spelling and grammar much more than math.
Well, that explains Cohen's view on government spending and tax increases.
If you don't have an understanding of Math, the writer isn't likely to get a good result in the contract with the publisher.
You become the kind of writer who talks about "paying for" tax cuts, and thinks dynamic scoring is some kind of scam by economists.
That's very true, because Cohen is a journalist and Gabriela will probably be a waitress or a manicurist. As long as she can count the tips, she's OK. Leave the heavy lifting like "algebra" to the folks who want to get ahead in life.
My brother-in-law is a math teacher. When his students ask "When are we ever going to use this?" His answer is: "Never--if you don't learn it." To the people who say "I've gotten along fine in life without it, there's a lot of people who have gotten along fine without electricity and cars as well. There's a pretty good chance that with a good understanding of Algebra, you could have had even a better life than you've had.
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