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 ...
I agree. A rare find these days.
ritewingwarrior,
I am a health professional. I took tons of math in college ( and got A's) just to get into professional school. I don't use a bit of it. The most advanced math I use is for making change.
There is one thing though, if I become disabled, my options for a new profession are a lot broader than for someone without a math background.
I really enjoyed your rant. What's funny to me is when I was young, I did enjoy math, it was relatively easy for me and I felt confident about it and excelled. Now, it seems much harder because they do seem to make it much harder than it is - it's like the liberals got hold of it!
I was scrolling through here since I posted a couple of items and wanted to reply to your statement about "math being the universal language."
I believe this with my whole heart. I learned years ago that music is math. We know art and architecture are math. The human body (and I am studying anatomy at present)functions in a very mathematical way. It's cool. I wish I understood it more. I remember hearing once that if you really understand the highest levels of math that it has a true beauty to it.
I think someday when I go to heaven I will finally see clearly and that some of the wonders of our world and the universe will unfold as some form of math equation.
"I learned years ago that music is math. "
I was a cellist (pretty good, not good enough for large city symphonies, or at least not good enough to WANT to compete at that level), and I can really see it, it's not just the quarter notes and such, it permeates throughout your being. I firmly believe that's one reason I took to higher math later on.
It might be useless, but in the '60s you couldn't get a NY Regents diploma without passing the class -- much to my chagrin. It was painful.
He is a liberal. He doesn't need to think, only "feel".
I spent a couple of days teaching a young (drop dead gorgeous) young lady how to count change. She was not at all stupid, just lacked self confidence. After hours and hours of making change she did fine in a no pressure environment she did fine. I wished the entire time I was not in my fifties and the boss. The girl was really something to look at, and she packed the bar too! LOL, wish I was 30 again.
I have read in many studies of intelligence, education and the like that it when children are taught music (to play a musical instrument), they will do much better in math, on average, than their non-musical counterparts. There is a connection and it's interesting that you noticed.
LOLOL
Not only are musicians well represented in math and science, but they take to Morse code very well.
The value of Algebra for those really trying to learn it is simply another form of logical expression with complications that can train a brain to handle greater tasks in other areas.
It's a brain expander, even if you never use it again.
Our maker reveals his hand in the absolute beauty of the mathicalical laws that describe our universe, but those lacking of even simple math skills will never be able to see or comprehend. It is really very sad.
.. .----. ...- . / -. . ...- . .-. / -... . . -. / --. --- --- -.. / .- - / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .
But, I know a lot of musicians while am not all that good at music myself, just play the stringbass now and then. Haven't even tried code since I got my radio license, since code is pretty much gone these days.
I cheated...
http://www.omnicron.com/~ford/java/NMorse.html
The internet has everything.
Thanks for that! I've never been any mathspert by any means but I do see its wonderful qualities. Oh, and you ever notice how people hate math until it comes to counting up their money?
Here's some algebra:
660 + X = Y
Y = total posts in this thread.
Anyone who understands this, understands algebra.
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