I remember too that we were warned 50 yrs ago that everything was going to be metric and we had better start learning it and doing it or else....
a lot of problems have come up because are kids are using calculators for everything, digital watches instead of knowing how to read a circular watch...
I forget a lot of things but to my amazement I know our checking account number, numerous passwords, my credit card number plus the exp date and the 3 little code on the back....
can kids even remember things anymore?...do they even try....
when my youngest was in grade school she came home with a marked up quiz and I asked her about it..."oh the teacher said I was doing great because I know the concept"....not the numbers, or the math, nor the reason you do things, but she knew the "concept"..
that my friends is our problem...our younger generations have been taught that they really can do no wrong, that everything is acceptable...
New Math by Tom Lehrer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIWaJ0sy03g
“a lot of problems have come up because are kids are using calculators for everything, digital watches instead of knowing how to read a circular watch...”
Exactly. Kids now need a fancy graphing calculator to take math classes in high school. They spend all their time learning the calculator instead of the math.
On the other hand, I just found my old calculator from college. I went through 4 years of majoring in engineering with it, and passed the EIT with it. No graphing and just the basic trig functions onit.