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I've been thinking about this lately and was wondering if algebra was over emphasized when you consider that most people will never really need it after they finish school.
To those who took algerbra in school how often do you use it now?
Quote:
I used algebra a lot when I worked at NASA. But how many people are
going to navigate spacecraft, or program computers, or solve physics
problems on a regular basis?
Outside of work, I hardly ever use algebra, and no one else that I
know does, either. (However, I use simple geometry pretty regularly,
building or fixing things around the house.)
It seems to me that making _everyone_ learn algebra because _some_
people will be scientists and engineers is a little like making
_everyone_ learn to play an instrument because _some_ people will be
professional musicians.
I think those who believe they never use algebra after high school either don't understand it at all, or understand it so well that they don't realize they are using it.
I think those who believe they never use algebra after high school either don't understand it at all, or understand it so well that they don't realize they are using it.
Perhaps one reason why we hear so much nonsense about the problems of education is because we always see balderdash like this over "is algebra/math relevant".
Are there any other societies that spend so much time talking about crap like this, other than just teaching students how to do math?
I think those who believe they never use algebra after high school either don't understand it at all, or understand it so well that they don't realize they are using it.
I think those who believe they never use algebra after high school either don't understand it at all, or understand it so well that they don't realize they are using it.
I've been thinking about this lately and was wondering if algebra was over emphasized when you consider that most people will never really need it after they finish school.
To those who took algerbra in school how often do you use it now?
If X is the amount of time each person spends discussing whether algebra is relevant and Y is the amount of waking time each person has available to do non-work related tasks...
I think you are going to get a biased sample here in terms of the percentage of folks who use it daily, by nature of where the question is posted. Ask the same thing of the workers in various places like Walmart, the fire department, the McDonalds... and I suspect you will get a slightly different answer.
However, I think your question misses the point, even if I grant your baseline assumption about life and algebra.
Algebra is usually taught in 8th or 9th grades.
Do you want to make the decisions about how limited a child's education and employment options will be when the child is 13 or 14?
(That is, beyond the extent to which such is already done, which is far too much, in my opinion.)
I would like to agree with JPS. Speaking as an English teacher, I might be expected to assert the idea that I never use algebra, that it was a waste, et cetera.
Untrue.
Not only do I use it frequently as a metaphor, particularly the concept of variables or exponents, but the simple logical and quantitative skills I learned were useful.
Given my 20/20 hindsight, I never realized when I was in high school how much I was completely cutting off huge swaths of employment possibilities and really limiting myself quite seriously. The smaller your economic niche, the less likely you are to survive. Bottom line, it's a serious deficit in my training.
Ask the same thing of the workers in various places like Walmart, the fire department, the McDonalds... and I suspect you will get a slightly different answer.
Yeah those are the people I was thinking of. From what I've read from others talking about this algebra mainly seemed to be used by those in certain fields. Few people on another forum I visited have found any use for algebra after school.
Quote:
However, I think your question misses the point, even if I grant your baseline assumption about life and algebra.
Algebra is usually taught in 8th or 9th grades.
From what I remember algebra of different levels was taught throughout my high school.
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