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Linked is harvard's entrance exam from the late 1890s. I wonder how many high school grad's today could pass it. This isn't intended to be a knock on anyone today (and especially not current harvard grads), I just am wondering if we are really more educated today than we were 100 years ago. A link to the full exam can be found here.
Linked is harvard's entrance exam from the late 1890s. I wonder how many high school grad's today could pass it. This isn't intended to be a knock on anyone today (and especially not current harvard grads), I just am wondering if we are really more educated today than we were 100 years ago. A link to the full exam can be found here.
This is very interesting. I wouldn't have any trouble with this now, but I might have had trouble with #4 as a high school student because I didn't know those algorithms then and would have had to use a guess and check method, which is tedious by hand. I only learned how to cube roots from programming; never learned it in a math class.
Linked is harvard's entrance exam from the late 1890s. I wonder how many high school grad's today could pass it. This isn't intended to be a knock on anyone today (and especially not current harvard grads), I just am wondering if we are really more educated today than we were 100 years ago. A link to the full exam can be found here.
I think the focus is just different. I probably can't do all of it. I could probably finish a pHd in engineering and not be able to do all of it.
You have to remember this was before the days of calculators when people were using abacuses and slide rules, so learning this kind of stuff was practical.
Now, you just punch it into your $20 Casio, and you're off to the meat and potatoes.
Probably every high school student that has reasonable math skills and a teacher that spent a day teaching them how to do that. How many kids that got into Harvard in the 1800's could format an excel spreadsheet....none.....
you'd be surprised, even if i gave him the hint of :"please excuse my dear aunt sallie" how many students wouldn't get it.
I don't know what that "hint" is relating to but I understand the order of operations...but I'm not a Harvard student, nor am I an engineer...I have been known to add using my fingers still though...I love calculators
Linked is harvard's entrance exam from the late 1890s. I wonder how many high school grad's today could pass it. This isn't intended to be a knock on anyone today (and especially not current harvard grads), I just am wondering if we are really more educated today than we were 100 years ago. A link to the full exam can be found here.
Without a calculator, there would be no way that I could do this....
I wonder how many engineers or mathematicians or Harvard students today would get this correct:
48÷2(9+3) = ?
a) 2
b) 288
I'm sure most of them would. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. I'll be the first to admit that I suck at math and I hate it. I'm definitely no engineer or mathematician...I did that problem in my head in about 5 seconds.
Last edited by luckynumber4; 07-29-2013 at 06:33 PM..
I don't know what that "hint" is relating to but I understand the order of operations...but I'm not a Harvard student, nor am I an engineer...I have been known to add using my fingers still though...I love calculators
I'm an engineer, and I use calculators.
If the tool is at my disposal, why not use it? Should I ditch my CAD software and break out the mechanical pencil and drafting board?
Honestly, I don't think the issue is that kids are dumber, I just think their are drawn to thinking the only way to be successful is to be a rapper, musician, athlete or movie star. Kids are brought up wanting "bling" and they see the people who have it are those that are mentioned. Maybe parents encourage this as well. When I played school sports, we always had huge turnouts at my basketball and football games and encouraged sports participation. The popular kids played sports. I never saw nearly as much enthusiasm for the science fairs I was also in. Perhaps culture is to blame? Grow up worshipping the 1% that's always in the spotlight and you want to be them. I always felt self-conscience being "smart" in school. I wouldn't say it discouraged me, but I definitely hid it. Now I'm glad I pursued it. My 10-year HS reunion was definitely interesting to see how people ended up. The quarterback of my HS team did play for the Steelers for a few seasons though. Guess once in a while someone actually gets that dream.
Enough of that though...
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