Rampant Math Ignorance

[Revoltingest]

A friend called today for some advice. He had a sale on lumber
over the weekend, & did a bang up business. Alas, his office
manager was out sick, & a little snafu happened. For some of
the sales (about $50K), they charged no sales tax.
My friend wondered if he should let the error slide, or send 6%
(Michigan's rate) to the state. It's enuf to advise paying the state.
I explained that it would be 5.66% rather than 6%. I explained the
basic algebra over the phone, but could still see in his eyes that
deer-in-the-headlights look. So I did it for him on paper, & sent
him a photo.

Back in a real estate agent licensing course, the instructor had
to teach many how to deal with fractions. Really...they couldn't !

I think schools should have a parallel math program stressing
mastering practical application of the basics, rather than prepping
for more advanced classes.

 

[Vinayaka]

A friend called today for some advice. He had a sale on lumber
over the weekend, & did a bang up business. Alas, his office
manager was out sick, & a little snafu happened. For some of
the sales (about $50K), they charged no sales tax.
My friend wondered if he should let the error slide, or send 6%
(Michigan's rate) to the state. It's enuf to advise paying the state.
I explained that it would be 5.66% rather than 6%. I explained the
basic algebra over the phone, but could still see in his eyes that
deer-in-the-headlights look. So I did it for him on paper, & sent
him a photo.

Back in a real estate agent licensing course, the instructor had
to teach many how to deal with fractions. Really...they couldn't !

I think schools should have a parallel math program stressing
mastering practical application of the basics, rather than prepping
for more advanced classes.

I have a friend that thinks so much on a dollar (currency conversion from here to there) goes both ways. So if $1 US gets $1.25 Can, then $1 Can gets 0.75 US. It's a quarter on the dollar, after all.

 

[Harel13]

math

What's math?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I think schools should have a parallel math program stressing
mastering practical application of the basics, rather than prepping
for more advanced classes.

And teach people how to be better, independent thinkers? The system will implode into a fiery crater and ruin!

 

[Rival]

And teach people how to be better, independent thinkers? The system will implode into a fiery crater and ruin!

And who needs the correct change anyway!? Come on, it's not as though anyone counts it

 

[PureX]

Part of the problem is that our schools tend to teach algebra via wrote memorization of rules, rather than helping kids understand that it's a system of relationships. It seems to me that recognizing and understanding these kinds of relationships would help kids be better and far more logical thinkers all around.

 

[sun rise]

How about making passing a high-school math test mandatory for elected officials to take office?

 

[Revoltingest]

What's math?

Fun on a bun!

 

[Vinayaka]

What's math?

It's also called Mutt, or in south India, aadheenam. It's the name for monastery, or organisation related to a monastery. It's Sanskrit. Look up 'Ramakrishna Math', or Belur Math.

 

[Harel13]

Fun

What's fun? Are you speaking English?

 

[Revoltingest]

What's fun? Are you speaking English?

Revoltistanian, which is remarkably similar to Ameristanian English.

 

[Polymath257]

I frequently have to teach calculus students how to deal with fractions. Long division is now a skill almost unheard of, which causes issues when dividing two polynomials.

Frankly, our mathematics education has been poor for ages. Yes, all to often, the procedures are taught by rote without any understanding of why the calculations work or when to use them.

The reason? All to often, the teachers don't feel comfortable with the math they are teaching. So we have bad math students teaching the next generation of math students. That inevitably spells trouble.

Then there is the issue of calculators. All too often, their use means the students never learn how to do things themselves. This means they never get the experience to really understand what is going on. This, combined with not knowing *when* to do them, leads to the issues in the OP.

 

[icehorse]

I was fortunate to have very good teachers growing up. One of the skills they emphasized over the years was the skill of quick, ball-park estimating. I can't tell you how many times that skill has paid off in life.

 

[Altfish]

It always confuses me why the abbreviation for Mathematics in the US is MATH but in the UK it is MATHS

Obviously the UK are right.

 

[Revoltingest]

I was fortunate to have very good teachers growing up. One of the skills they emphasized over the years was the skill of quick, ball-park estimating. I can't tell you how many times that skill has paid off in life.

Trivia....
Richard Feynman won bar bets on calculations he did in his noggin.

 

[Left Coast]

A friend called today for some advice. He had a sale on lumber
over the weekend, & did a bang up business. Alas, his office
manager was out sick, & a little snafu happened. For some of
the sales (about $50K), they charged no sales tax.
My friend wondered if he should let the error slide, or send 6%
(Michigan's rate) to the state. It's enuf to advise paying the state.
I explained that it would be 5.66% rather than 6%. I explained the
basic algebra over the phone, but could still see in his eyes that
deer-in-the-headlights look. So I did it for him on paper, & sent
him a photo.

Back in a real estate agent licensing course, the instructor had
to teach many how to deal with fractions. Really...they couldn't !

I think schools should have a parallel math program stressing
mastering practical application of the basics, rather than prepping
for more advanced classes.

I agree! Part of senior year in high school should be learning basics of personal finances, like making a budget, filing/paying taxes, etc. Oh and also what the heck the stock market is and how it works.

 

[Revoltingest]

It always confuses me why the abbreviation for Mathematics in the US is MATH but in the UK it is MATHS

Obviously the UK are right.

The US abbreviation is better cuz we chop off all that follows "math".
Ignorant Limeys remove only the middle, leaving both ends, which
is non-standard.

 

[Altfish]

The US abbreviation is better cuz we chop off all that follows "math".
Ignorant Limeys remove only the middle, leaving both ends, which
is non-standard.

It is funny, I just cannot say, "Math" without thinking 'That is so wrong'

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I think schools should have a parallel math program stressing
mastering practical application of the basics, rather than prepping
for more advanced classes.

I agree, but...we teach reading and yet have both illiteracy, and others who struggle determining meaning from fairly basic texts.
Practical maths will help...but not resolve...the type of maths illiteracy you're talking about.

 

[Heyo]

A friend called today for some advice. He had a sale on lumber
over the weekend, & did a bang up business. Alas, his office
manager was out sick, & a little snafu happened. For some of
the sales (about $50K), they charged no sales tax.
My friend wondered if he should let the error slide, or send 6%
(Michigan's rate) to the state. It's enuf to advise paying the state.
I explained that it would be 5.66% rather than 6%. I explained the
basic algebra over the phone, but could still see in his eyes that
deer-in-the-headlights look. So I did it for him on paper, & sent
him a photo.

Back in a real estate agent licensing course, the instructor had
to teach many how to deal with fractions. Really...they couldn't !

I think schools should have a parallel math program stressing
mastering practical application of the basics, rather than prepping
for more advanced classes.

Maths is hard, really hard. It just isn't for everyone.
I did some tutoring as a student and I could help most pupils but some just aren't able to think abstract.
Fractions are crucial for maths. Many get through it with some luck and it hits them when they have to do quadratic equations. Then they came to me because they thought they didn't understand quadratic equations.
(A recurring pattern. Most YEC think there's a problem with evolutionary biology when in reality they have a problem with science in general.)

I once had to explain to my bosses (one of them had a maths degree) why the sum of discounted items isn't always the discounted sum of the items.