Mathematics

[Aelia Jusa]

Originally posted by sultan: on a more personal note, i've always felt the learning of maths and science would be better facilitated using personae from history to teach the evolution of thinking in a story-telling fashion. [img]smile.gif[/img]

An interesting suggestion! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] . When I was in high school, I did two maths subjects, in one the teacher showed us how the formulae were derived and where they came from. In the other we were given the formulae and showed how to use them. The difference in interest was palpable even with that small change in teaching style!

Unfortunately, I think the problem isn't necessarily the teachers, but the whole mentality of school and maths in particular. Students don't WANT to know background or context - they just want the formula and its application. I think one of the most frustrating questions for teachers is 'is this going to be on the exam'? Otherwise they're not interested! I was talking with my supervisor the other day (a university lecturer), and she was discussing how frustrating it is that a lot of promotional and salary is tied up in student evaluations at the end of semester. And the only way to get really good evaluations is totally spoonfeeding them.

[dplax]

We have two types of math classes here at university, and the lack of interest in the theory one and the interest in the application one is likewise as the one Aelia Jusa talked about.

[Aelia Jusa]

Originally posted by dplax: We have two types of math classes here at university, and the lack of interest in the theory one and the interest in the application one is likewise as the one Aelia Jusa talked about.

No actually it was the other way around . LOL I didn't explain it very well. We were shown in both how to apply the formulae. But in one we were just presented with the formulae and off we'd go. In the other we were shown how it was derived and how it was developed. That provided context, and also helped in using it. The class where we were shown the derivation was much more attentive.

LOL at Davros and his GPA . I tell you, if I'd done engineering, I certainly wouldn't have been getting 1st class honours. I got a 4 for multivariate calculus and differential equations - and that was a 1st year subject! My only 4!

[dplax]

We actually get one class where we only get the theory and provings of it, which everyone hates because it gets boring after 5 minuttes, and in the other one we just use the theory to resolve problems.

[Davros]

Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: My only 4!

Davros whistles to himself - did someone mention that all the focus and way too much emphasis is placed on grades

PS : LOL - you got a 4 [img]smile.gif[/img] .

PPS : If it helps, I can mention I got one for Thermodynamics II - I don't know how it was a 4 - by all rights it should have been a 3 .

[Nerull]

Originally posted by dplax: We actually get one class where we only get the theory and provings of it, which everyone hates because it gets boring after 5 minuttes, and in the other one we just use the theory to resolve problems.

I'm taking an Auditing class right now, and I hate it for that reason. It only talks about the broad theories; they never show how to apply it in a real-life situation. Just listening to him spout out "in this broad situation, you want to do one or more of these X things" gets old really quick. If he didn't give a quiz every single class period I would never go to class; I learn more from the book than I ever do from him. You know how much of this I'm going to retain? Probably nothing. Meanwhile, I'm taking a COBOL class where we are doing a bunch of programming projects; all of the projects are real-life situations, where you apply the stuff she is lecturing. You know how much of that I am going to retain? A whole bunch, and even though I can't stand the archaic language it holds my interest due to the fact that I am actually interacting with the subject matter and seeing how it actually works to resolve problems.

and perhaps the best reason to keep studying your maths: being able to get jokes like these!

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The Top 10 reasons to become a statistician:

1. Deviation is considered normal
2. We feel complete and sufficient
3. We are 'mean' lovers
4. Statisticians do it discreetly and continuously
5. We are right 95% of the time
6. We can legally comment on someone's conjugate priors or posterior distribution
7. We may never be normal, but we are transformable
8. We never have to say we are certain
9. We are honestly significantly different
10. No one wants our job

------------------------

Three statisticians went bow hunting for deer. They spot a big buck and take aim. One shoots and his arrow flies off ten feet to the left. The second shoots, and his arrow veers ten feet to the right. The third statistician jumps up and down yelling, "We got him! We got him!"

[Gabrielles blades]

kinks are the little tricks that make a problem appear to be harder (or make it actually harder)
its kinda hard to give an example...after all, unless youve worked a few problems without the kinks you wont recognize it as a kink.

usually, a kink will be something that makes a problem on its face appear unsolvable, and the resolution in general is applying a secondary formula to help simplify the equation and make it possible to solve.
For example, cos^2 + sin^2 = 1 could be the secondary equation used to simplify a difficult looking expression that involves sines and cosines.

prety much every level of math has these kinds of things added to try to trip you up; and the solution to the kink in general is related to the chapter your studying or has been taught in a previous chapter, or is just common sense.

[SpiritWarrior]

Originally posted by Azred: quote: Originally posted by SpiritWarrior: I once put the same question to a teacher of mine and his answer was "It expands the mind". I accepted that at the time but given further years of experience and thought I have come to the conclusion that it does not. Maths is simply memorization and application. It does nothing to broaden the mind...the memory yes but not the mind.

My question is "why haven't you broadened you mind yet?"

I don't know if you study martial arts, but if you do then you know that when you are first starting that all you are really doing is memorization: hold your hand/wrist this way when punching, keep your toes curled back when kicking, the sequence of moves in the basic kata, etc. As you progress you understand more of the true nature of the moves you are doing and they become instinctive and natural.
This same process occurs with mathematics (or any topic of study)--the basics like the soltution of the general quadratic equation must be memorized; only after you reach a certain point do you begin to understand what the solution really means and how to apply it more generally.

Memorization has its place in learning. The true key to learning and understanding is when you are able to apply what you have memorized to more general problems/situations. [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]For martial arts this is true. There is a practical method in the application of what you memorize. This thread however argues whether higher mathematics has a practical application in everyday life. The answer, for most people is no.

[Azred]

Originally posted by SpiritWarrior: For martial arts this is true. There is a practical method in the application of what you memorize. This thread however argues whether higher mathematics has a practical application in everyday life. The answer, for most people is no.

I must unfortunately agree. Most people, it seems, are content to be able to balance their checkbook (assuming that they bother) or count change at the store.

Oh, well...I enjoy having an understanding of higher mathematics, even if others choose to miss out on the experience. [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]