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aikoaiko

(34,214 posts)

4. I was not fond of trigonometry in HS, but did like Pre-calc.

Tue Jul 31, 2012, 02:32 PM

Jul 2012

Algebra I and II were freshmen and sophomore year, trig in junior year, and pre-calc in senior year. The smarter kids had algebra nailed gown in 8th grade and were in Calculus I or II in senior year.

Even though I wasn't fond of trig, I did get very good advice from my trig teacher.

One day he warned the class that all the teachers who told that there were no dumb questions had been lying to us and that we had been asking dumb questions. He advised that we ask more intelligent questions when we got to college. It had a big impact on me.

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Abandoning Algebra Is Not the Answer [View all] pokerfan Jul 2012 OP

Algebra? Sounds Muslin... why teach that to US kids? jberryhill Jul 2012 #1

Freepers probably think it's sharia creeping into our schools! pokerfan Jul 2012 #3

Yeah, and we use Arabic numerals gollygee Aug 2012 #53

Which are actually of Hindu origin...more Godless heathen apostasy! Lizzie Poppet Aug 2012 #65

I use basic algebra every day! cthulu2016 Jul 2012 #2

Finding the unknown quantity pokerfan Jul 2012 #5

Technical note: I don't think the Pythagorean Theorem qualifies as coalition_unwilling Aug 2012 #55

It can be pokerfan Aug 2012 #72

Interesting. Thanks for correcting me (or perhaps annotating my comment). I'll coalition_unwilling Aug 2012 #76

I saw a picture on FB HillWilliam Aug 2012 #71

I was not fond of trigonometry in HS, but did like Pre-calc. aikoaiko Jul 2012 #4

I'm probably not the best person to ask about trig pokerfan Jul 2012 #7

Your usage of the symbol 'j' for the imaginary unit confused me for a moment. redgreenandblue Jul 2012 #12

That's engineers for you. Dr. Strange Jul 2012 #13

Yeah, we use j for the imaginary operator pokerfan Jul 2012 #18

God I love nerd jargon. redqueen Jul 2012 #44

Talk math to me. n/t susanna Jul 2012 #48

Then you'll love my new textbook... Dr. Strange Aug 2012 #54

LOL... redqueen Aug 2012 #62

My favorite college math course used a text called "Basic Algebra I" mathematic Jul 2012 #23

Sounds like you got mixed up with that Galois character. Lucky Luciano Jul 2012 #49

He taught me everything he knew about duals mathematic Aug 2012 #50

Ha! That's Jacobson's book! Dr. Strange Aug 2012 #51

I found Lang's book to be the most comprehensive. Lucky Luciano Aug 2012 #69

Lang? Are you serious? Dr. Strange Aug 2012 #74

I was going to mention Dummit and Foote mathematic Aug 2012 #83

Maybe because I used Lang as a reference after I had a grasp of algebra. Lucky Luciano Aug 2012 #84

Agreed. That's a REALLY low bar. I actually understand the math of that, just not the context. HopeHoops Jul 2012 #47

That's rediculous. I'm shocked at how many people already can't even MAKE CHANGE! HopeHoops Jul 2012 #6

So true! CrispyQ Jul 2012 #21

I've stopped doing that pokerfan Jul 2012 #24

This you? XemaSab Jul 2012 #36

LOL pokerfan Jul 2012 #41

Yeah, about a year ago I explained the basics of calculus to my youngest (10th grade then). HopeHoops Jul 2012 #34

Wish me luck exboyfil Jul 2012 #43

(ahem) - um, I've never read "Hamlet". HopeHoops Jul 2012 #46

I think there should be a sub-cateogry of DUZY for 'D'oh!' moments like this one - n/t coalition_unwilling Aug 2012 #57

I once had $0.23 in change coming back to me.... lastlib Aug 2012 #79

I only had to study algebra in the 9th grade. RebelOne Jul 2012 #8

And the country continues to lower standards. nadinbrzezinski Jul 2012 #9

As a student Charles Darwin disliked mathematics and the discipline it required HereSince1628 Jul 2012 #10

Discrete math & matrix algebra ... Oh yes. redqueen Jul 2012 #45

It has been argued here that it should be JVS Jul 2012 #11

Considering the age when algebra concepts are introduced, who knows who will later be engineers, HereSince1628 Jul 2012 #16

Yeah, I remember that thread pokerfan Jul 2012 #20

Algebra and geometry are absolutely necessary, burnsei sensei Jul 2012 #14

How Can You Learn Basic Statistics Without Knowing Algebra? Yavin4 Jul 2012 #15

Yep. This guy is an absolute moron. nt Lucky Luciano Jul 2012 #32

Most statistics are made up on the spot. 67% of people know that! Initech Jul 2012 #37

Even a stalwart liberal like George McGovern could say he backed Thomas Eagleton "1,000%" (before coalition_unwilling Aug 2012 #60

In my time skulking around the internet I've noticed that most people *don't* understand stats 4th law of robotics Aug 2012 #59

That's a moronic idea. MineralMan Jul 2012 #17

Even in political science you need math skills XemaSab Jul 2012 #38

Awesome illustration. Much appreciated - n/t coalition_unwilling Aug 2012 #63

You would need 26 White Male Voters to Win Yavin4 Aug 2012 #66

I had to pass calculus to graduate from college Patiod Jul 2012 #19

I taught in colleges from 1983 til 2009, I worked at 4 institutions HereSince1628 Jul 2012 #25

Here, here! Patiod Aug 2012 #52

I HATED algebra, but am grateful I had it Taverner Jul 2012 #22

I can see his point. Turbineguy Jul 2012 #26

D- in high school algebra -- WITH a private tutor. kaiden Jul 2012 #27

You're right, music is very mathematical... HereSince1628 Jul 2012 #30

Go away, batin' ! Doc_Technical Jul 2012 #28

Had to make it through three semesters of calculus to get my first degree. backscatter712 Jul 2012 #29

In computer graphics, I imagine you are using Lucky Luciano Jul 2012 #35

Yep, in order to do a perspective projection, or affine transformations, you need the 4x4 matrices. backscatter712 Jul 2012 #39

Also in computer science, I had to learn a lot of discrete mathematics. backscatter712 Jul 2012 #40

Kids aren't graduating because of the math requirements, so lets get rid of the math requirements. hughee99 Jul 2012 #31

"Abandoning Algebra" would be a great name for a rock group. yellowcanine Jul 2012 #33

I dunno, maybe it is... redqueen Jul 2012 #42

Clearly our educational problems all stem from the fact that American kids 4th law of robotics Aug 2012 #56

How in the hell Aerows Aug 2012 #58

The problem is Math is taught in a vacuum in our schools. RC Aug 2012 #70

I was probably the only kid in my class who loved word problems pokerfan Aug 2012 #73

I devoured word problems like Ambrosia Aerows Aug 2012 #78

You are absolutely right Aerows Aug 2012 #75

That was neat! Aerows Aug 2012 #77

Algebra trains the brain....and for those of us who struggled.. Tikki Aug 2012 #61

I find it odd that I feel self-satisfaction with using Algebra to solve problems at work. OneTenthofOnePercent Aug 2012 #64

Part of the problem is that so many higher-level math teachers Cairycat Aug 2012 #67

Yep, my daughter failed algebra 1 three damn times, the last time she paid for summer school herself Fumesucker Aug 2012 #68

The method of teaching makes all the difference Aerows Aug 2012 #81

I have been seeing that too. It's F-ing CRAZY. The Oppressor is workin' it hard! patrice Aug 2012 #80

I thought algebra already wasn't a requirement. Quantess Aug 2012 #82