A Mathematician's Lament — an Indictment of US Math Education 677
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ScuttleMonkey
from the beating-the-joy-out-of-education dept.
from the beating-the-joy-out-of-education dept.
Scott Aaronson recently had "A Mathematician's Lament" [PDF], Paul Lockhardt's indictment of K-12 math education in the US, pointed out to him and takes some time to examine the finer points. "Lockhardt says pretty much everything I've wanted to say about this subject since the age of twelve, and does so with the thunderous rage of an Old Testament prophet. If you like math, and more so if you think you don't like math, I implore you to read his essay with every atom of my being. Which is not to say I don't have a few quibbles [...] In the end, Lockhardt's lament is subversive, angry, and radical ... but if you know anything about math and anything about K-12 'education' (at least in the United States), I defy you to read and find a single sentence that isn't permeated, suffused, soaked, and encrusted with truth."
Can't count (Score:5, Funny)
second!
Slashdotted (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Cue the other subjects (Score:5, Funny)
Hmm (Score:5, Funny)
I implore you to read his essay with every atom of my being.
Well, OK, seeing as I can use *your* atoms.
Re:Several Proxies (Score:5, Funny)
For example (FTS):
And just how, pray tell, are we supposed to read his essay with every atom of your being?
I mean sure, I could read his essay with every atom of my being, but wouldn't it violate some mathematical and physical principles for me to read it with the submitter's being?
Two mathematicians (Score:4, Funny)
Two mathematics professors are having lunch at a restaurant. The first mathematician keeps complaining about how ignorant the typical American is and how he's suprised that the average person in this country has enough mathematical prowess to balance a checkbook.
The second mathematician says, "Don't you think you're being a little harsh? The average person surely has more mathematical ability than you give them credit for."
The first mathematician responds, "Absolutely not! I'm sure if you asked the first person you met on the street to solve a basic algebra problem, they would have no idea where to start."
The second mathematician says, "Okay, I'll make a bet with you. At the end of the meal, I'll ask our waitress to solve a calculus problem. If she can solve it, you pay for lunch. If she can't, I'll pay."
"Thanks in advance for lunch!" the first mathematician says confidently.
Later, while the first mathematician is in the bathroom, the second mathematician flags the waitress down and says, "Listen, when you bring us our check I'm going to ask you a math question. I want you to answer, âone-half x-squared.' Can you remember that? If you do, I'll leave an extra big tip." He encourages her to write it down phonetically and practice it so that it seems natural.
At the end of the meal, after the waitress puts the bill on the table, the second mathematician says, "Oh, could you answer a little question for me? What's the integral of x with respect to x?"
The waitress looks unsure at first, but says, "One-half x-squared."
With a grin, the second mathematician slides the bill over to the first mathematician.
As the waitress is walking away, she turns back and says over her shoulder "plus a constant!"
Re:Several Proxies (Score:2, Funny)
And Pi = 3. So says Jaysus!
Re:Cue the other subjects (Score:3, Funny)
But who would eat there?
Re:Cue the other subjects (Score:5, Funny)
But who would eat there?
Feature, not a bug.
Re:Cue the other subjects (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Cue the other subjects (Score:5, Funny)
But bugs already DO, don't they?
Re:Several Proxies (Score:1, Funny)
the value of pi can change with the curvature of space. imagine instead of a flat sheet of paper, you draw your circle as the equator of a sphere and the diameter and radius of your circle also follow the surface of that sphere, then the radius is longer than if it just cut through the inside of the sphere, changing the ratio.
Re:Typical Slashdot... (Score:3, Funny)
But he got to base 2...
Re:Typical Slashdot... (Score:3, Funny)
Because all your *other* base are belong to US!