aneeshm said:
When I read this thread , I feel tempted to laugh in derision ( even though I'm too polite to actually do it ) . You consider beginning Algebra ( quadratic equations , for God's sake ! How much more basic can you get ?! ) , geometry , and trigonometry to be "advanced math" ?!
Over here in India , calculus , differential equations , algebra of matrices and sets , and boolean and vector algebra , and 3d coordinate geometry are considered basic math . WTH is wrong with the USA's school system that all this is taught only in AP classes ( we in India have no AP classes - the normal courseload it too high to permit them , and all the AP stuff is part of the normal coursework anyway ) ?
No wonder people in the US are worried about loss of jobs to other countries - they need an immediate overhaul of their school system . They need to stop caring for stuednts' self-esteem ( managing that is not the school's problem , the school's job is to provide an education ) and re-introduce rigor in education .
In Spain we weren't so rigorous but, same as what heretic_cata says, we studied the things you mention in high school. (calculus, differential equations (and limits, of course), matrices and sets, vector algebra, 3D coordinate geometry, plus imaginary numbres, statistics, probability, and integrals (there are always a problem about integrals in the qualification exam to get into the uni). Things like trigonometry and basic algebra (does Newton's binomy qualify as basic algebra?) are studied in middle school (up to 12-13 yo), along with other stuff like abelian groups and base change.
BTW, When you say geometry, are you talking about calculating the perimeter and area of a circle or the volume of a tetrahedron? i think that is middle school stuff as well. It is just to know which formula you have to apply and apply it. It might be a hassle to memorize all the formulas but when you are older and you know calculus, you only have to know one, e.g. area of the circle pi*r^2 and differenciate it to obtain the perimeter of the circumference. 2*pi*r.
My degree is in Pharmacy and I had to learn advanced calculus, advanced statistics, advanced probability, Taylor series and sequences (which I guess belong to calculus) during the math course. later on in physical-chemistry we learnt some partial differential equations and fourier series.
seriously, if american students think geometry and trigonometry are hard to learn and useless, you are going to be in big trouble.
Leifmk said:
Amusingly, this is largely because the Romans didn't have much of a clue about mathematics. Their engineering skills were a matter of trial and failure and rules-of-thumb; they couldn't really calculate how strong they needed to build things, how much concrete to use, etc. For expensive prestigious public buildings such as temples and amphitheatres and aqueducts they tended to make damn sure they used enough, which is why a number of those have survived until the present day. At the same time they put up a lot of cheap-ass tenement buildings and such that proved less durable (sometimes collapsing while still in use), and you don't see a lot of those anymre.
ahem... romans didn't use concrete. And I doubt very much that you can build things like the aqueduct in the photograph without a clue in maths.
believe it or not, it still can carry water.
I'd hate to hear what they call calculus or differential equations.
This thread cracks me up.
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at quadratic equations being advanced Math. That's like writing being advanced Literature or knowing the year in which your country was founded being advanced History. 
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the stuff i'm learning right now, isn't really "hard", its just frustrating to me since i have to sit down and study a lot to do good. i don't like to do this especially, when i study very little for my other classes. for example:
