Math in high school

blackheart said:
What do most adults you know do for a living?

the majority of adults i know work in some sort of business field or are a housewife.
 
So people saiying that you need math in everyday life. but I am still lost on what and how it helps in everyday life. Now i am 25 and I am now learning college level math (what seems to be a big mix of alg, trg, geo, and calc.) but i have never felt that i needed more adv math in my life. now on the other hand i know you never miss what you never had. So how does more adv math help in everyday life?
 
Because it develops logical and analytical reasoning much better than anything else.

Just because you aren't always computing the tangential velocity of a boson doesn't mean you don't use math. Math is critical in allowing humans to be efficient and capable problem solvers.
 
newfangle said:
Because it develops logical and analytical reasoning much better than anything else.

Just because you aren't always computing the tangential velocity of a boson doesn't mean you don't use math. Math is critical in allowing humans to be efficient and capable problem solvers.

That seems vague. And how would you go about to prove that math does in fact help with logical reasoning and not people who are good at logical reasoning excel at math.

Now if anyone ever took logic class, you could start to prove how math helps in logical reasoning, I would break out my logic book, but it’s at my friend, and I don’t remember it well enough off the top of my head.
 
If anything I think math in high school should be made more challenging and advanced. In my AP Calculus class I am able to work on homework for other classes, play games, talk to friends, and then learn the material a day before the test. I have a 97% in that class.
 
The problem is that everyone here seems to think that 'advanced' math means calculus and matrices and differential equations.

Perhaps something more along the lines of an introductory class in mathematical logic/discrete math would actually achieve something.
 
greekguy said:
Quadriatic equations, radicals, and triangle similiarty theorems are some examples of what i consider "advanced" math. i don't see myself using any of those things when i'm older.
I definitely wouldn't consider those things to be "advanced" math. I'm in Algebra II as a freshman this year, and that stuff I learned in seventh and eight grade. So, its not really advanced math, but I am definitely excited to begin Calc in Junior year. I'm interested in becoming a chef, and I love math, and I'm sure that the problem solving skills I'm getting in the subject will be a real help down the line.
 
greekguy said:
:rolleyes: 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.
Perhaps, instead of whining about needing to study for your math classes, you should be thinking about why you don't study for any of your other classes. Trust me, learn how to study properly now, you'll need it in college, unless you take a communications major, but then you don't want to be the laughing stock of everyone who took a real major, do you?
 
@greekguy - memorize this:
quadformula.JPG


There, now you can solve any quadratic equation of the form ax^2+bx+c=0. Given how basic this is, there is a reason so many people jumped on you for referring to it as "advanced math."

As an American high school student, I'm not surprised other nations have such a lead on the United States in math and science scores. I have had to help people with basic math enough times to be rather disillusioned with our public school system. We've just started covering trig towards the end of my junior year, and that's about as fast as it's possible to go in my school. I've been teaching myself calculus to keep myself going at a better pace. Speaking of which, I found out today that somebody in my school's (7 person, and all senior) calculus class managed a 17.5% on the multiple-choice final - she'd have gotten a 20% on average by random guessing. I'm glad I figured out a way to graduate a year early - I'm not sure what I'd do if forced to endure high school for another year.
 
Like many others have posted, high school isnt vocational. You dont learn Calc so you can dervive stuff later. Its true...most of you never will. I havent used any math outside of my Algerbra II class before (and I doubt I could if I wanted to), with the exception of stats, which I use often in my poly sci classes.

That isnt really the point. We take those classes so we can learn HOW to solve problems. It isn't the "answer" thats really important...its thinking mathmatically and logically.
 
Math is valuable - being one of the best ways to excercise the brain.

Unfortunately, my math skills have gotten very rusty, but I'm going back to school soon. I'm scared of how much I may have fallen behind & forgotten.
 
For starters, that is not advanced math if we learn it in junior high. :D

But, you do have a point, i still haven't realised how will i use y=mx+n, equations with 2 unknowns, quadratic equations, anything more then basic geometry, etc etc.
 
Ansar_the_King said:
How is that so hard to remember? I learned it last year and I still know it...:p :rolleyes: :cool:
On the other hand, I did a maths degree but I can never remember that formula ... I just complete the square everytime instead ;)
 
When I took my first linear algebra course in university we were awarded bonus points if we correctly wrote down the cubic formula. Many more bonus points were awarded for the quartic formula. Needless to say, it wasn't the best method for encourging us to learn linear algebra.

Cubic Formula

Quartic Formula
 
When I took my first linear algebra course in university we were awarded bonus points if we correctly wrote down the cubic formula. Many more bonus points were awarded for the quartic formula. Needless to say, it wasn't the best method for encourging us to learn linear algebra.

What do those cubic and quadratic equations even have to do with linear algebra? Or is that the whole point?
 
Back
Top Bottom