tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post2493635546881531523..comments2024-01-01T15:35:12.954-07:00Comments on Simple Utah Mormon Politics: How We Teach Math and How They Teach MathFrank Stahelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01822334061980912687noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-26197864302721950412007-06-01T20:00:00.000-06:002007-06-01T20:00:00.000-06:00Justin,You're welcome. I look forward to reading ...Justin,<BR/><BR/>You're welcome. I look forward to reading more of your stuff on Tech Republic.<BR/><BR/>I appreciate Jesse's point that sometimes we spend time trying to invent the wheel when we don't need to, but Justin makes a great point that if we don't know the undergirding knowledge some very profound understand and innovation will easily pass us by.Frank Stahelihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01822334061980912687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-81773629701776025682007-06-01T19:04:00.000-06:002007-06-01T19:04:00.000-06:00Hey, thanks for the link and the quote! People see...Hey, thanks for the link and the quote! People seem to blow off the lag in math scores as "no big deal". After all, what is the ratio of people who took Calc I at some point to the number of people who ever used it outside of school? Probably at least 1000:1. I can never recall using an integral, derivative, or even a series explicitly in "the real world". That being said, the ways of thinking that I learned in higher math has been invaluable to be. The idea of, "this is my universe of rules to find solutions, this is the problem at hand, so let me figure out what tool in my box handles this" applies to every facet of my life. Additionally, as a programmer I found found that many of the goals I wish to accomplish have already been solved by mathemeticians ages ago. For example, I am working on an application that requires some very complex search systems. Where most programmers would create a huge ball of LIKE clauses, I am opting for a vector search system using some fairly simple linear algebra. Without awareness of math, I would be working on a system as slow and inaccurate as our competitors. Thank goodness for my math teachers who made us learn math instead of calculator operation!<BR/><BR/>J.JaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-25909112536702147132007-06-01T18:33:00.000-06:002007-06-01T18:33:00.000-06:00When I took math 1010 at UVSC they had a no calcul...When I took math 1010 at UVSC they had a no calculator policy....for anything. I never learned more and had a better understanding of why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-74439859725245205592007-05-31T22:24:00.000-06:002007-05-31T22:24:00.000-06:00I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong w...I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with using an advanced calculator so long as you understand the principle behind the button-mashing. After all, I don't need to know how a CPU works to plug one into a motherboard now do I?<BR/><BR/>At some point, low-level knowledge of the task before you doesn't really end up helping you do the job any better. In some cases, it'll actually impede you from getting the job done. I watched a UNIX guru immediately start trying to modify the source of our software to fix bugs (taking sometimes upwards of an hour) when we had known 5-minute fixes.<BR/><BR/>I have no problems making the computer do the work and I have no problems teaching kids how to make the computer do the work. Our economy is build on making machines (or outsourced workers) do all of our grunt work so we can focus on higher-level concepts and jobs.<BR/><BR/>As an aside, the TI-85 uses a Z80 processor, the same processor that powered the old TRS-80 computers in the early 80s. These are now used (in a cheap and low-power version, of course) in every major appliance from dishwashers to ovens to microwaves. (My GE Profile washer and dryer each have their own Z80.) I don't doubt that those cheap and well-supported chips also support cruise missles.Jesse Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468928702710912142noreply@blogger.com