Comments on: All the Pegs in the Same Hole

By: Terrance

Terrance — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 18:59:49 +0000

So, I’ve actually been doing algebra all along? Well, there may be something to this math stuff after all. Maybe I was just hit by a double whammy. Maybe it was a combination of untreated ADD and just the way math was taught at the time. But I think there might be something to the notion that some people are just learning disabled when it comes to math, and I think I have at least a touch of that.

By: Mad Professah

Mad Professah — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:56:07 +0000

Yes, Terrance, calculating a 15% tip by first computing 10% by simply moving the decimal point left and then adding half of that to your answer is algebra! And it really isn’t that hard…
I love the comment by “The Teacher” about the multiple ways to add 34 and 78. Whatever strategy you use to solve mathematical problems is fine, but you should be able to articulate how you solved the problem to someone else in order to illustrate your understanding.
I actually don’t think that I agree with the requirement that ONE YEAR of algebra be required for high school graduation. And this is from someone who has multiple college degrees in mathematics and has never taught anything less complicated than college Calculus.

By: The Teacher

The Teacher — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 20:32:58 +0000

How do you add 78 and 34?
a. Take a piece of paper, line up the numbers, add 8 and 4, write down 2, carry the "one" (which is a 10), then add 7, 3 and 1 (which are 70, 30 and 10), write down 11.
b. Use a calculator.
c. In your head, add 70 to 30, then add 8 to 100, then add 4 to 108.
d. Make the 78 an 80 and the 34 a 32. Add 80 and 32 by counting "8, 9, 10, 11" 11 10s is 110 plus 2 is 112.
All of my students (I polled them.) believe that "a" is the only answer. "Carry the one" is one of the biggest lies. The best day was when a kid told me that 19 times 7 was "just 140 minus 7 — and that’s easy!"

By: Terrance

Terrance — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 17:30:15 +0000

I forgot to add that in high school it got to the point where I’d have panic attacks during my math classes.

Come to think of it, I had at least one in college too, when I was taking an exam in logic.

By: Steven

Steven — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 08:49:15 +0000

Terrance,That’s a very common way to calculate tips, and in a way it is algebra. I used to do it that way, but now I have a very handy tip calculator on my cell phone.Most people use simple algebra frequently without even knowing that’s what they are doing. It’s just a way to find the answer.It’s interesting how different peoples experiences are. I excelled at math and science in school and did only average at English and history. Writing always seemed like way too much work, however, the only class I ever really failed was gym.

By: DrumsNWhistles

DrumsNWhistles — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 07:10:46 +0000

Terrance,I figure out tips the same way. I also own a really nice calculator. That saves my butt on a daily basis.On the other hand, I can navigate my way through problem-solving intuitively and come to the right answer. I’ll bet you can too. That’s why I don’t get algebra — it’s too counter-intuitive the way it’s taught.I made it through algebra and geometry with a C. I am visually handicapped when it comes to understanding how shapes fit together and almost didn’t get through geometry at all.I didn’t finish college – melted down in my sophomore year when I failed COBOL — a requirement for a psych degree. It was the very first class I ever failed in my entire life. I still cringe.

By: Silph

Silph — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 04:26:27 +0000

It’s fascinating, reading stuff like this. As someone hoping to become a math teacher, I lament the fact at how MISERABLY math is taught in some places. Math is just as exhillerating and PERSONAL as music and the arts are — and the people who are good at math, just seem to understand this without trying! But for some reason, the "soul and passion" of math is just not *acknowledged* enough. I was lucky enough to have teachers that made me realize the artistic thought and joy in math.. and really, once you are able to see math as something personally engaging, it all becomes easier. Without it, it unforutnately becomes this lifeless, dry, irrelevant bunch of symbols: and that’s a pity, because it don’t have to be that way.

By: Scrutator

Scrutator — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 03:16:54 +0000

a liberal I like

For the most part, I’m pretty dismissive of the pundit class. Most odious among them are the ones who still carry the torch for liberalism — Krugman, Herbet, Dionne, Oliphant, etc. But there is one who has hit it out of the park with a r…

By: Leonidas

Leonidas — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 03:14:29 +0000

Right on. I had much the same experience. From my perspective, I don’t see why number-crunching should be so important. We can hire Chinese and Indians to do that. What matters is soul, passion, faith. That is why Bush in the end has been so much more successful than Clinton. Clinton worshipped numbers — Bush is driven by faith. Faith trumps numbers. Every time.

By: Terrance

Terrance — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 02:14:57 +0000

I should add that, unlice Cohen (according to his colum) I can do percentages. However, usually can't do them in my head. I need a piece of paper, or I'll do them in Excel, on on a calculator.

I can also figure out tips. But I don't figure out 15%. I figure 10% of the total and then add have of that

Is that algebra?