discussion Money puzzle

[Tim Marlow]

WELL i could never do logsarithims which to me seemed a total waste of time an still cant
chrisb

Great way of doing multiplication and division without using a calculator Chris, otherwise they are just fun to play around with. Used them a lot, along with natural logs, in my early fermentation days because bug populations grow exponentially. That is, they double in a set period of time ……… you need to graph the growth curve using log paper. if you tried to use normal graph paper the Y axis would have to be several feet long……

 

[Tim Marlow]

Yeah. But just about all I got was geometry, trig and calculus - of absolutely no use in the real world! I could have done with some statistics, which seems to be very trendy in secondary education nowadays, but it was seen as mere arithmetic back then so wasn't on the syllabus I was taught.

Geometry and Trig are very useful in the real world Dave. I’ve used them to set out raised beds in my garden, for example, just using simple measurement. Calculus is just quiz questions for mathematicians though…..but I always loved algebra. It really is like a crossword for the mathematically minded……

 

[Gern]

Geometry and Trig are very useful in the real world Dave. I’ve used them to set out raised beds in my garden, for example, just using simple measurement. Calculus is just quiz questions for mathematicians though…..but I always loved algebra. It really is like a crossword for the mathematically minded……

OK. I'll give you that Tim. Working with basic triangles and stuff like that can be useful, but what about cartesian representations of conic sections - which have all fallen out of the bottom of my brain? And I only once got to use sin2A = 2sinAcosA in a problem given to me as a puzzle. (If you're interested, imagine a ladder 30ft long leaning against a wall. The ladder just touches an extension of the wall which is 10ft high and 10ft wide. How far from the base of the wall is the bottom of the ladder?)

Got to agree about algebra - I tried to use it with my students to teach them about fractions, ratios, scales & proportion, using equations and changing units of measurement - but it seems algebra has been de-emphasised in secondary school so very few had any idea what I was talking about.

 

[stillp]

I was pretty useless at maths in school, with the possible exception of geometry, which taught me that the best way to solve a problem is to do what you know and work from there. (Hope that makes sense!).
I once did an Open University course called "Modelling by Mathematics", which started with basic arithmetic but by the end of the year was using A-level equivalent calculus to work out real-world problems such as the effect on traffic flow of a new supermarket, and the best way to organise bus routes in a town. Made my 'ed 'urt. Couldn't do any of it now, my brain has atrophied. I prefer modelling by polystyrene.
Pete