[CRoss]

Fifty Years of Math
1957 - 2007 (in the USA )
Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok. )

6. Teaching Math In 2009

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho.


Is this why when anyone brings up math I start to feel very concerned for woodland creatures?

 

[4xBoy]

What about the numbers? doesn't anyone care for the numbers?

Just makes one wonder how the U.S. is still considered, ah well what is the U.S. considered?

Biggest weapons owner I guess.

 

[chicodude]

Bla bla blah!

Hmm...Why wasn't my trig class easier? Since everyone in my generation in obviously retarded.

 

[CRoss]

Hmm...Why wasn't my trig class easier? Since everyone in my generation in obviously retarded.

Wow, you took a trig class want a cookie?

I can't tell you how many times I sat in class wondering how does that guy not understand the question, especially with story problems? Physics was the worst people would ask the dumbest questions.

 

[nelsonjm]

Don't worry, everything will work out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2006/12/06/divide_zero_feature.shtml

 

[buildyourown]

I used to be a cashier....15 years ago.
To be fair, they never teach you how to figure change in that situation. It's not that the math is hard, but it took me awhile to do it quickly.
Crying is definitely an inappropriate response though.

 

[chicodude]

Wow, you took a trig class want a cookie?

I can't tell you how many times I sat in class wondering how does that guy not understand the question, especially with story problems? Physics was the worst people would ask the dumbest questions.

No cookie thanks. I still think that post is off. I assume math now is way more advance than in the 50's, no?

 

[CRoss]

The math has not changed. They way it is taught has.

 

[Westy]

As long as quarterbacks keep pumping out autistic kids the US on average will still be gud at teh math.

 

[chicodude]

The math has not changed. They way it is taught has.

Math has not changed, emphasis on certain aspects of math have changed. your original post is still stupid.

 

[4xBoy]

Math has not changed, emphasis on math is gone and how you feel about adversity is the subject everyone worries about. Your original post is true.

Fixed it for you.

 

[davep]

IMO, math has definitely gotten easier in the last 20 years. Students are now only expected to solve the same type of problems set up in the same way as they were taught. There is VERY little true understanding of the of the solution(from Trig, calc, dif Eq, linear analysis) process. Students are taught the 'steps' to solve specific text book problems. Simply re-arange the problem so the student cannot 'plug and chug' and most have no idea how to approach the problem.

Even at high level college math courses, proofs are no longer part of the curriculum. Unless you are a math major, you will not walk the steps required to truely understand how and why the prescribed 'steps' work.

 

[chicodude]

Fixed it for you.

Ok, so I have never had a teacher say anything remotely close to anything like that. ever. Lets see a show of hands of people who have...

IMO, math has definitely gotten easier in the last 20 years. Students are now only expected to solve the same type of problems set up in the same way as they were taught. There is VERY little true understanding of the of the solution(from Trig, calc, dif Eq, linear analysis) process. Students are taught the 'steps' to solve specific text book problems. Simply re-arange the problem so the student cannot 'plug and chug' and most have no idea how to approach the problem.

Even at high level college math courses, proofs are no longer part of the curriculum. Unless you are a math major, you will not walk the steps required to truely understand how and why the prescribed 'steps' work.

I don't know what it was like 20 years ago, but my math professors and even in high school would jumble up problems on a regular basis to kind of jam "a stick in the spokes" so to speak. Maybe I just got lucky with my teachers...

 

[4xBoy]

IMO, math has definitely gotten easier in the last 20 years. Students are now only expected to solve the same type of problems set up in the same way as they were taught. There is VERY little true understanding of the of the solution(from Trig, calc, dif Eq, linear analysis) process. Students are taught the 'steps' to solve specific text book problems. Simply re-arange the problem so the student cannot 'plug and chug' and most have no idea how to approach the problem.

Even at high level college math courses, proofs are no longer part of the curriculum. Unless you are a math major, you will not walk the steps required to truely understand how and why the prescribed 'steps' work.

Which is something I wonder about, I had to choose to learn a typewriter in H.S. for half the year if I wanted to use a computer for typing the second half, I didn't have a typewriter at home, I did have a computer, seemed backwards to learn something that was just about gone from existence.

I am almost never with out my blackberry, kids are getting cell phones at earlier ages all the time, somethings are known and will not change but the way to find information has changed.

But the problem is what if you had to actually find an answer to a problem without any outside help, what does someone do that has had a library of info in their hand all their life do then?

 

[ridiculous]

to complete the circle

my math teacher staples burger king applications to failed tests

 

[Damo]

How can such a humorous post provoke such arguments?

I thought it was funny.

I remember a time I could recite every mate's phone number and knew my bank account numbers (my very first one when I was 13 was 0729 0072455 18!). Nowadays we have cellphones that store all that info and we don't have to remember them. I am sorry to say, I don't actually know my current phone number. I do however remember my number when I was little (3268331). I also remember when we were allowed calculators into math class. Sht became a whole lot easier then...

I'm hungover and babbling...

 

[Da Peach]

Ug. Proofs. Binomial theorem? WTF????

 

[BIGHITR]

It's not the math, it's the word problems that were hard!

It's 12 pm. There is a U.S. boarder wall that's 10 ft high, and there are two sides. There are also two U.S. border patrol agents patrolling 1,000 miles of border because U.S. government refuses to hire enough agents to do it effectively and won't allow American's to shoot illegals on site coming over the wall, unless fired upon first. What are Hulio's chances he can figure out he needs 20 feet of rope to cover the wall? What percent chance has he got to get over the wall and a job in America by 1pm? And what percent chance has Hulio of getting free medical attention on U.S. tax payer dollars if he is so broke, he can't afford 20 feet of rope and only has 10 feet of rope and has to leap to the U.S. side which causes him to break his ankle on U.S. soil thus making the U.S. responsible for his injury?

 

[IH8Rice]

were you expecting steven hawking to be your cashier? thats probably why shes taking orders at your local BK

 

[stosh]

1. Teaching Math In 2005s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?


Answer: Doesn't matter, regardless if your answer is correct or incorrect you go on to the next grade anyway.

 

[IH8Rice]

1. Teaching Math In 2005s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?


Answer: Doesn't matter, regardless if your answer is correct or incorrect you go on to the next grade anyway.

to teach kids math, we must first teach them to read.

 

[Damo]

Teaching Math In 2009

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is more than the selling price, so his job is made redundant.

Where has the profit gone?

 

[I Are Baboon]

You'd think over the span of sixty years, the logger would have increased his price. He's the one that sucks at math.

 

[stosh]

You'd think over the span of sixty years, the logger would have increased his price. He's the one that sucks at math.

Subsidies

 

[jimmydean]

What its the kickback to the mob for letting said lumber be cut?

<edit> I remember buying a cup of coffee at the local Plaid Pantry (think 7-11). $1.25, I hand her a $5 and a quarter. The gal looks at me funny and says "Why did you give me a quarter, didn't you give me a $5?" I didn't feel like explaining myself.

 

[Slugman]

1950 to 2009 is 59yrs of math... if you want to round that off - you have to go higher, not lower.

Just an FYI

 

[4xBoy]

1950 to 2009 is 59yrs of math... if you want to round that off - you have to go higher, not lower.

Just an FYI

 

[moff_quigley]

Answer: Doesn't matter, regardless if your answer is correct or incorrect you go on to the next grade anyway.

I work in the admissions office of a regional Uni. I have seen a HS senior transcript where the highest grade for four years of HS was a D. This guy never passed one semester/year of school yet kept getting bumped up to the next grade.

Saw a ACT score the other day where the comp was an 11 with a 5 scored on the English section. Insanity. I wonder if this person can effectively communicate enough to even take an order at BK.

 

[IH8Rice]

Saw a ACT score the other day where the comp was an 11 with a 5 scored on the English section. Insanity. I wonder if this person can effectively communicate enough to even take an order at BK.

what do the ACT scores range from?

 

[moff_quigley]

what do the ACT scores range from?

0 to 36.

 

[IH8Rice]

0 to 36.

jesus....a 11 and 5???? did he spell his name right?

 

[moff_quigley]

jesus....a 11 and 5???? did he spell his name right?

I'm assuming she filled on those little bubbles on the scan tron just fine.

 

[IH8Rice]

i bet she put hearts above the I's in her name when writing it out and a smiley face after her name

 

[Westy]

What its the kickback to the mob for letting said lumber be cut?

<edit> I remember buying a cup of coffee at the local Plaid Pantry (think 7-11). $1.25, I hand her a $5 and a quarter. The gal looks at me funny and says "Why did you give me a quarter, didn't you give me a $5?" I didn't feel like explaining myself.

Sounds about right.

Think of how dumb the average person is, half of the people in this world are dumber than that. Would you rather have the idiots running a cash registers or designing bridges?

 

[BIGHITR]

Teaching Math In 2009

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is more than the selling price, so his job is made redundant.

Where has the profit gone?

First guess, The head CEO takes his 20 million dollar bonus.
Second guess, It goes to pay the already overpaid UAW at $89/hr to turn a nut on my GM.

 

[S.K.C.]

Getting back on track - I have to agree with CRoss's implication - that the teaching of Mathmatics to grades 1 through 12 has been dangerously diluted over the years.

Spoon-feeding is an inappropriate way to teach young minds (or a way to teach Math of all things) - especially if those minds are to develop as part of a well-educated and competant individual.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Sounds about right.

Think of how dumb the MEDIAN person is, half of the people in this world are dumber than that. Would you rather have the idiots running a cash registers or designing bridges?