Why Americans Can't Do Arithmetic

Amazon.com ^ | April 21, 2010 | Bruce Deitrick Price

[FlingWingFlyer]

It sounds as though the liberals’, “There Is No Wrong Answer” Math system isn’t working out. LOL!

[GeronL]

Thats the truth.

They do not want the kids to learn too quickly, they’d all be out of cushy jobs.

[subterfuge]

The “new” math came out for us in the late 60s, early 70s in florida. It’s why I can barely add 2 + 2 and get 5.

[TBP]

It would disqualify them from government jobs and those are the only ones being created.

[a fool in paradise]

“A 3 letter word, J-O-B-S!” - VP Joe Biden

[a fool in paradise]

“It is wonderful to be back in Oregon,” Obama said. “Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it.” - President Barack Obama

[UCANSEE2]

New Math was mostly the result of dumbed down teachers, who didn’t know HOW to teach.

They wanted a shortcut. A ‘new’ and ‘easier’ way to do math.

Sorry, there is only one way.

[marajade]

pingaroo

[Scrambler Bob]

Maybe Biden was misquoted?

Jobs is a FREE-letter word.

[MrEdd]

Math be “acting white”.

[Ax]

I did extremely poorly in high school math and was able to weasel my way out of it as an undergraduate in college. I am an arithmetical whiz, however, and at age 67 still regularly beat the cash register in figuring out my change from a $10.

[Scrambler Bob]

Only one way?

Define “one”

[edge10]

There are three kinds of people: Those who can do math and those who can’t.

[GraceG]

A kid educated in the 1930’s to the 8th grade level is smater than 90% of all High School Graduates today when it comes to the Math, History, English, and Science.

Sad to say but true.

[Cyber Liberty]

When I read this, I can’t figure out (no pun intended) whether the problem is Math or English.

[GraceG]

“Thats the truth.

They do not want the kids to learn too quickly, they’d all be out of cushy jobs. “

Indeed, those who do have wickedly good math skills usually have to re-process the information in the book to come to our own methods of doing it. We had to perform internal translations of the material in question in order for us to make sense of it. I did the best to help my fellow students but most of them just had glazed over eyes.

[Repeat Offender]

But look at the great job new math has done for the economy.

Like seventy-eleventy-kabillion jobs were created or saved just last week.... and 0Care is deficit neutral.

[Travis McGee]

Old Math Ping

[KarlInOhio]

A few pages later we learn that "Principles of numeration cannot be developed effectively if confusion exists regarding the terms `number' and `numeral.' They are not synonymous. A number is a concept, an abstraction. A numeral is a symbol, a name for a number."

Wow. I remember that from the mid 1970s. There was an obsession with the difference between the numerals and numbers, which really wasn't appropriate for 2nd and 3rd graders. Similary, there was waaaaay too much set theory which we spent weeks on, which could be cranked out in a couple of days in high school but little kids just aren't ready for it.