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Say Goodbye To X+Y: Should Community Colleges Abolish Algebra?
NPR ^ | July 19, 2017 | Kayla Lattimore and Julie Depenbrock

Posted on 07/21/2017 5:12:11 AM PDT by C19fan

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To: Lou L

The intricacies of Linear Algebra were brought home to our college class by a professor who gave a true/false test on the subject. The class average was below 50%—an impressive achievement.


41 posted on 07/21/2017 5:36:44 AM PDT by AustinBill (consequence is what makes our choices real)
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To: Ouderkirk

“Difficult equations” was the hardest math class for me. The hardest class overall was Signals and Systems. Analog and discrete math applied to analysis of communication systems. Ugh.


42 posted on 07/21/2017 5:36:48 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: JTHomes

So if first you don’t succeed, try again.

Has now become...

If first you don’t succeed, lower the standards.


43 posted on 07/21/2017 5:36:54 AM PDT by Jimmy The Snake
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To: C19fan

It’s saying that Blacks and Hispanics are too stupid to learn Algebra, and for that reason Algebra should not be taught. Precisely the kind of thinking that got us where we are now.

Correct thinking: Algebra needs to be taught. Those who fail are not given a degree.


44 posted on 07/21/2017 5:38:53 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Lying Media: willing and eager allies of the hate-America left.)
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To: central_va

Not impossible at all:

a = 1
while (a<10) do
sum = sum + a
a = a+1
write(*,*) ‘a =’, a
enddo


45 posted on 07/21/2017 5:39:05 AM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: C19fan

Algebra was my favorite class in college...I took it three times.

I’m just not the logical thinker mathematically.

My son wanted to be an aerospace engineer since he was about four. (OK, when he was four, he wanted to build rockets)

We homeschooled him and he did fine in high school math. His senior year, he took an algebra class at community college and eked by with a C- or something. He also took a trig class and aced it.

The kid is lousy at basic math but hammers through the hard stuff. He’s also living his dream. He’s a senior aerospace engineering student and his college job is at NASA.

As much as I hated algebra, they shouldn’t get rid of it, but there should be an available alternative such as consumer math etc in some programs.


46 posted on 07/21/2017 5:39:37 AM PDT by cyclotic (Trump tweets are the only news source you can trust.)
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To: JTHomes
I remember back in the 60’s where people were impressed if you had a college degree. By lowing the standards where anyone can graduate a degree becomes meaningless.

In the 70’s I was #2 in academics (math major) for my ROTC Class, #3 was a chemistry major. The #1 ranking was to a PE major.

As the saying goes, “Life's not fair, get over it.”

47 posted on 07/21/2017 5:40:21 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage? (Trump the anti politician. About time!)
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To: mykroar

When you have the right professor, calculus and what it does is utterly fascinating. Just about all of what we have in technology would not be here without it.


48 posted on 07/21/2017 5:41:57 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Right Brother

The soft bigotry of low expectations on full display.


49 posted on 07/21/2017 5:42:51 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Blagden Alley

Also used in Java, C+, Python, etc - yet sometimes I still code it wrong the first time.


50 posted on 07/21/2017 5:43:01 AM PDT by Aevery_Freeman (Muslims: Religion of Peace...|...Democrats: Party of Peace)
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To: DuncanWaring
“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” ― George Carlin
51 posted on 07/21/2017 5:43:41 AM PDT by Boojum
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To: proxy_user

How did you do in trigonometric substitution?


52 posted on 07/21/2017 5:43:46 AM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Nifster
When I retired I went to the local community college to study art. Most of the students are completely ignorant of fractions. Many can not read a ruler. This is the flat out truth.

These kids are not stupid. It is completely the fault of the “New-new- math” curriculums in the schools.

53 posted on 07/21/2017 5:44:18 AM PDT by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: metmom

Another Reason to Homeschool ....and....to use Saxon Math.


54 posted on 07/21/2017 5:45:09 AM PDT by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: Leaning Right

“And there is only one right answer.”

Quadratic equations have two right answers. :)


55 posted on 07/21/2017 5:45:12 AM PDT by Flash Bazbeaux
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To: central_va

It’s all about symbolic definitions. He was unwilling to learn a new symbolic language. “Equals” is not the same as “is assigned the value of”, though they both use “=” symbolically.


56 posted on 07/21/2017 5:45:53 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: C19fan

Who knew that requiring college students to take an algebra course was the cause of all our social ills?


57 posted on 07/21/2017 5:45:57 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: central_va

It is assigning a NEW VALUE to a....

Was the teacher unable to explain that?

It is not a mathematical statement, of course algebraically A is not equal to A+1...

She is a poor teacher if she could not explain that in certain languages the ‘=’ sign means to execute an ASSIGNMENT, it is not an algebraic expression of mathematical equivalence.

The statement means STORE a new value into A, the current value of A plus 1.

So if A currently holds 4, the new value of A after the statement executes would be A = 4 + 1 or 5.


58 posted on 07/21/2017 5:47:20 AM PDT by Mr. K (***THERE IS NO CONSEQUENCE OF REPEALING OBAMACARE THAT IS WORSE THAN OBAMACARE ITSELF***)
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To: mykroar

I thought Algebra was for HS & Calculus was for College...

That is what I had in the 1970s.

But we put men on the moon then, now we drive Toyotas and cannot search a school locker.


59 posted on 07/21/2017 5:47:22 AM PDT by Jimmy The Snake
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To: wbill

And we wonder why we have a huge student load default rate.


60 posted on 07/21/2017 5:47:34 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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