Talk:1050: Forgot Algebra

Actually, I always use Megan's argument whenever I'm in World History Class.--Jimmy C (talk) 21:34, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

Yes, because what intelligent people did in the past when faced with complex decisions can have NO bearing on anything in my own life. 108.162.219.223 08:17, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

If history actually repeats itself if you don't study it, then the best way to study history is to not study it, because then it will happen to yourself and you will be able to experience it first hand! guess who (if you want to | what i have done) 17:12, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

It allways seems strange to me that there are places in the world where preparing your own meals is not an everyday task to most people. Living in Norway it just seems extremely decadent!85.164.251.29 20:44, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

I don't think that by "learning to cook" he means to prepare food, but to do it well and to enjoy it. Many people can prepare very limited food, causing them to not enjoy cooking and to believe that they cannot cook. Theo (talk) 21:06, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

No, he meant "learning to cook". We learn math, not necessarily so we can enjoy it but so that we can function as a modern human being. You don't have to enjoy cooking, but by god's sake you should at least learn the basics. We can't all be generation Y, you know; things would cease to function. 108.162.219.223 08:17, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

I think the point is that being able to cook, play an instrument, or speak a foreign language is generally seen as positive even if it doesn't benefit the person judging (they aren't expecting to eat the cooking or need an interpreter). "I can do integral calculus" will not get you the same sort of reaction. 162.158.187.178 20:54, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Fortunately for mathophiles, it appears that this sentiment fades with age. In an August 2013 Gallup survey of American adults, respondents were asked which school subject they considered most valuable in their daily lives, and Math took the top spot. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/09/math_viewed_as_most_valuable_s.html Frijole (talk) 23:39, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

A google search of "when am I ever going to use X?" reveals that "math" and "algebra" get tens of thousands of hits, physics gets hundreds, while just about everything else is under 100. I think the extreme dislike of math (edweek survey notwithstanding, and probably self-serving) is in a different league from what others have discussed here. The explanation should reflect. Jd2718 (talk) 03:16, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

It was a Gallup survey, and how can the choice of "math" be self-serving anyway?? It is an educational journal, for pete's sake! The only choices were school subjects.

My own reasoning is that people have an unnatural fear of math simply because it *is* a pure science, it *is* abstract. The idiotic thing is that people use math all the time, they just don't call it that. Trying to work out how many drinks you can buy and still have cab fare? Algebra, b*tches! 108.162.219.223 08:17, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

Counterpoint: Unlike music and foreign language, math is a required course throughout school, which must be infuriating for those who struggle with it. My belief for what are currently the core classes is that students should be taught the material that will help them "in real life" and in a variety of jobs, and probably a bit of extra knowledge beyond that; but the much more complex and abstract topics should be optional. ~AgentMuffin

Counter-counterpoint: You have to balance the 'need' for abstract topics with the advantage that young minds have in learning. Generally speaking, as you get older it becomes more difficult to learn new things. So the most advantageous time to learn those difficult/abstract topics is when your mind is (statistically) best capable of learning them.

Counter-counter-counterpoint: abstract topics are actually specifically the sorts of things that "young minds" (up through middle school, at least, and sometimes into high school) struggle to learn (or comprehend) more than more older minds. It's why teaching algebra to middle schoolers (in general and on average) is generally avoided. (Source: professional development as a middle school teacher) On an unrelated note, the depressing thing about this comic is that I have heard students make the same complaint (i.e. when am I ever going to need this) about music, cooking, AND speaking a foreign language. Who, me? (talk) 01:14, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

Is it weird that I do use algebra on a somewhat regular basis? Maybe once a month or so. Not even as a part of my job (which requires far less math than most people think). Even something like finding the percentage discount when you are just given the initial and final price is technically algebra. One of the weirdest things that happened on a date was a girl asking me to solve an algebra question. I feel like I even had a derivative come up at some point in my life. I'm definitely not getting into the argument of if math should be taught in schools in the way it currently is though. Brycemw (talk) 21:31, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

i think the reason that math is given this treatment when nothing else is is because as part of your education everyone is forced to learn math, regardless of whether or not they think they will find it useful, while for the most part no one is forced to learn to cook, for example. especially in high school, since that's when people start to grow more independent, so they tend to question authority more while also taking initiative to learn new things such as a language or an instrument in their free time; they kind of just get measured on different scales since they are being done for different reasonsCyperbunk (talk) 14:11, 25 July 2026 (UTC)

Just like to point out that "Home Economics" was part of my High School (i.e. Secondary-level education) experience. It was a double-period slot in one (or more, I forget) year's timetable, which everyone did, regardless of whether they were choosing different languages/sciences/etc for the rest of the more variable timetable slots. Half the year, half the school year went into the kitchen-equipped classroom and the other half of the school year did a textiles/etc lesson. In the other half of the year, the school-halves switched.

I learnt how (not to, in my case! ...I overthought the design) make oven gloves, did French Knitting and all kinds of other things, in the one HE phase, and did a lot of cooking (beef cobbler, chocolate logs, all kinds of things!) from scratch in the other.

And, yes, I've probably hardly used the cooking/sewing (I had to sew up a hole within a pocket in a pair of trousers, the other day, but I can't recall enough of any past lessons, so just tried to work it out from first principles; and I really am not into getting brazed beef from the butcher/etc, I'm more likely to get something at least half-prepared and follow the instructions on the packet). Meanwhile, it's a bit unfair to try to compare to me 'mathematics re-use', as I had to learn a lot more maths (and probably forget far more than half) in Further and Higher Education on top of whatever the Secondary-Level syllabus 'forced' upon me. But then I'm an xkcd-reader. And I'm not here purely for the linguistics/romance/etc, by any means.

So of course I'm going to be one of those that probably did not feel forced to learn maths at school. At least in general, though of course homework was a thing across all subjects ... possibly except from Home Economics, ironically ... and I think I probably detested the mundane nature of that in any subject, regardless of subject. 92.23.5.92 20:07, 26 July 2026 (UTC)

'brazed beef'? I think you may have confused your Home Ec. and your CDT there! 82.13.184.33 08:54, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

Quite possibly. Or maybe I was just a very bad cook! 92.23.5.92 19:49, 27 July 2026 (UTC)