From: mss2@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Michael S. Schiffer)
Subject: Re: Spheres and Calculus [Re: Cyber (was Introduction was Eh?)]
Reply-To: mss2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 01:11:45 GMT

In article <1992Dec19.234517.5334@ucc.su.OZ.AU> mar@physics.su.OZ.AU (David Mar) writes:

>>	"The latter wouldn't surprise me any more, though there was a
>>time when I considered myself reasonably mathematically adept, and a
>>time after that when I at least considered myself pretty good for a
>>layman.  (Even at the U of Chicago, where _everyone_ has to take
>>calculus, there aren't many history majors who've taken group theory.)

>DM is surprised. "Don't you folks in the US learn calculus in high
>school? What _do_ you learn in high school mathematics? (To clarify
>my point - Australian high school students do learn calculus. Not too
>advanced, but enough to solve reasonably tricky problems.)"

	"It depends.  Taking Calculus in high school is the exception,
not the rule-- it's an `advanced' or `honors' math class.  I took it
in eleventh grade, but then I was a math/science geek from way back
(e.g. three others and I got in the local paper for going to the high
school for geometry back in eighth grade, because we'd run out of
middle school math to take).  The norm for those who did take it at my
school was to take it in twelfth (the final year of high school)--
that probably was 30 people out of a class of 400 or so.

	"As for what we learn in high school math-- well, if I recall
correctly, in my district algebra and geometry were definitely
required.  Then there was `Algebra II' and Trigonometry (and I may be
forgetting something, this all being nigh on a decade ago) but I don't
think that they were required (though they were probably recommended
for college prep.)  The problem is, I never paid any attention to what
was required, because it never occurred to me _not_ to take four years
of math, science, English, etc.  When I go home, I may be able to dig
out an old course selection booklet from high school (I tend not to
throw much away :-) )  Maybe I can also figure out what we learned in
which math class-- it all seems to blur together now.

	"But calculus is definitely the exception rather than the rule
for US high school graduates, including those who go to college.  And
I've met people who claim to have been daunted by the U of C's
requiring calculus of everyone to the point of not applying.  (Of
course there are plenty of science and engineering schools which
expect it, but it's unusual for a school with a focus on the liberal
arts to demand it of non-science majors).  Science-types take more
math after calc, of course, while liberal arts types generally don't
(with some social science majors splitting the difference by taking
statistical courses).  I started out intending to be a chem major,
toyed with math and computer science just long enough to realize that
I had not chance at being even semi-competent at either of them, and
went with history when I finally realized that's what I really
_wanted_ to major in anyway.  But some relics of my search included
two quarters of abstract algebra (called Basic Algebra in the
transcript, which given the state of US education might be taken to
mean that I had a deficiency in solving quadratic equations.  Which I
may, now, more's the pity.) and three quarters of computer programming
(in which I learned the Scheme dialect of LISP and some Pascal, but
nothing so practical as, say, C)."

>>My only question now is whether the decay will go progressively
>>backwards, so that in a few years I'll be struggling to remember what
>>8 times 5 is.  :-)"

>:-) "Why, it's 42, isn't it?"

	"No, no... that's 6 times 9!  Geez, what are they teaching
those poor upside down kids?  :-)"

Michael
-- 
Michael S. Schiffer, LHN, FCS	"Indeed I tremble for my country
mss2@midway.uchicago.edu	 when I reflect that God is just."
mike.schiffer@um.cc.umich.edu	 -- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on
mschiffer@aal.itd.umich.edu	    Virginia (1784)
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