x + 6 = 21
x + 6 - 6 = 21 - 6
x = 21- 6
x = 15
Remember those arguments you heard about learning math, particularly algebra and geometry? “It will teach you how to think.” “It will give you mental discipline.”
And then the promises of those arguments came up against the real world. When is the last time you applied x or y or quadratic equations to the practical problems of everyday life? Were those teachers just trying to justify their jobs and convincing themselves that what they were doing had actual relevance to living? Maybe. Maybe not.
Probably most of what you do is a matter of solving word problems. No, not the kind that you did in school, such as “If Johnny takes a plane that travels 500 mph to City X while Jenny takes a bus that travels 60 mph, which one is more likely to use the onboard bathroom?” No, rather, you face problems that require some emotional input.
If my memory serves me correctly, there’s very little emotion in either algebra or geometry, but in life emotion seems to prevail. And some of us do, on occasion, actually solve problems emotionally.
I wish algebra and geometry did have an emotional component. As many have joked, they might in the modern classroom. “Johnny, that’s a very good try. Your answer is very close. You should feel good about yourself.” Certainly, the emotional component in life rarely lends itself to stark reasoning and black-and-white answers.
So, what’s useful about algebra? That is, what’s useful beyond the figuring of complex math problems, such as those involving the application of complex economic theories, analyses of quantum effects, and algorithms that take the place of human decision-making?
Well, there might be an algebra of life, one in which we see how changing a negative sign to a positive one works when we fool around with equations involving people. If I want to find the value of an unknown on one side of the human equation, I might have to cancel out the known on the other side.
Wait a minute. I just realized that we do that algebra thing all the time, you know, cancelling out something on one side to learn something about the other side. That’s called negotiating, and it’s always about balancing an equation on the basis of identifiable terms.
It seems that we do use algebraic thinking as our teachers said we would. And maybe people who are bad at negotiating never mastered basic algebra.
x + 6 - 6 = 21 - 6
x = 21- 6
x = 15
Remember those arguments you heard about learning math, particularly algebra and geometry? “It will teach you how to think.” “It will give you mental discipline.”
And then the promises of those arguments came up against the real world. When is the last time you applied x or y or quadratic equations to the practical problems of everyday life? Were those teachers just trying to justify their jobs and convincing themselves that what they were doing had actual relevance to living? Maybe. Maybe not.
Probably most of what you do is a matter of solving word problems. No, not the kind that you did in school, such as “If Johnny takes a plane that travels 500 mph to City X while Jenny takes a bus that travels 60 mph, which one is more likely to use the onboard bathroom?” No, rather, you face problems that require some emotional input.
If my memory serves me correctly, there’s very little emotion in either algebra or geometry, but in life emotion seems to prevail. And some of us do, on occasion, actually solve problems emotionally.
I wish algebra and geometry did have an emotional component. As many have joked, they might in the modern classroom. “Johnny, that’s a very good try. Your answer is very close. You should feel good about yourself.” Certainly, the emotional component in life rarely lends itself to stark reasoning and black-and-white answers.
So, what’s useful about algebra? That is, what’s useful beyond the figuring of complex math problems, such as those involving the application of complex economic theories, analyses of quantum effects, and algorithms that take the place of human decision-making?
Well, there might be an algebra of life, one in which we see how changing a negative sign to a positive one works when we fool around with equations involving people. If I want to find the value of an unknown on one side of the human equation, I might have to cancel out the known on the other side.
Wait a minute. I just realized that we do that algebra thing all the time, you know, cancelling out something on one side to learn something about the other side. That’s called negotiating, and it’s always about balancing an equation on the basis of identifiable terms.
It seems that we do use algebraic thinking as our teachers said we would. And maybe people who are bad at negotiating never mastered basic algebra.
RSS Feed