Comments on: Teaching Mathematics http://futilecycle.com/2007/03/24/teaching-mathematics A Wandering Through Life and Science Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:07:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: andrew monkman http://futilecycle.com/2007/03/24/teaching-mathematics#comment-38 andrew monkman Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:22:08 +0000 http://futilecycle.com/2007/03/24/teaching-mathematics#comment-38 This may be of interest to you!! (I AM NOT A SPAMMER!!) This may be of interest to you!! (I AM NOT A SPAMMER!!)

]]> By: Apollo http://futilecycle.com/2007/03/24/teaching-mathematics#comment-20 Apollo Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:10:09 +0000 http://futilecycle.com/2007/03/24/teaching-mathematics#comment-20 You make a very good point, that it's disturbing that otherwise educated people find it acceptable to be incompetent in mathematics. I do admit to often feeling that way, particularly with anything beyond differential equations and single-variable calculus, but it's mostly in a "not interesting to me, but more power to you if it is" sort of way. However, so far during this first year in medical school, a thorough and second-nature understanding of calculus, particularly in interpreting formulas and graphs, is absolutely essential to understanding human physiology and pathophysiology. At the same time, though, I'm sure there are plenty of scientists and mathematicians who have never, or have only rarely, read dense literary works. I'm not sure if Effect Measure does this, but I think it would be nice if there were a greater exposure in education as to how various formulas and math-based discoveries in science came about in the context of the contemporary understanding of those subjects. I think most people think that formulas and principles and laws just spontaneously appear out of nowhere, which leads them to be less appreciative of mathematical discoveries and more appreciative of, say, a large tome of literature. You make a very good point, that it’s disturbing that otherwise educated people find it acceptable to be incompetent in mathematics. I do admit to often feeling that way, particularly with anything beyond differential equations and single-variable calculus, but it’s mostly in a “not interesting to me, but more power to you if it is” sort of way. However, so far during this first year in medical school, a thorough and second-nature understanding of calculus, particularly in interpreting formulas and graphs, is absolutely essential to understanding human physiology and pathophysiology.

At the same time, though, I’m sure there are plenty of scientists and mathematicians who have never, or have only rarely, read dense literary works.

I’m not sure if Effect Measure does this, but I think it would be nice if there were a greater exposure in education as to how various formulas and math-based discoveries in science came about in the context of the contemporary understanding of those subjects. I think most people think that formulas and principles and laws just spontaneously appear out of nowhere, which leads them to be less appreciative of mathematical discoveries and more appreciative of, say, a large tome of literature.

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