Ekstasis
Honorary Master
She doesn't need maths if you're gonna employ her one day, does she?i can count to potato
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Question of the Day: Did you buy your last car with cash or on a finance plan?
math literacy
- Thread starter dgharmse
- Start date
You 18 yet?
Maths Lit June 2012 Provincial paper(KZN) : One egg takes 5 minutes to boil. How long would it take for two eggs to boil simultaneously ?
Why would you want to be content with something so simple ? Maths Lit is too simple. Just give up and say "yeah, I'm good". OP asked for advice. My advice is change the situation and try harder. Not say "Leave the eggs, I'll eat plain bread"
Yes, turned 18. Already did the whole infraction points thing.
Zewp
Banned
I agree with Dylan. In my earlier posts I wasn't saying maths should come easy to everyone. I'm saying people who struggle should do something about it. If you put in enough work, you CAN and WILL pass the subject.
Hell, me getting 50 at the end of matric was a miracle. In my entire high-school career, I passed maths twice. End of matric and the first term in grade 11. The rest of my high school career my report card was between 15% - 35% for math. I'm not someone who is good at maths. It doesn't come to me easily, but if I had put in any amount of effort at practising my math and doing my homework regularly, I could have done a lot better.
In high school there are two types of people who pass math. Those to whom math comes naturally, and those who put a lot of work into math.
Hell, me getting 50 at the end of matric was a miracle. In my entire high-school career, I passed maths twice. End of matric and the first term in grade 11. The rest of my high school career my report card was between 15% - 35% for math. I'm not someone who is good at maths. It doesn't come to me easily, but if I had put in any amount of effort at practising my math and doing my homework regularly, I could have done a lot better.
In high school there are two types of people who pass math. Those to whom math comes naturally, and those who put a lot of work into math.
Zewp
Banned
Well, I wouldn't say it's the simplest. There's strong competition between that and CAT.
And amazingly smart people get what are relatively trivial questions wrong. Go look it up. Your quoted question is, however, deliberately selective. I've looked over a couple of mathematics literacy papers and they are indeed based around calculations that ordinary people are most likely to be doing.
Frankly people who moan about mathematics literacy should then also have moaned about standard grade mathematics and physics. It certainly looked like idiot level stuff to me when I was in school.
No you won't, ever, if you're stuck, confused and frustrated. We do actually have teachers for a reason.
Then in fact it does come relatively easily to you. People to whom it does not come easily are the ones who need someone who is good at explaining and guiding to help them.
And someone who finds mathematics higher grade the easiest subject could say the same thing. I mean there must be something wrong with you if you did mathematics literacy instead of the current equivalent of higher grade.
Zewp
Banned
You miss the point...
Putting in extra effort DOES mean going to extra classes and getting outside help...
Almost all high schools have math teachers giving extra class after school, and if someone doesn't you can ask a teacher and he's sure to help you out. It's what they get paid for.
These people always going on about how they're not proficient are usually the people who get home after school, look at their math homework and think 'I can't do this', then they go sit on Mxit or Facebook or whatever the rest of the day.
Putting in extra effort DOES mean going to extra classes and getting outside help...
Almost all high schools have math teachers giving extra class after school, and if someone doesn't you can ask a teacher and he's sure to help you out. It's what they get paid for.
These people always going on about how they're not proficient are usually the people who get home after school, look at their math homework and think 'I can't do this', then they go sit on Mxit or Facebook or whatever the rest of the day.
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You don't get standard and higher grade any more as far as I'm aware, now everybody is average. We even had advanced maths when I was in school which was an extra subject.
But ja dumb it down some more. In stead of striving to excel we would rather just give kids a useless piece of paper telling them how good they are only to find out in tertiary education that they are lacking.
Even the yanks are keen on dumbing things down http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
This is my opinion on the matter:
Don't force people who are never going to use mathematics to do rigorous abstract mathematics. Leave the rigorous abstract mathematics for those who will need it later, or those who want to do it. Let the rest do mathematics literacy. There are many adults today who, despite having done mathematics in school, are unable to calculate areas and percentages even though they learned calculus and axiomatic geometry in school. They never learned the basics properly. Mathematics should be an elite subject for those intending to pursue a career involving heavy mathematics, or those who have the talent to do it for fun. There is nothing wrong with doing mathematics literacy if you have no interest in mathematics and don't intend to follow a career requiring heavy mathematics. Universities use straight mathematics as a crude discriminator to keep out students that are perceived as academically weaker and I feel this is wrong.
Don't force people who are never going to use mathematics to do rigorous abstract mathematics. Leave the rigorous abstract mathematics for those who will need it later, or those who want to do it. Let the rest do mathematics literacy. There are many adults today who, despite having done mathematics in school, are unable to calculate areas and percentages even though they learned calculus and axiomatic geometry in school. They never learned the basics properly. Mathematics should be an elite subject for those intending to pursue a career involving heavy mathematics, or those who have the talent to do it for fun. There is nothing wrong with doing mathematics literacy if you have no interest in mathematics and don't intend to follow a career requiring heavy mathematics. Universities use straight mathematics as a crude discriminator to keep out students that are perceived as academically weaker and I feel this is wrong.
Kids have no idea what they are gonna do after school. It's always to late when they realise they want to study something but they don't have the maths/science requirements for entry. Threads on this very forum shows that it happens.
Students who don't take normal maths are weaker and should be discriminated against. What good degree doesn't require maths? Accounting, business, law, medicine, psychology, computer science, science, engineering, pharmacy etc. etc. No parent should allow their child to accept mediocrity.
99% of the students doing the courses above have no interest in maths. Maths is a pain in the ass. We did it because that's what people who aren't stupid do. Some kids are obviously better than others at it, but there are many options available to manage your shortcomings. I spent ages on homework, additional examples, previous papers, conversing with my teacher, going through study guides, paying for a few private lessons etc. and I got my A in matric.
Life is hard and making it takes effort. Failing maths lit is laughable - have fun flipping burgers your whole life. I don't buy the argument that people need formal training in maths lit skills. Only a dumbass couldn't handle those problems in real life - something easily avoided by not hiring people with maths lit.
Zewp
Banned
Yes, quite a number of the BA degrees in Stellenbosch requires at least a 50 in math. BA degrees, the basic entry-level useless degree you can't really do anything with. Not math literacy either, math. Math requirements is a lot more widespread in university than some people here seem to think. By not taking maths in high school, you are closing a LOT of doors for yourself.
phoneJunky
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What is the answer for this?
5. They are both being done at the same time.
//Waits for reply using physics principles...
phoneJunky
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5. They are both being done at the same time.
//Waits for reply using physics principles...
No, I was just wondering. They asked a similar question to people at Ivy league colleges in USA and two thirds got the answer wrong. And their Ivy league colleges are considered the best in the world.
I will try to find the Neil deGrasse Tyson youtube link regarding this.
I would argue that intelligence alone only explains the success of a small portion of students. Effort is what takes you places.
+1
Although I pointed out that question, and it seems to be a popular trick question, it was to show how simple those maths Lit papers are. When we were choosing subjects, we were told that a D in pure maths is worth more than an A in maths lit.
7.5 minutes ?