Well....
 

It sounds like: The speed at which something is becoming not what it was before. :silly:

In an airplane. It tells you when you’re going to be very high. :D
Or a yard-dart.:eek:

I'm an Engineer.

What kind? I have two BIL's who can't draw wiring diagram for a stair light, you know where there is one switch at the bottom of the stairs and one switch on top, and no matter which way you flip the switch the light either turns on or turns off.

I ask because you really don't need to take math class to understand these things do you? After all, acceleration is rate of change and so is the rate at which your garden grows.

I LOVE Open Discussion!!!

Where else in my hum drum world can I observe such discussions as this?

Kerry Edwards asked a very leading question about whether requiring math in university is a waste of human resources.

Algebra is to calculus what grammar is to language.

IMO, if you cannot pass calculus you shouldn't be in a university. The same goes for other fundamental analytic skills in other liberal arts disciplines. That's what the "university" word is all about -- once through with it, you can apply your knowledge universally -- to all problems.

Go to a JuCo or trade school if you want a curriculum that doesn't require analysis in the major fields of human endeavor.

So no, it's not a waste, if we set low educational goals for our most advanced education, we'll get students of exactly that quality. Kind of like what we have.

B

Math am hard

rate of change of what with respect to what? rate of change of distance WTR time gives you one thing and stuff like that?

Word! You can be successful not know where to put a comma but you can never make sound decisions without a solid understanding of mathematical problem solving. Since schoolin the main thing I constantly brush up on is math rithmitic scillz.

There are three kinds of people. Those who can count and those who can't.

Exactly! For my degree I need to take four math courses. Math 095, Math 100, Math 120, and math 139. It took me two tries to pass 095, and another two to pass 100. Now I am going into 120 which is pretty much Algebra two, and 139 is calculus for liberal arts majors, or business majors like me.

But in the mean time I hate math with a pasion, and will complain about it to anyone who will listen. It burns me that I have to expend to so much time, effort, and money banging my head into a wall to learn a subject that is useless to me. I feel my time and money could be much better used taking business courses, and english courses.

Oh just one more point. I can do math, I am a wiz at accounting and can do some neat stuff in my head. I can also calculate inflation and the time value of money equation. Advanced economic principals I can do.

Exactly!

What percentage of the population needs to understand and use calculus? Why? Who are they?
Why should Hatty have to take Alegbra if he has a clear grasp on the Math skills necessary for his field?

It seems to me that of all the things we can learn and teach, Math is the kind of thing that is most influenced by the hard wiring of the brain. We have idiot savants in Math but none in sociology or literature. Would it possibly be better to tailor education to meet these differences?

Calculus is helpful in estimating the value of an income stream or the payout of an investment (really the same problem), by considering it as continuously-compounded. The computation then becomes simple, if you understand the relationship.

Let me add that I've seem some idiot savants who can do arithmetic, but never mathematics. Arithmetic is to mathematics as spelling is to literature.

Need and understand calculus? Small group. However, to understand concepts and thinking strategies? Probably a large group.

I would say that math is way more marketable than sociology or literature. More useful too. I'd rather go thru 2 math courses than one soci or lit.