The New, New Math
1. Teaching Math In 1960s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1980s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is $80. Did he make a profit ? Yes or No

4. Teaching Math In 1990s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production
is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number
20.

5. Teaching Math In 2000s
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the birds and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong
answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok).

6. Teaching Math In 2010
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la
producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

ANSWER: His profit was $375,000 because his logging business is just a
front for his pot farm.

~author unknown

 

That is so true it's unbelievable. LOL

 

Wait, they still teach math?...

 

I'm sending this to everyone I know, after I get up from falling off the couch because I laughed so hard!

 

Damn that's funny. I can say that I literally LOLed.

Now I wanna go buy a woodlot and grow some MJ, thanks for the math lesson!

 

Thats a good one

 

So true. We had an assignment in civics/economics the other day to make a budget with an imaginary wage. I couldn't believe how many people struggled with percentages. I'm convinced that I'm not smart like everyone says, but that everyone else is just stupid

Uhh, yeah. But they just breeze over the arithmetic and go straight for the useless algebra

 

Hypothetical: I'm a small contractor and I've got a labor budget of $50,000 per year. How many workers can I hire at minimum wage?

Or, I can save $5 per week towards that $600 set of new tires I'll soon need for my Ford truck. How long will it take me to save enough for the tires?

That's algebra. Not at all useless.

Jason

 

Thanks for the post! I was crying it's so damned funny.

 

No, I can think of about a hundred ways to use basic algebra. By useless algebra, I was referring to higher level algebra.

 

No. As the father of a 13 year old son, all the teachers teach is how to use a friggin calculator that their parents can't even figure out how to use! When I was in school, we had to do everything by hand and show our work or it was wrong!

I guess I'm just an old foggie...

 

Your not old, unless I am too, but I'm only 17.

Apparently elementary school has changed alot in the last 7 years. I had to learn cursive, do math without a calculator, take SPELLING TESTS, and know the times table up to 12. The teachers were allowed to tell us to sit "indian style", which they now say is offensive, and think "criss-cross applesauce" is a good substitute

 

I've gotten through all 12 grades and am now studying at Rutgers University.

I am 21 years old.

To date, I have never been paid a dime to do something I learned how to do in school. Yeah algebra can be useful, but how many times a day do you use algebra compared to how many times you do something else that you wish you'd learned the easy way. They should teach skills MOST PEOPLE will need on an everyday basis, like winterizing a lawnmower or signing a lease.

 

Elementary/High schools only teach the basics - and half the time, for whatever reasons, the kids still don't learn - they're too fixated on their electronic gizmos to be able to spell properly or add 2 numbers together...

As far as teaching the skills like the ones you mentioned - well... That comes with time and experience... The real world can teach things no school can...

 

Certainly true. But look around at all the reasonably successful adults you see in life, you know, truck drivers, surveyors, secretaries, even doctors and lawyers, and see how much of high school algebra or chemistry they remember. What's the point of teaching it to EVERYONE if MOST PEOPLE will forget it and clearly get by very well without it?

That was not a rhetorical question. There may be a good reason, I just don't know what it is. Just seems like we incentivize 20 years of formal education to a greater degree than would be optimal.