[HPFGU-OTChatter] Math -- What Is It Good For? (WAS Mr. March Responds )

[Andrew MacIan]

Greetings from Andrew!

Well, here's a pretty thing (from one of my favorite
G&S pieces, of course)....

--- cindysphynx <cindysphynx at home.com> wrote:
> Andrew wrote:
> 
> > Drieux
> > 
> > ..being silly upon the eve of having to return to
> > lecturing to two sets of dullard, undergrad,
> non-major
> > maths students....
> 
> And what exactly is wrong with being a dullard,
> undergrad, non-major 
> math student?  Hmmmm?  :-)

Well, since you're on the list(s), you've
automagically removed yourself from 'dullard' status,
yes?
{grin}.

Besides, I'm describing both those students who *must*
have an intro to calc course for their degrees (those
will be mostly in "Business Communications"-- read
football or other athletics) and who don't find
someone on the faculty who is willing to let them off
the hook by testing out of the requirement.

> 
> I happen to be quite a math dullard and proud of it,
> thank you very 
> much!  The best part of being a math dullard is that
> technology 
> (undoubtedly perfected by math majors with thick
> glasses wearing 
> pocket protectors and carrying slide rules)

No pocket protector, but yes...I still carry -and use-
the Pickett N4-ES rule I got in my second year at
Caltech.

> has made
> knowledge of 
> math much less important than it used to be.  Can't
> make change?  The 
> register does it for you!  Can't add, subtract,
> multiply or divide?  
> Get a wristwatch with a calculator!  Puzzled about
> balancing your 
> checkbook or computing your taxes?  Buy some
> software!  Still 
> confused?  Ask your husband!

Ah...but you're speaking here about *arithmetic*
(specifically, what's called Peano arithmetic) that is
a special-- and very hard!-- case of general algebra. 
I get my jollies out of what's called homological
algebra and category/topos theory.

I understand very well, however.  One of the ladies
with whom I'm handfasted is a crackerjack geneticist. 
Her area of specialization is in the areas of
conservation (read:  intersection or crossover)
between the Drosophila and Human genomes.  She's
becoming one of the Names in her area....but I'm the
lad who writes her analysis software, just as she's
the one who unscrews the bio mistakes in my writing.

> 
> On the other hand, those poor souls who can't spell
> or write must 
> limp along with only Spellcheck and Grammarcheck to
> mislead them.  Ha!

And those of us who are both numbers freaks and
dyslexic appreciate those tools very much.

But I agree with your case!

> 
> Cindy (who never figured out the point of those darn
> slide rules)

They're the first light-powered calculators.
{grin}

Cheers,

Drieux

...who is headed into the first office hour of the
term now....

=====
ICQ # 76184391

'Each game of chess means there's one less
      Variation left to be played;
 Each day got through means one or two less
      Mistakes remain to be made.'
      --'Chess' by Sir Tim Rice

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