Today's high school seniors.....ouch.

[PILOON]

Back then we had 'rapid calculation' and then calculators were banned in exams and tests.
Using a calculator was deemed cheating and could cause a re write at best or even a fail.

 

[drajj5]

I can tell you first hand, the math they are teaching in school is hard. Algebra/Geometry... my son can do well. He understands the formula(s) to make the calculations and asks me questions to mess with me.

However

I ask him to 'make change' with a 10 dollar bill... and he is lost. Hand him a ruler and ask him what the graduations mean, and he is stumped.

Somewhere in the scheme of things - young adults have lost the ability to do "Arithmetic". Heck, my kids can't sign their names because they were never taught cursive.

The world is changing as reading/writing/arithmetic has become - abbreviation/texting/equations

 

[Looking4new]

Back when I was in high school a calculator consisted of a 108 key comptometer. It was only used in a business machines class.

 

[Will_C]

I am in education, and I agree with much of what has posted. Our kids (at least the best and brightest) can do calculus and advanced geometry at the highest level. None of the have developed the facility to do the simple Math that we all have to do on a daily basis. Much of the has to do with Common Core standards, that place emphasis on methodology above results.
The best and most valuable Math classes I ever took were 8th grade Math and a high school Business Math class. I can't use a graphing calculator, but I am very adept at financial calculations and can square up a building. I have never felt at a lost mathematically in my life.

Will

 

[CalG]

Simply

Teach/Learn to think and speak in Ratios.

What is 10:9

What is 1: 1.05

It's not rocket surgery!

 

[orezok]

Yeah, I remember being a Junior! It was the best 3 years of my life!

 

[Daver1963]

I can tell you first hand, the math they are teaching in school is hard. Algebra/Geometry... my son can do well. He understands the formula(s) to make the calculations and asks me questions to mess with me.

However

I ask him to 'make change' with a 10 dollar bill... and he is lost. Hand him a ruler and ask him what the graduations mean, and he is stumped.

Somewhere in the scheme of things - young adults have lost the ability to do "Arithmetic". Heck, my kids can't sign their names because they were never taught cursive.

The world is changing as reading/writing/arithmetic has become - abbreviation/texting/equations

Yesterday I had to go up the hill to the local lumber store to get some parts. The kid working there (one week) figured up my total and it came to $9.07. I handed him a $20, a nickel, and two pennies. As he was trying to figure out how much change to give me the lady behind the counter with him, who was on the phone, opened the cash drawer and gave me my change as he was looking up from the calculator to say "Your change is eleven.....oh....I see she already gave it to you." I suppressed a laugh and just said thank you and got my stuff and left.

Later my wife and I were talking about this and I've said it before - learning the multiplication and division tables up to twelves in the 3rd and 4th grade back in the 1970s has stayed with me. If I scratch my head and count my toes I can even manage thirteens and fourteens.

 

[Egon]

Yes, I really do feel sorry for those kids of today that just don't have any abilities!

Course fifty or so year ago seems the Adults had the same opinion of us?? Us'uns seem to have survived. Heck even come up with new stuff & ideas. Just used 10 as a base.

 

[paulharvey]

I think your over estimating the abilities of adults too. In 2009 I was out of work, and looking for a job. I applied to be a "engineering (roads) inspector" for the county. Everyone who met minimum qualifications (1 year of construction experience, ability to do math, read plans, pee in a cup, and drivers license) was called in for a basic math skills test. There was 57 people, including way more educated people.

The math was real world examples; "if the crown of a road is 75.0' cross slope 2%, 12 ft lane, what's that grade"; how many cubic yards of limerock, not counting compaction to do 2-12 ft lanes, 8 inches thick, 1 mile long", and a couple "figure the area in square yards of some triangles".

I think 4 of us passed, and there where some people with engineering degrees in there (when they list the salary, it says $28-42/yr, but they aren't allowed to higher above minimum, I'm guess those guys didn't know that).

I have several friends/neighbors who have had to take math tests for work promotions, one was figuring a 10'×24' asphalt patch, 2" thick, at 110#/1"/sy. He tells me he failed, "we have a formula sheet for that".

 

[doxford jim]

I wonder how many would be able to use log tables etc. I remember very vaguely, of being shown how to calculate logarithms. Not now as my memory has dimmed somewhat (70yo), but I am sure if I spent the time I could get back into it.
Same with buying something in a store - I usually have the change figured out before the cash register shows it.
There is/was a lot to be said for rote learning. It is like the basis for reading - you never forget what you learnt (for the most part). I also believe you are only limited by your own decisions to either learn or not learn.