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

[Looking4new]

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".

Would the answer be 2sy?
Or is it 628sft?

 

[Looking4new]

Same with buying something in a store - I usually have the change figured out before the cash register shows it.

I worked for my Grandfather in his drugstore and he taught me that when making change to always count up from the price to the amount tendered as you put the change into the customers hand. That is the way I do it today, too.

 

[k0ua]

It is interesting how education has changed over the years.. I use a calculator in my job (sales) every day, but when I was going to HS, there were no such things. I took every math and science class offered in school, and we used slide rules to make all of our calculations. Of course with a slide rule you work with scientific notation, and you "spot the decimal point" in your head.

And yes we learned the multiplication and division tables, in the lower grades. Figuring percentages and ratio's were all accomplished by 6th grade math. By 8th grade math we had a mixture of all of the math skills including geometry and some algebra. This was expanded upon in all of the high school math courses. Yes, I was a math and science nerd in HS. Some of us thought solving quadratic equations was actually fun.

I am starting to believe from what I am hearing that our modern curriculum is cheating our students out of a well rounded math and science education. What I learned over 45 years ago in a small rural school has served me well in life.

 

[k0ua]

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.

I still remember the air force distributed a laminated table of logarithms, and sine, cosine, tangent tables to students. I haven't used a log table in many years (we have calculators now right?) but if I tried I bet I could figure it out. I did play with a slide rule a few years ago again just for fun. Lets see, put the 1 on the C scale to the first number on the D scale. then move the Mantissa to the second number on the C scale, and read the result on the D scale?:laughing:

Or you could just say to your smart phone "OK Google, what is the sine of 30 degrees".. and my little gal "inside" of the my Motorola turbo will say "the sine of 30 degrees is 0.5" She is very very "smart" and a heck of a lot more accurate than my old "slipstick"

 

[RandyT]

Would you do that to your children?

Actually I would, for the most part it is called home schooling. Most home school programs are computer/internet based. If I had children they would of been home schooled. With zero tolerance policies, and the indoctrination of our children, I come across so many young people that can't even think for themselves.

 

[Egon]

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'ﾗ24' asphalt patch, 2" thick, at 110#/1"/sy. He tells me he failed, "we have a formula sheet for that".

Maybe you could explain that first question. Don't make sense to me? I was at the bottom of the class.

Using log tables and calculating logs be quite different operation. My calculator device sure beats extrapolating twelve figure logs!

 

[drajj5]

I worked for my Grandfather in his drugstore and he taught me that when making change to always count up from the price to the amount tendered as you put the change into the customers hand. That is the way I do it today, too.

This is how I do it as well.

I personally sit my son down at the table and do this with a jar of change and (some monopoly money). Took several days to get him to figure it out. We would make it more difficult too by giving the change with the cash so counting up would not work- in that scenario.

Of course afterwards my wife would test his (gratuity ability at a restaurant). That meant sitting longer at the dining room table..... Boy, he sure needs some practice.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm pretty sure I was one of those kids back in HS who didn't comprehend what I was taught and more interested in other things, like having fun, then learning. I cheated in several classes just to get a passing score, so in all reality, I'm probably not as smart as most of them. In the Marine Corps, I learned the lesson of hard work and sticking with something that I started, and doing the best I could at it. I think that lesson, basic math I learned in grade school and what I learned in wood shop are what has allowed me to make a living and provide for myself. My wife is extremely smart, and seeing how quickly she learns new things, processes complex problems and retains what's she's learned just amazes me. I don't consider myself to be stupid or slow, but I also know that there are a lot of people out there a lot smarter then I am. My guess is that those kids are going through the process and absorbing a little here and a little there, but they are still too young and immature to put any of it together yet in order to take advantage of the information they have been given. I was 30 when I first started to think for myself and try to get ahead. Before then, all I cared about was having fun. I see teenagers who are already putting a plan together for their future and I'm amazed at how smart they are. One of the advantages of remodeling homes for a living is I get to meet these people and see them at their homes. Good parenting and setting an example of success, problem solving and achieving goals are what I consider to be the most important thing for a kid to be successful in life. School is more for baby sitting.

Eddie

 

[paulharvey]

Maybe you could explain that first question. Don't make sense to me? I was at the bottom of the class.

Using log tables and calculating logs be quite different operation. My calculator device sure beats extrapolating twelve figure logs!

Guess it doesn't read well when I typed it. The centerline of a road is 75.0 ft above sea level; the lanes are 12' wide each, sloping down 2%, what is the elevation at the edge of pavement. Then the shoulder is 4 ft wide sloping 6%, what's the grade at the edge of shoulder? 4:1 front slope of a ditch for 4 ft, what's that grade.

Can't say I've ever used a logarithm in real life, or sine, cosine, ect.

 

[orezok]

It's hard to believe that previous generations sent a man to the moon using slide rules for calculations! Today they need a super computer to navigate their car to the gas station.