Math from 1950 up to 2005

[xviciousx]

Math 1950-2005

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this?

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:



1. Teaching Math In 1950

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 1960

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 1970

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?




4. Teaching Math In 1980

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 1990

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.)



6. Teaching Math In 2005

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80.

[freakray]

What's scary is it's accurate....

[FlippiN.af]

Originally Posted by xviciousx

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

That part got me laughing.

[vinnym86]

should we blame the government? or blame society? or should we blame the images on TV?

HECK NO! Blame Canada! Blame Canada!

[-Davo]

Math in 2005 is more like: "If -Davo drinks 10 schooners of Carlton Draught, followed by 3 Schooners of Guiness, over a period of 4 hours, what is the probability that he will throw up, given 10 Schooners = 13.4 standard drinks.

[xviciousx]

Nah, in America we're over-censored... can't have alcohol related. See my censorship post for more info on our censorship problem.

[beef_bourito]

Originally Posted by vinnym86

should we blame the government? or blame society? or should we blame the images on TV?

HECK NO! Blame Canada! Blame Canada!

damn straight, we canadians have been screwing up education for you americans since..... what's 2005 minus 1950? damnit, i need a calculator.... 55 years.

anyways, my math is more like:
A logger is carrying 10 tonnes of carbon 14 for some reason, given the half life of carbon 14 is 5760 years, calculate how much carbon 14 would be left after 3 hours.
or
Prove that the sum of the squares of the diagonals of a parallelogram are equal to twice the sum of the squares of the sides of the same parallelogram.
or
prove that (axb)=(square root sign for this whole thing)(a*a)(b*b)+2(a*b)

that kinda stuff, you know, the stuff that im never going to use.

[Mustangman25]

It's is true...I had to buy some special bolt at the Ford dealer a couple weeks ago, and the bill came to a whopping $.82. I gave the cashier a dollar bill, she stared at me for a moment, and then got out a calculator to figure out how much change she owed me. Wow.

[xviciousx]

shit is crazy

[stieh2000]

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

damn straight, we canadians have been screwing up education for you americans since..... what's 2005 minus 1950? damnit, i need a calculator.... 55 years.

anyways, my math is more like:
A logger is carrying 10 tonnes of carbon 14 for some reason, given the half life of carbon 14 is 5760 years, calculate how much carbon 14 would be left after 3 hours.
or
Prove that the sum of the squares of the diagonals of a parallelogram are equal to twice the sum of the squares of the sides of the same parallelogram.
or
prove that (axb)=(square root sign for this whole thing)(a*a)(b*b)+2(a*b)

that kinda stuff, you know, the stuff that im never going to use.

Your math is actually pretty easy. Right now I'm taking a course in Differential Equations (if you don't know what that is, don't even bother to ask). Sad thing is, I'll actually end up using it as an engineer.

[sameintheend01]

Originally Posted by stieh2000

Your math is actually pretty easy. Right now I'm taking a course in Differential Equations (if you don't know what that is, don't even bother to ask). Sad thing is, I'll actually end up using it as an engineer.

the sad thing is you think you will, but you won't (i took D.E. a few years ago and interned as a mechanical engineer. didn't use shit. maybe some statistics, but that's it).

[beef_bourito]

im in grade 12, and you really don't use that stuff as an engineer. i know a few that have told me they haven't used calculus since they started working as an engineer.

[stieh2000]

thanks for the reassurance guys

[zx2guy]

yes we americans are poor at math... ussually, unless you count things for a living... or write those damn math books and have to make the answer book for it too. or are a math teacher. i think our math teachers in the lower grades should break any and all calculators we have. then we gotta do it in our head. <wait to use those graphing calculators for the hard stuff in college.

[stieh2000]

Originally Posted by zx2guy

yes we americans are poor at math... ussually, unless you count things for a living... or write those damn math books and have to make the answer book for it too. or are a math teacher. i think our math teachers in the lower grades should break any and all calculators we have. then we gotta do it in our head. <wait to use those graphing calculators for the hard stuff in college.

Yes, but how often are the awnsers in the back of the math books wrong?

And then their was my Pre-Calc teacher junior year in HS. He was a boring soft spoken guy who made Ben Stein look like Robin Williams on crack. That, and I can't remember how many times (and not just because I couldn't pay attention) he started a problem on the borad as an example only to go haflway through it untill he realized it was a "bad example," at which a student would point out his mistake, or he just give up.

I also like the idea about the calculators.