Math...

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I'd love to ask any of the engineers on the Apollo project if they LOVED slide rules, or if they seriously thought every eighth grade math assignment engaged them. I think the premise of this thread is a bit off. We're not doomed to societal decline because we don't care anymore, but rather school absolutely sucks at being engaging to the brightest children of today. Classes are too easy (and thus boring and a waste of time), too repetitive, and too intellectually empty for the best and brightest of today. That's one of the reasons the FIRST program is so important; it gives something to high schoolers that they can actually care enough about, and it shows them there's light at the end of the secondary school education tunnel.

We can't just pretend that telling students that they need to find mindless drivel "fun" will solve the world's problems.

I'm curious if public schooling has actually declined in overall quality over the past 50 years. We like to say it has, but I'm willing to bet that your average student has significantly more access to higher level classes than they did 50 years ago. My Dad was an honors student who went on to get a degree in Engineering Physics and he graduated high school without taking Calculus I. Had I stayed at my original high school, I could've taken through Calc II, and since Maine has a magnet school I was lucky enough to take Statistics, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra before I graduated.

On the other hand, access to hands-on classes has definitely declined in my area. All of the schools in Midcoast Maine got rid of their wood/metal/auto shops in the '90s. There is still a vocational school, but its schedule is designed to fit with the lower level classes, not the college prep ones.

Interesting discussion!

[iwin2000]

I had to look up "slide rule" because I didn't know what it was. I guess that says something. :/

[demosthenes2k8]

Haha, I want to bring a slide rule to Calculus, just for laughs.
Especially since I have no idea how to use it.

[Chris is me]

I think focusing on the "slide rule" bit is really missing the point entirely. The slide rule is for all intents and purposes a mechanical calculator - knowing how to use a slide rule doesn't make you better at math than someone using a calculator.