This idiot wants to ban fractions even thought they're better.

[RedShoe]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science...?se=yahoorefer


Divide the number 1 into 3rds using a fraction and then try it using the decimal system.

[After Shock Media]

Im sorry I went to public school in the US and can not do either of those tasks.

[Fletch XXX]

Im sorry I went to public school in the US and can not do either of those tasks.

i went to catholic (private) school and I do not do any number calculations without my calculator.

Some may say thats silly, but Id rather know that the calculator is never wrong.

Anyone else have a calculator in every room for ease of reach? lol

[StuartD]

I loved math.... hated algebra.

Now I do algebra for a living.

Go figure.

[After Shock Media]

i went to catholic (private) school and I do not do any number calculations without my calculator.

Some may say thats silly, but Id rather know that the calculator is never wrong.

Anyone else have a calculator in every room for ease of reach? lol

I use calculators too but at least at your fancy private school they taught you the proper forumlas to figure such tasks out. Without those calculators are only good for simple math.

[uno]

I loved math.... hated algebra.

Now I do algebra for a living.

Go figure.

I'd much rather do calculus than basic algebra.

[StuartD]

I'd much rather do calculus than basic algebra.

I'd rather be doing just about anything than basic algebra.

[Fletch XXX]

I use calculators too but at least at your fancy private school they taught you the proper forumlas to figure such tasks out. Without those calculators are only good for simple math.

doesn't matter what they taught me, I don't remember any of it!

ratios and amount totals, is all I care about!

[Spunky]

No wonder I failed Math..fractions hurts my head

[papill0n]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science...?se=yahoorefer


Divide the number 1 into 3rds using a fraction and then try it using the decimal system.

3.33 recurring

next

[96ukssob]

fractions only get difficult when you are adding up noncommon denominators on the fly

[StuartD]

3.33 recurring

next

Dividing 1 into 3rds gives you 3.33??

Buy a new calculator.

[RedShoe]

3.33 recurring

next

Ben.. now use fractions.

1 divided by 3 = 1/3 Simple.

Now then, 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 = 3/3 which is 1

But 1 divided by 3 in the decimal system = .33333333333333333 recuring

.33 +.33 +.33 = .99 Decimals are inaccurate.

This math professor in the article is a tool.

[BannerAnt]

idiot? - he's an award-winning professor in mathematics

certainly sounds like an idiot to me.

[pet kangaroo]

but

.33 recurring + .33 recurring + .33 recurring = 1.0

[BannerAnt]

i went to catholic (private) school

it's all starting to make sense now

[RedShoe]

idiot? - he's an award-winning professor in mathematics

certainly sounds like an idiot to me.

Gore got an award for telling us shit we already knew. Go figure.
Marissa Tomei, won an award for My Cousin Vinny... go figure.

[TSGlider]

"One through nine, no maybes, no supposes, no fractions. You can't travel in space, you can't go out into space, you know, without, like, you know, uh, with fractions – what are you going to land on – one-quarter, three-eighths? What are you going to do when you go from here to Venus or something? That's dialectic physics."

[woj]

heh, so that's what those "award-winning professors" are pondering now a days... What's next? They'll want to ban color green, because blue is better?

[BannerAnt]

Gore got an award for telling us shit we already knew. Go figure.
Marissa Tomei, won an award for My Cousin Vinny... go figure.

let's not talk about Gore and his bullshit.

[P.CUBENSIS=D]

.33 +.33 +.33 = .99 Decimals are inaccurate.

This math professor in the article is a tool.

Decimals are precise , quite the contrary to 'inaccurate' ...


I hate fractions anyway, computers don't use em, just like the tool said

[Malicious Biz]

Fractions are sooo last week.

[RedShoe]

Decimals are precise , quite the contrary to 'inaccurate' ...


I hate fractions anyway, computers don't use em, just like the tool said

Well, still... no one has divided 1 into 3 equal parts using decimals yet.

[aico]

I think he's 1/2 right.

[DigitalDruid]

I loved math.... hated algebra.

Now I do algebra for a living.

Go figure.

thats just god fucking with you.... ;)

[RedShoe]

thats just god fucking with you.... ;)

Tell that to this man.

[moeloubani]

well thats just dumb, what about if you have two variables and you are dividing those? for example a/b = ? how can you express that in terms of a decimal, so much in mathematics later on is based on variables and constants that this would never work

[Barefootsies]

Im sorry I went to public school in the US and can not do either of those tasks.

[D Ghost]

Im sorry I went to public school in the US and can not do either of those tasks.

Same. WTF. MATH IS FOR FUCKING CALCULATORS.

[V_RocKs]

The guy needs to smoke less crack.

"Yes, I'd like to order a pizza. Uhh, huh... On point five I would like pepperoni and on the other point five I'd like anchovies. Oh and on a point twenty-five of the pepperoni point five can I have Canadian bacon too? Thanks!"

I don't see how this is going to ever happen.

[rowan]

Anyone remember what the fraction 22/7 was used for?

[RedShoe]

The guy needs to smoke less crack.

"Yes, I'd like to order a pizza. Uhh, huh... On point five I would like pepperoni and on the other point five I'd like anchovies. Oh and on a point twenty-five of the pepperoni point five can I have Canadian bacon too? Thanks!"

I don't see how this is going to ever happen.

Didn't even think of that.

What will I say when people ask me if I'm white?
"No, I'm only point five. Point five white and point five mexiCAN."

[RedShoe]

Anyone remember what the fraction 22/7 was used for?

"What is a complete fraction that is used to solve an unsolvable math problem?"

"Correct for 400, please choose another category."

Thanks Alex, I'll take "how to fuck with GFY for a 1000 please"

[fr0gman]

I really like cold beer.

[ADL Colin]

.33 +.33 +.33 = .99 Decimals are inaccurate.

This math professor in the article is a tool.

You can use simple algebra and be accurate. Just assume all the .33333's are repeating.

Let x = .33333+.33333+.33333 = 3(.33333...)
10x = 3*(3.33333) ; multiply both sides by 10.

Subtract the first term from the first and solve for x.

(10x-x) = 3*(3.33333)-3*(.33333)
9x = 3(3.33333-.33333)
9x = 3 (3)
9x = 9
x = 1

[Paul Markham]

You have to learn modern methods and tools. but school is about training your brain to think and reason. not about finding the easiest way to do everything.

Calculators are a tool. So is a bike, maybe in sport instead of running they should be telling you to get on a bike as it's easier and faster. The brain is like a muscle, exercise it and it works better.

But then this is GFY.

[who]

but school is about training your brain to think and reason. not about finding the easiest way to do everything.

That was probably true back in the 40's.

Now, however, school is nothing but a daycare center for your children. Teachers are nothing but gimps earning a paycheck. They keep their job by making sure their students pass. They make sure their students pass by teaching them how to memorize answers, and how to use calculators effectively.

There are no real teachers left anymore. That said, there are no real students either.

[ADL Colin]

I know he doesn't say fractions should not be taught at all but it is funny to look at the blackboard behind him in the pic.

[RedShoe]

You can use simple algebra and be accurate. Just assume all the .33333's are repeating.

Let x = .33333+.33333+.33333 = 3(.33333...)
10x = 3*(3.33333) ; multiply both sides by 10.

Subtract the first term from the first and solve for x.

(10x-x) = 3*(3.33333)-3*(.33333)
9x = 3(3.33333-.33333)
9x = 3 (3)
9x = 9
x = 1

10-ADL Colin = Nerd
10x-x = Nerd
RedShoe = -Nerd
Nerd = Colin ADL
RedShoe is not a nerd

It's always easier to just make fun of shit we don't understand.

[RedShoe]

You can use simple algebra and be accurate. Just assume all the .33333's are repeating.

Let x = .33333+.33333+.33333 = 3(.33333...)
10x = 3*(3.33333) ; multiply both sides by 10.

Subtract the first term from the first and solve for x.

(10x-x) = 3*(3.33333)-3*(.33333)
9x = 3(3.33333-.33333)
9x = 3 (3)
9x = 9
x = 1

Actually, Colin...

o y = r cubed over 3. And if you determine the rate of change in this curve correctly, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Derivative dy = 3 r squared dr over 3, or r squared dr, or......

Colin? Figure this one out genius.

[Linguist]

he's not talking about completely about getting rid of them, only for high school. It's impossible to do math without fractions, as simple as that. He just proposes to introduce those along with integrals and such.

but us school system is fucked up as is, this might make things even worse

[Linguist]

And those who argue about repeating numbers, they will never be as accurate as fractions. Computers approximate but real math is about precision. Infinite 0.333... is not as precise as 1/3rd. It approaches the number but never hits it.

[Linguist]

You can use simple algebra and be accurate. Just assume all the .33333's are repeating.

Let x = .33333+.33333+.33333 = 3(.33333...)
10x = 3*(3.33333) ; multiply both sides by 10.

Subtract the first term from the first and solve for x.

(10x-x) = 3*(3.33333)-3*(.33333)
9x = 3(3.33333-.33333)
9x = 3 (3)
9x = 9
x = 1

You can use those subtraction tricks in the same way as you'd use a Turing machine to write computer programs... the question is - why? Fractions are much easier to work with than decimals

[darksoul]

those lazy americans, no wonder the schools are a joke

[ADL Colin]

Actually, Colin...

o y = r cubed over 3. And if you determine the rate of change in this curve correctly, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Derivative dy = 3 r squared dr over 3, or r squared dr, or......

Colin? Figure this one out genius.

That's a simple calculus problem. The derivative of (r^3)/3 is just r^2.

I didn't have much difficulty in math until I studied noneuclidean geometry. Got a C but was going through divorce at time so difficult to tell if it was me or the situation.

[ADL Colin]

You can use those subtraction tricks in the same way as you'd use a Turing machine to write computer programs... the question is - why? Fractions are much easier to work with than decimals

Of course anyone would use a fraction in that PARTICULAR situation

But you have problems where you will get output in decimal form that cannot be represented as fractions. For example, my senior project used a symplectic integration scheme to predict the positions of the plants over hundreds of millions of years. You couldn't represent those positions in fractions.

[mynameisyep]

I hate math..

[Linguist]

Of course anyone would use a fraction in that PARTICULAR situation

But you have problems where you will get output in decimal form that cannot be represented as fractions. For example, my senior project used a symplectic integration scheme to predict the positions of the plants over hundreds of millions of years. You couldn't represent those positions in fractions.

You'd probably write a program to do that, so who cares ;)

I did a whole bunch of stuff in matlab that spewed tables of decimals, there's time and place for everything

[RedShoe]

That's a simple calculus problem. The derivative of (r^3)/3 is just r^2.

I didn't have much difficulty in math until I studied noneuclidean geometry. Got a C but was going through divorce at time so difficult to tell if it was me or the situation.

Wrong Colin. The answer is RDRR.. or r d rr.. or Har Dee Har Har.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

C'mon man... don't you watch the Simpsons?

[Linguist]

"Penn State mathematician Andrews says he believes DeTurck's ideas will "unfortunately" gain traction because of the misguided belief that math education can somehow be made easy:

"Math is hard. The idea that somehow we're going to make math just fun is just a dream.""

My fucking god. This Andrews idiot should get his ass fired and never be allowed to teach again. Stick to the lab if you can't teach. Professors like this piss me right the fuck off. Math is only hard if you make it so.