Re:Just teach my kid the math
by dahart on Sunday February 18, 2018 @10:56AM
(#16406606)
> having universal algorithms for solving problems and describing the universe is really what math is more about.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean. What universal algorithms are there currently for solving problems and describing the universe? And why are these universal algorithms more important than estimation skill in practice?
Are you suggesting that there's always only one true way to do things in math, and that the quest for the one true way is the only noble pursuit?
FWIW, to me that sentence somewhat reads like a pre-conceived idea about math that could possibly impede your appreciation for valid alternative approaches.
It's worth considering that in computing, the algorithms that have been used for math in processors and standard libraries have been changing dramatically ever since the first transistor. And it's not because the newer algorithms are more universal, it's often because we're simply making different tradeoffs over time. Sometimes it's because better algorithms are being invented, because the algorithms we thought were great turn out to be not universal. Sometimes it's because a new fast approximation formula is discovered that is accurate to the precision of the machine.
There's very little in computing today that is "universal", despite the pedagogical emphasis on this abstract idea. There are, however, lots of algorithms that are canonized. Math constructs that seem universal because everyone knows them and they're popular, and alternatives aren't well known, enough that it becomes hard to imagine the alternatives.
> My kids are entirely missing that in their common core education...
Are you absolutely certain that's true? Common core, as the author pointed out, is still required to teach the old algorithms. Are you sure you're not having an emotional reaction to not quite understanding why some of the new methods are there and/or being unfamiliar with them? Your reaction here is exactly what this entire post was addressing.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean. What universal algorithms are there currently for solving problems and describing the universe? And why are these universal algorithms more important than estimation skill in practice?
Are you suggesting that there's always only one true way to do things in math, and that the quest for the one true way is the only noble pursuit?
FWIW, to me that sentence somewhat reads like a pre-conceived idea about math that could possibly impede your appreciation for valid alternative approaches.
It's worth considering that in computing, the algorithms that have been used for math in processors and standard libraries have been changing dramatically ever since the first transistor. And it's not because the newer algorithms are more universal, it's often because we're simply making different tradeoffs over time. Sometimes it's because better algorithms are being invented, because the algorithms we thought were great turn out to be not universal. Sometimes it's because a new fast approximation formula is discovered that is accurate to the precision of the machine.
There's very little in computing today that is "universal", despite the pedagogical emphasis on this abstract idea. There are, however, lots of algorithms that are canonized. Math constructs that seem universal because everyone knows them and they're popular, and alternatives aren't well known, enough that it becomes hard to imagine the alternatives.
> My kids are entirely missing that in their common core education...
Are you absolutely certain that's true? Common core, as the author pointed out, is still required to teach the old algorithms. Are you sure you're not having an emotional reaction to not quite understanding why some of the new methods are there and/or being unfamiliar with them? Your reaction here is exactly what this entire post was addressing.