Post by Bret Walker on Feb 18, 2005 16:21:05 GMT -5
Reprinted from the AOA highlights (FAA newsletter)
READER’S FEEDBACK: We should have known better than to poke fun at algebra in front of an audience of engineers and techies. Here’s a sample of reaction to last week’s closing comment, “Finally, if you ever wished to be young again, there’s one word to keep in mind and that word is — algebra.”
Wirt Epling writes: “Wading into the pool of mathematics is a wonderful thing (for a few of us in the pocket protection brigade). I couldn't wait for my children to get old enough to start algebra and need help. They're finally at that age and I've enjoyed every minute of that time together.
“Now, would I want to be young again? As I watch my kids deal with teenage angst and all that has changed in the world, no I wouldn't. But a chance to do more algebra … what more could you want?
Glen Hewitt virtually soars on the subject of algebra: “…When I think of that marvelous 7-letter word that some people curse, I think of nothing but fondness. ‘Algebra,’ my friend, is like your crossword puzzle with numbers. A pastime for the idle minutes while waiting for the girlfriend to join you one the bleacher seats. A Rubic's cube in two dimensions. A game of Solitaire without the cards. A key to many of the common riddles of everyday life (e.g. ‘if I leave an hour before you and travel at 50 MPH, and....’). A facile tool to crack the mathematical nuts of seemingly not so simple questions. An arithmetic Swiss Army knife that has something that can work on just about any daily problem. I LOVED algebra, and found that just like the man says in the 8-minute Abs workout tape used by the FAA Exercise Facility, ‘these exercises are safe, effective, and fun... and they really work!’ That, sir, is algebra!”<br>
Fortunately, it wasn’t a total slam-dunk for the pro-algebra crowd; kindred soul Peggy April wrote: “I just had to write you after reading that comment in the AOA Highlights today. It made me laugh, because it is so true! My eighty-year old mom is soon to graduate from college and is taking her last five credits this quarter, in math. She has worked hard to pass all of her classes, but hardest of all to pass has been the college algebra. I think she's tried just about everything to help herself memorize formulas needed for tests. I have heard her say many times that the challenge is keeping her mind active and young!”
READER’S FEEDBACK: We should have known better than to poke fun at algebra in front of an audience of engineers and techies. Here’s a sample of reaction to last week’s closing comment, “Finally, if you ever wished to be young again, there’s one word to keep in mind and that word is — algebra.”
Wirt Epling writes: “Wading into the pool of mathematics is a wonderful thing (for a few of us in the pocket protection brigade). I couldn't wait for my children to get old enough to start algebra and need help. They're finally at that age and I've enjoyed every minute of that time together.
“Now, would I want to be young again? As I watch my kids deal with teenage angst and all that has changed in the world, no I wouldn't. But a chance to do more algebra … what more could you want?
Glen Hewitt virtually soars on the subject of algebra: “…When I think of that marvelous 7-letter word that some people curse, I think of nothing but fondness. ‘Algebra,’ my friend, is like your crossword puzzle with numbers. A pastime for the idle minutes while waiting for the girlfriend to join you one the bleacher seats. A Rubic's cube in two dimensions. A game of Solitaire without the cards. A key to many of the common riddles of everyday life (e.g. ‘if I leave an hour before you and travel at 50 MPH, and....’). A facile tool to crack the mathematical nuts of seemingly not so simple questions. An arithmetic Swiss Army knife that has something that can work on just about any daily problem. I LOVED algebra, and found that just like the man says in the 8-minute Abs workout tape used by the FAA Exercise Facility, ‘these exercises are safe, effective, and fun... and they really work!’ That, sir, is algebra!”<br>
Fortunately, it wasn’t a total slam-dunk for the pro-algebra crowd; kindred soul Peggy April wrote: “I just had to write you after reading that comment in the AOA Highlights today. It made me laugh, because it is so true! My eighty-year old mom is soon to graduate from college and is taking her last five credits this quarter, in math. She has worked hard to pass all of her classes, but hardest of all to pass has been the college algebra. I think she's tried just about everything to help herself memorize formulas needed for tests. I have heard her say many times that the challenge is keeping her mind active and young!”
