[sandorski]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

The issue with the public schools failing to teach the hard sciences, music, and mathematics is that these disciplines function in the realm of absolutes. You either can do these things or you cannot. There are no gray areas in the sciences, mathematics, or in musical ability.
And science, math, and music have plenty of right and wrong in them.

So teaching a kid about disciplines that feature absolutes makes it damned hard to come back later on and tell a kid that there are no absolutes when it suits a particular (*cough* *cough* left wing) agenda.

Therefore, the solution is to simply stop teaching these disciplines wither outright (in the case of science and music) or by artifice, in the case of mathematics.

Music an absolute? I disagree.

[BartSimpson]

Dragom Dragom:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

So teaching a kid about disciplines that feature absolutes makes it damned hard to come back later on and tell a kid that there are no absolutes when it suits a particular (*cough* *cough* left wing) agenda.

Exactly, After all if (Tax)-(Spending)< 0 then (Tax-x)-(Spending+y)>0 where x and y are positive numbers right?

I see you've read Obama's FY 2010 Federal Budget.

[BartSimpson]

sandorski sandorski:

Music an absolute? I disagree.

That's because you never studied music.

[gonavy47]

Can't really blame the kids. Look at the banking system for example: subprime mortgages = bankruptcies and the collapse of the economy. They didn't understand the equal sign either.

[PluggyRug]

I was trying to explain Boolean algebra to some adult electronics students.

One was having problems with simple formulea including the equal sign.

I put two simple drawings on the white board. One with two triangles either side of the equal sign, one with a triangle and a square either side of the equal sign explainng that one was equal and the other not. The student said that both are unequal, as the two triangles were different sizes.

[Dragom]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Dragom Dragom:

Exactly, After all if (Tax)-(Spending)< 0 then (Tax-x)-(Spending+y)>0 where x and y are positive numbers right?

I see you've read Obama's FY 2010 Federal Budget.

It's actually the integral Republican party line.

Republican: (Tax-x)-(Spending+y)>0

Democrat: (Tax+x)-(Spending+y)>0

Libertarian: (Tax-x)-(Spending-y)>0

Theoretical Unpopular Party (that would actually take debt payment seriously and be lynched by angry mobs after exiting office): (Tax+x)-(Spending-y)>0

[herbie]

Boolean logic? WAAAAYYY over their heads....... Windoze duz it all. Why shood we hafta no that shit?
I get electronics grads and have to tell them every fucking day at 9:00 am, you have to be ON the network to TEST that network.
And I love it when they tell me "Windoze says" 255.255.255.192 is not a valid netmask...
no wonder we can't get to the fucking moon ever again! My Dad's generation built A-bombs with a fucking slide-rule, got to the moon with those and 4 bit computers. We can't even build CARS anymore. The next N American to land on the Moon better have Visa to pay for the egg-rolls when he gets there!

[sandorski]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

sandorski sandorski:

Music an absolute? I disagree.

That's because you never studied music.

Though I haven't studied Music, I can't accept that it's Absolute. What makes it so?

[DrCaleb]

herbie herbie:

Boolean logic? WAAAAYYY over their heads....... Windoze duz it all. Why shood we hafta no that shit?
I get electronics grads and have to tell them every fucking day at 9:00 am, you have to be ON the network to TEST that network.
And I love it when they tell me "Windoze says" 255.255.255.192 is not a valid netmask...
no wonder we can't get to the fucking moon ever again! My Dad's generation built A-bombs with a fucking slide-rule, got to the moon with those and 4 bit computers. We can't even build CARS anymore. The next N American to land on the Moon better have Visa to pay for the egg-rolls when he gets there!

Sad, but true!

[BartSimpson]

sandorski sandorski:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

sandorski sandorski:

Music an absolute? I disagree.

That's because you never studied music.

Though I haven't studied Music, I can't accept that it's Absolute. What makes it so?

Music is really a mathematical expression and regardless of the style of music you follow...even rap...absolute mathematical values are expressed.

Here's a good explanation of this:

http://members.cox.net/mathmistakes/music.htm

[PublicAnimalNo9]

1)Get the damn calculators out of the grade school classrooms and actually start TEACHING math again.

2)Failing isn't the end of the world in school. However, I think it has less to do with a percieved threat to little Johnny's self esteem and more to do with teachers protecting their jobs. If too many kids are failing their class, it may be the teacher that gets a good looking at.

[sandorski]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

sandorski sandorski:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

That's because you never studied music.

Though I haven't studied Music, I can't accept that it's Absolute. What makes it so?

Music is really a mathematical expression and regardless of the style of music you follow...even rap...absolute mathematical values are expressed.

Here's a good explanation of this:

http://members.cox.net/mathmistakes/music.htm

It's still not an absolute.

[BartSimpson]

sandorski sandorski:

It's still not an absolute.

An 'A' note is 440Hz. Period.

That's an absolute. It's not open to interpretation and regardless of anyone's feelings if they want to hit an A note and they hit 439Hz then they're absolutely wrong.

As it is stated, music is easily expressed in mathematical formula and it is then predictable in those formulas. Things that diverge from those strictures are wrong.

And, if music were not an absolute then we'd see affirmative action lawsuits to force the record companies to hire the untalented.

[andyt]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

sandorski sandorski:

It's still not an absolute.

An 'A' note is 440Hz. Period.

That's an absolute. It's not open to interpretation and regardless of anyone's feelings if they want to hit an A note and they hit 439Hz then they're absolutely wrong.

As it is stated, music is easily expressed in mathematical formula and it is then predictable in those formulas. Things that diverge from those strictures are wrong.

And, if music were not an absolute then we'd see affirmative action lawsuits to force the record companies to hire the untalented.

Actually, you're wrong, 110hz, 220hz etc are also A notes.

Some music certainly sounds like they got the formula wrong. Some modern symphonic music, written apparently entirely by formula, sounds terrible to my ears. If music were only about math, I think computers would be producing better music than humans by now.

[herbie]

Get this. The 22 yr old highschool grad went to send a fax for a customer. He turned around and came back from the room the multifunction copier is in and asked the customer to wait for a moment. Then he walked around the service desk, to the front door, saw me three doors down the mall talking to his employment counsellor. Walked up, interrupted our conversation and asked if the fax machine was working yet.
He was somewhat shocked when I wheeled around and screamed "Are you fucking retarded? You were standing in front of it. Push the fucking button and find out!"
I had been telling the counsellor that the day before I'd asked not to be interrupted for ten minutes so I could eat lunch. He'd interrupted three times before I could hork down one slice of pizza with equally moronic questions.