" Forty problems a night. Most of my mathematician friends and I are only able to solve about two problems a year - if we're lucky!"
Yes because they are MATHEMATICIANS, they know math, their job is to expand humanities understanding of the world. They are not math STUDENTS. These mathematician friends of hers have learned the math and have it down cold and can use what they know to explore what they do not know.
"The reality is that the largest challenge in mathematics is finding a good problem to solve or theorem to prove - a single conjecture that is both interesting and approachable"
Yes and again the people she speaks of are MATHEMATICIANS and that is their job, after they have learned the mechanics. They are not going to tackle these problems if they do not know 2 + 2 = 4.
"Mathematics is about bold, adventuresome ideas, and the history of the subject is therefore fraught with mistakes, contusion, and invalid convictions."
Yes it is, if you are a Ph.D. in Mathematics like my cousin and doing mathematical research or if you are using it to do engineering work like I do or doing theoretical phyisics like a Richard Feynman, but if you are LEARNING math you must learn the basics before you can tackle the big ideas.
"NICK FIORI is a doctoral candidate in mathematics education "
" Forty problems a night. Most of my mathematician friends and I are only able to solve about two problems a year - if we're lucky!"
ReplyDeleteYes because they are MATHEMATICIANS, they know math, their job is to expand humanities understanding of the world. They are not math STUDENTS. These mathematician friends of hers have learned the math and have it down cold and can use what they know to explore what they do not know.
"The reality is that the largest challenge in mathematics is finding a good problem to solve or theorem to prove - a single conjecture that is both interesting and approachable"
Yes and again the people she speaks of are MATHEMATICIANS and that is their job, after they have learned the mechanics. They are not going to tackle these problems if they do not know 2 + 2 = 4.
"Mathematics is about bold, adventuresome ideas, and the history of the subject is therefore fraught with mistakes, contusion, and invalid convictions."
Yes it is, if you are a Ph.D. in Mathematics like my cousin and doing mathematical research or if you are using it to do engineering work like I do or doing theoretical phyisics like a Richard Feynman, but if you are LEARNING math you must learn the basics before you can tackle the big ideas.
"NICK FIORI is a doctoral candidate in mathematics education "
Yep, that pretty much explains it.
What article are you talking about? I'm just have a link to a snow shovel.
ReplyDeleteSorry, my comments should have gone under the "it's going to get worse before it gets better" post.
ReplyDeleteI hit the wrong comments button. Can my comments be moved by Catherine?