I have spent the last few days helping my son wade through some sticky algebra. Some of it was new to me and the book he had didn't fully explain things. Since I am not in his class, I could not be there to hear how the instructor explained it and he doesn't write down words...only formulas (the same ones in the book) so his notes were of no help to me. I had to go online. Even then, there was a not a full explanation of things.
Projectile formula. FINALLY, after 3 days, I got to the 'OH!" moment. I now get it. I could explain to him how they reached the number they did for how long the projectile was in the air...and what the two 'answers' meant. One is the projectile going up...the other is the projectile going down. Add both numbers together to get the amount of time the projectile was in the air. I know that sounds simplistic but you first have to find the highest point the projectile reached. The rest is all relative. And I am RUSTY at this. I loved it though!
Then there was this one word problem. I did it 4 times. Set it up wrong the first three times becuz I just wasn't thinking through the wording correctly. Got completely frustrated and pushed it aside. I am not one to give up. I knew if I walked away and did something else then went back and read it anew it would come to me. I was right. Wrote down the formula correctly and it was a piece of cake after that.
I think getting my math masters will leave me bald.
My son does know what he's doing. He just has to stop and think...I told him he knows and he just has to take his time and think it through...like I had to that word problem that was kicking my butt. AND like the projectile formula (btw...that makes me think of the projectile vomiting of formula that my son did as a newborn...I wonder if I could have written out a formula to figure out how long the formula would stay down and how far he would launch it after it came back up? I had to switch to soy formula)
He is already getting anxious about his next algebra class that he has to take this summer...then the trig class in the fall. Personally, I get excited thinking about it. I am a world class geek. yikes.
9 comments:
Nancy:
It is reassuring to know that there are still those people out there who can get excited over a projectile formula. :^)
I was thinking the exact same thing about projectile formula. Then I read the rest of your entry and DAMN, you stole my punchline....
:-)
Sounds like you're getting into the math thing. Hope it works out.
So, you think you could pass today's HS algebra, eh?
Seriously, as a retired Engineer who used very little algebra/geon/trig the last 15 years of my career (thanks to all the computers) I wonder how important it is to have a keen sense of math these days.
That being said - I suppose humans (at least some of them) should know how to do what the computers are doing - just in case someone 'pulls the plug' one day.
ICE...it is true...now days no one really needs to be able to know how to do the math on their own. I missed my window of opportunity. My son is having a fit that he has to be able to work this all out on his own, still. Even his instructors tell him that he will most likely never use it, even in the line of work he is pursuing. He already showed me the programs he has on his computer for doing the math for him. I just like being able to do it myself...make my brain work instead of my fingers on the keyboard. I now know that if I go for a masters it will be in tech ed...not math
Ah, the mystery and wonders of Algebra! I loved it in school....don't ask me why. I didn't do drugs, so I have no explaination, lol.
Happy Mother's Day!
Pup
Skinny...of course you know I had to go for the cheap joke. LOL I most likely won't pursue the math masters. I am leaning towards tech ed which is more the way things are going. I will most likely achieve it by the time I am retired.
Whit...someone has to do it.
Pup...my son thinks I'm just all wrong. He says his instructor says he gets goosebumps when he even THINKS of math. I am no where near that 'odd'. LOL I just like the idea that there is a clear cut way to do it.
Nancy,
There was a progression when I went to school: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, advanced algebra, advanced trig, calculus - and what I mostly remember is that the college professor who taught calculus was roughly old enough to have created it. Then there was the Latin teacher who, I believe, had Cicero as a student ...
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