40% of College Students get this question wrong. AND IT MAKES ME ANGRY!
- Thread starter buggy65
- Start date
wow... 40% got this wrong? I'm not familiar with the american or british educational systems, college comes after highschool, right? if so, shame on those 40%. it's dead easy... if highschool and college are the same thing, it was probably the firstyears that got it wrong or something. anyone who followed a highschool math course could've solved this with two fingers up their nose.
Fine. You decided to study maths longer than most people in your college. Ever thought that maybe people who aren't studying maths might not need to know how to "foil" (we called it "expanding" in the UK) anymore?buggy65 said:
People have to study languages at high school too. I chose to do a degree in languages, having never got any pleasure or interest in studying maths up until the age of 16. Do you think I get mad because people who didn't study languages have no idea how to fully conjugate verbs in French, German, Spanish or Italian? No, mainly because it's not important knowledge to people who don't choose to study or keep using their language skills. What does make my blood boil is people who travel to a foreign country and don't make any effort to speak the language. That's just horrendously arrogant laziness.
Oh, and IIRC, the answer should be
x^2 + 6x + 9.
[sub]Christ, I hope I got that right[/sub]
Back in the day I would of been able to do this easy as it looks incredibly basic algebra and I was sweet at Maths. But given I've not so much as thought of algebra in about 5 years I've completely forgot everything.
Now I'm all frustrated cause I have no idea where the 6x came from.
Edit: Spoiler ^ proved informative. \o/ now I is clever again.
Now I'm all frustrated cause I have no idea where the 6x came from.
Edit: Spoiler ^ proved informative. \o/ now I is clever again.
I'll say the thing that I said on another thread.Agayek said:
Let me guess this straight...You're on a "video game" forum saying that arts/music/literature are useless?
See the problem here?
That makes you angry does it? I couldn't expand brackets anymore, I havent done maths in 3 years, but when I did it I got an A, and yet I still couldn't do it without looking up the method.
Point is, unless you're going to be a mathematician, when will you EVER be asked to do a problem like this. Sure, I could understand if 40% of college students got 2+2 wrong, but expanding brackets? Who cares?
Point is, unless you're going to be a mathematician, when will you EVER be asked to do a problem like this. Sure, I could understand if 40% of college students got 2+2 wrong, but expanding brackets? Who cares?
Well I got it wrong. Then again I haven't done anything like that since high school and I've tried my best to forget.
Anyway, I thought FOIL was just an acronym? A way of remembering the process? I wouldn't actually call the problem FOIL, because we use FOIL to do the problem.
Anyway, I thought FOIL was just an acronym? A way of remembering the process? I wouldn't actually call the problem FOIL, because we use FOIL to do the problem.
I don't know if it counts as being a dunce but I didn't realize that ^2 was the way of typing 'squared' when you aren't able to actually use the proper symbols.
x^2+6x+9
(x+3)^2 = x(x) + 3x + 3x + 3(3) = x^2 + 6x + 9
There, I even showed my work.
There, I even showed my work.
Seriously, though. Maybe it's just because I'm a math major as well, but there's no way 40% of college students fail to answer that question. It's basic algebra. It should impossible for that percentage to be true. Should be, at least.
Yes, simple math like adding and subtracting are certainly relevant. Is algebra? No. There really isn't a "real world" situation that requires people to do expanding brackets.StBishop said:
Although arguably, music is just as relevant. There was music before their was math after all.
It's
this is kinda off topic but while we're on the subject of maths in America when you are being taught things like Speed and Weight do you use the Imperial system in school ie. Miles, Pounds, Stone, etc or do you use the Metric system ie Kilograms, Kilometers, etc?
(x[sup]2[/sup]+6x+9)
Two problems here:Agayek said:
1) You are entering a structured learning environment to learn how to develop a completely subjective talent. No one can teach you how to be creative. They can teach you techniques that worked for famous/skilled artists to guide your art, but they will never be able to teach you how to be artistic. That is 100% entirely with you and whether or not you have the ability. It cannot be taught.
[/quote]
Whilst I studied Biology at University, I think your logic is flawed. University level education should not simply be a straight forward mechanical learning process.
If your higher education is simply a matter of learning how to carry out things by rote, you are being failed by your school. That sort of learning is for standard education in schools where they need to impart the fundamental basics to a large group of people en masse. Higher education is about (or rather should be - alot of institutions get lost in the pursuit of rankings and the like) a forum for sounding ideas off people who (again should) be experts in thier fields and gaining an in-depth understanding of what the field really involves.
Most of my Biology major wasn't simply learning mechanisms or anatomy as I was expected to have learnt that at school (or in my free time if necessary). No most of my contact time was spent arguing Evolutionary Theory with my lecturers, or debating biogeographical issues. Similarly an "art major" from a respected institution is far more than simply learning about how others did it (in fact that has nothing to do with it) but rather a way of allowing people to develop a deeper understanding of the issues they are dealing with and forming a sound basis for thier arguments.
