I think the way we explain the importance of high school level math to students is wrong. In engineering school the retired engineers taught us that we aren’t being taught calculus because we’re going to use it all the time, we’re taught it so we can understand why the calculator is spitting out the number it’s spitting out and so that we can understand when that number is clearly wrong. I don’t sit down with a pencil and paper to calculate a derivative or integral practically ever, but I do use the relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration sometimes on the fly.

If we explain to high schoolers that algebra is so you understand the relationships between numbers so you can tell at a glance if you’re being cheated by someone’s math or that you entered the wrong number in the calculator. The goal of trig is to leave you with a better understanding of how physical space works and the basics in preparation for physics.

The goal of a general education is to leave you with a broad base of knowledge. You don’t need to perfectly remember everything but rather have a surface level understanding on a variety of topics with an ability to delve deeper if needed

[–] SkyNTP@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A great point. Learning math doesn't automatically make you equipped to deal with other things that have math in it. At least no more so than learning a language equips you to do poetry.

Taxes are a whole different system that needs to be learned, on top of learning math. At best you can say that learning math equips you to take a tax course.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Exactly. The hard part of taxes is government policy, not math. If you didn’t learn the math necessary to do taxes your high school wasn’t the stage of the education system that failed you, it was elementary school. High school math provides you with skills that will aid you in other fundamental civic functions such as teaching you the logical thinking you’ll need should you ever be called upon to serve your country as as a juror or to understand graphs, charts, and statistics so that you can understand the issues facing the country when you go to vote.

Math isn’t pointless, it just has for a long time been taught very poorly by people who don’t like it or understand how it plays a role throughout your life. It’s a punching bag subject.

And if none of that convinces you then just think of it as easier to teach everyone it than to sort out every kid that might try to become a scientist or engineer. Maintaining an elite force of scientists and engineers is a matter of national and economic security in the eyes of the United States government.

[–] Loid@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So you are telling me that high school math is the equivalent of unlocking the other buttons on a calculator.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Basically yeah. But it’s also the process of learning how to estimate the world in numeric values. Algebra is a form of logic puzzle. It teaches that numbers follow logic and when taught right enforces the fact that math isn’t a rote process.

High school math is how you learn what 30% off means you pay. High school math is how you learn what 30 degrees is and how far away you missed if you’re 30 degrees off. And high school science should be teaching you significant figures which you combine with math to understand that you’re usually looking not in specifics but in approximates. All of these subjects do interact at points.

I was raised to be an engineer so I never asked when I’ll use math, but I think the question is bad. It’s not when you’ll use it, it’s how is it changing how you think. Math teaches you to think logically. Science teaches you to think empirically. Literature classes which I never thought I’d use taught me how to think critically. The arts teach you to think creatively. History and social studies teach you to think of the world’s relationships and causes and effects (all while trying to sneak in a basic understanding of how to operate the government that you’re going to be an equal shareholder of). High school is trying to make you into a good member of the democratic population with a variety of mental tools and frameworks at your disposal. The common person had to fight for their children to have this education. It’s valuable and all commoners benefit from all of us having it.