What is the point in half the Algebra we Study in school?

[ShockSlayer]

There is NO point! Just pass the class so you can have a good resume!

SS

[Life of Brian]

I'm a Chemistry major and a Junior and I use just about every bit of math that I've learned so far on a regular basis. You have to learn the basics before you can do the important stuff.

[gamemasterAS]

My math teacher is a female dog, I just got midterms, And I have 100,98,95 88 aprox. Can;t remember for sure off the top of my head. But in Algebra I have a 55, and have to get tutoring.

[johnbjuice]

Algebra (all its annoying equations) is -

1. VERY important! Fail it and you fail the rest of High School math/science. It is the basic for geometry, trigonometry, calculus, statistics, physics, chemistry, biology, ect.

2. Pathetically easy. All you need to learn is how variables and equations work and the rest just takes logic.

3. Important in working with any kind of computers/electronics and life! Figuring out how many Ohms your resistor has to be? There's an equation for that. Figuring out the amount of airflow you need to cool your computer/electronic device - there's an equation for that. Figuring out how to divide up food for a group of people - even that's an equation (A simple one, but yes it is!). Equations are EVERYTHING!

Don't complain - everyone goes through it all. I hated it too. But it's important.

[Kurt_]

And don't get behind. I got behind, and I dropped 10% fromt he year before. This year, I spent many hours figuring out how to do simple things like common factoring, and the difference between 2x and x^2. And I'm in the last year of high school. Don't waste your life, just do well in math, and know it.

And DON'T forget anything from (with the Ontario curriculum) grade 10 algebra, or grade 11 algebra, trig, and definitely not functions.

[Life of Brian]

Who here has trouble with remembering how to do integrations correctly? I'm retaking calc. 2 over the summer... Just barely passed last semester.

[Metallica Man X]

What's wrong with just KNOWING something? Shoot...I absorb random info left and right...albeit, I didn't take that many math classes..I failed them all at least once (accursed homework...aced every test, just didn't do any homework...)

But yeah, what's wrong with knowing it just to know it? You may never use it anywere...but it just feels good to know that you know how to do it

[daguuy]

the point is to find x

[Metroid fan]

Well the fact is I know that people use it all the time. But I will still whine about it until the sun burns out because I hate math, I find it difficult because I have crappy sucky should be killed teachers... That's the real reason I hate any subject is because half the time the teachers suck.

[Black Six]

You want to repair cars? A 200 HP engine turning at 2500 RPM is connected to an axle by two gears with a 4:3 ratio. The brakes put a resistance torque of 2000 Nm (directed outward) on the axle. Is this enough to stop the axle from turning?

Perhaps not something directly related to auto repair, but it requires basic mechanics, which is built on, you guess it, algebra.

You want to build and repair computers? I could probably think up an equally semi-valid problem, but I'll just say this. Algebra, and math in general, teach you problem solving techniques. If you want to be able to successfully troubleshoot why a computer isn't working, you're going to need those skills.

Bottom line is, pay attention, learn, and do well. If you don't, you'll work at McDonald's for the rest of your life.

[Rekarp]

Original Oil In Place (OOIP) (estimating the reserves of a oil reservoir)

Code: Select all

        
                    7,758 Por. (1-Sw) A h
    OOIP=  --------------------------------
		                Bo

	OOIP = Original-Oil-In-Place, Stb
	7,758  = reservoir bbls per acre-ft.
	Por  = Porosity, fraction
	Sw  = Water Saturation, fraction
	A   = Area, acres
	h   = net thickness, or height of formation, ft.
	Bo  = Formation Volume Factor, RB/Stb

Darcy's Law (flow rate of a fluid through a porous/permeable structure)

Code: Select all

                          kA          dp
              q =  -   -------     ------
                           µ         dx

	q = volumetric flow rate in cm3/ second
	k = permeability, darcies
	A = cross-sectional area of the rock, cm2
        µ = viscosity, centipoise
	dp/dx= pressure gradient, atmospheres/cm

Hydrostatics (how pressure and flow rate effect things).

This is just a sample of what a petroleum engineer has to learn in respect to math. So yes, for a real career math is important.

[joevennix]

trig is an extremely advanced type of mathematics. its properly called, trigenometry.

Anyways, algebra is hugely important if you ever want to do anything in the engineering fields. Algebra helps you solve problems easily, helps you rearrange and write equations. The knowledge you gain in algebra is necessary to move on to higher maths. Granted, some areas are a bit, if not very, unnecessary, but on the whole its definitely helpful, and does have many possible real-life uses. Just look at every single word problem in your text book (okay, some of them are definitely far-fetched, but most are reasonable).

And for the record, trigonometery isn't all that advanced or difficult, once you understand it.

[teraflop122]

God, I always hated trigonometric equations. I bypassed trig entirely and went straight to Precalc, then on to Calc as a high school senior, and missing Trig never held me back.

The language of Science is Math. If you consider Science important, than math must logically be of equal or greater importance. You need BOTH to fully learn and appreciate how the world works.

you'll work at McDonald's for the rest of your life.

I always wonder how that kind of talk makes managers and owners of McDonald's locations feel

[Krepticor]

Algebra is the single greatest tool I use for ALL my numeric problem solving, yes even creating a very complicated differential equation that involves every trig function that transcends the unit circle in multitudes of pi is VERY important in my field, face it even if you work at McDonalds, you need basic algebra,

x = the time it takes to cook one pound of hamburger meat,

y = a function of x in the form y = ax
a it the number of pounds of hamburger meat!

There you go! I also realize the computers and grills McDonalds use have this already calculated, I plan to be in a field that actually MAKES those, not uses them, I have expensive taste!

~Krepticor

PS if you want to talk REAL math go beyond calcuslus to those very elaborate mathmatic proofs that REALLY have no purpose in life, that is somehitng to complain about,

PPS Everything we do here on these boards is Algebra V = IR...Ohm's law = algebra!

[atari2600a]

...$00.50 a gallon, I call that Inflations if we pay over 2-3 bucks a gallon over hear.

Dude, the average person in the middle east makes $20-50 USD each month. A pharmecist in Egypt makes under 200 Egyptian pounds monthly, about $20-30 USD.

...now if you really want to know who's doing the inflating...coughbushcoughcough