[csirac2]

EDIT: Ordinary differential equations, yes - we do here in .au, at least in Maths C (advanced maths) in Queensland. Partial differential equations, the kind that are very useful in the kinds of physics simulations discussed - not so much.

And even with that background, our foreign lecturers were regularly disappointed at our lack of mathematics competency in University ("Now I have to waste the next 4 weeks teaching you things we learnt in highschool in my home country before I can move on to what this subject is actually about").

These were Asian/Indian and a Ukrainian lecturer, that I recall.

[dagw]

Ah Russian math lecturers in first year courses. Always making it perfectly clear that as far as they're concerned they might as well be lecturing to a bunch of 8 year olds.

[sliverstorm]

I always wondered if they just said that, as part of bluster. Hard to believe entire classes of graduate math students are at a lower level than all 11th grade Russians. (It wasn't just the first year undergrads I heard of getting scolded by Russian lecturers)

I know Russia values math highly and does push their students, but there's a limit to believability.

[csirac2]

Having worked with a few asian/eastern engineers, I do believe that a number of things conspire against western maths education: our culture doesn't value mathematics competency (in some circles people are even afraid to admit to an interest); the way we teach maths here in .au is bloody awful (standardized tests make teachers hate their jobs); and teaching generally is a much less respected/lower-paid profession relative to other occupations compared to better-performing countries (so our quality of teachers is much worse).