[yourapostasy]

> The Navy had a knack for teaching nuclear physics & math to bright people with a high school education.

I would very much like to know your take on why the Navy has this knack. I'd like to research what it takes to reproduce that knack by other organizations, in other fields of endeavor.

When you say "bright people", how does an ASVAB VE+AR+MK+MC=252 broadly approximate to percentile?

I'm also curious how the Navy selects for people who can apply that brightness over sustained periods of time.

[MurMan]

> I would very much like to know your take on why the Navy has this knack.

I think the obvious answer is that they have to. The Navy has a lot of technology that needs maintenance at sea. Problem diagnosis requires understanding. We didn't rely on black box replacement.

I had nearly two years of engineering math when I was drafted and joined the Navy. The Navy skipped all of the derivations and went straight to the concepts of limits, derivatives, and integrals. Even some differential equations that describe reactor dynamics. Calculations were limited to algebra. Testing focused on calculus concepts rather than numerical answers.

This produced technicians with the ability to understand how the power plant worked but without the formal math and physics need for power plant design.

The only thing I can offer about how the Navy selects people is that it presents the various training programs early, starting with the recruiters. Certain programs are presented as being most difficult and are described in glowing terms. The challenge was definitely an attraction for me.

[eitland]

> I would very much like to know your take on why the Navy has this knack. I'd like to research what it takes to reproduce that knack by other organizations, in other fields of endeavor.

Maybe most interesting for us in this forum many military schools still includes lots and lots of physical training. I guess that is a huge advantage they have.

Some other points:

- Military organizations do have some options that are out of reach for civilian schools today. Knowing you can risk

- humiliation in front of peers (20 something years ago I once forgot to close the window on our room before service and had to run in to fix it while 36 other guys "enjoyed some extra time for pushups". I still remember it.),

- a permanent record for sleeping or otherwise not paying attention,

- a fine and a night behind bars for not being sober or for not behaving

- or being thrown out

sets a standard.

- Also I guess it also becomes obvious during training that failure to learn the required skills might easily cost you and others their lives.