[adamsmith143]

> Only the very few whom persue higher education may be required to take higher math that they will also not use.

This has to be one of the of the most worn out stupid takes. The point of teaching things like math and science which people "will never use in real life" is to teach problem solving and critical thinking. NO ONE actually thinks knowing the quadratic formula is useful in and of itself.

[_aavaa_]

Idk how they're teaching the quadratic formula nowadays, but when it was taught to me it was taught as a fact to be used later on. The problem solving and critical thinking time could have been spent on working through and coming up with it

[adamsmith143]

>Idk how they're teaching the quadratic formula nowadays, but when it was taught to me it was taught as a fact to be used later on.

I find it hard to believe that anyone could actually say that and believe it. In what scenario would a person that is not actively working in a STEM field (and frankly even then) ever need to solve a quadratic equation by hand? When most kids can barely handle using the formula on it's own I don't think deriving it is going to add any value to anyone other than already advanced students.

[_aavaa_]

I believe that's false. It's easier to understand something if it's tied together and built on other things you already know. Simply being handed a formula and told to use it does neither of those thing.

As you said, what good is being given a formula and told to use it for problem solving if you can barely understand it. Instead do the problem solving to derive the equation.

[adamsmith143]

I think my point is that the average student can barely comprehend using the formula, they certainly aren't going to follow a derivation of it.

[_aavaa_]

And my point was the the average student is presented with this giant, for them, formula as a finished thing and have no way to grok it.

And that if you instead start with squares and rectangles and built up to it, it'll be less daunting.

But my point wasn't about this one formula specifically, but about the approach in general.

[adamsmith143]

Not sure this makes sense pedagogically. I would challenge you to try this in a classroom of average middle schoolers and see how it goes. I don't think you grasp the difficulties here.

[Grustaf]

And it is used later on, probably every day until you graduate. Most people probably won't use it at their jobs, but things that are useful during your studies are useful period.

[devwastaken]

You will learn more problem solving in a day building a shed than you will the quadratic formula. "Critical thinking" is the unproven excuse so that schools can collect tax dollars.

[Grustaf]

Perhaps, but the quadratic formula only takes a minute to learn, so you can't expect it to yield as much as a day of shed building.

Also, NOT knowing the quadratic formula will make it much harder to solve hundreds of other math related problems. And the same is of course true for most of fundamental math knowledge.

But whatever you may think about the usefulness of mathematics, I can assure you that it's not a giant conspiracy to siphon money from tax payers. Every math teacher you can find (anyone in a STEM field, really) is 100% genuinely convinced that mathematics is extremely useful in a multitude of ways. They could of course all be mistaken, and devwastaken have seen the truth, but I don't think that is very likely.

[adamsmith143]

I know for a fact that there are plenty of people in the US country who can build sheds all day but cannot distinguish fact from fiction and believe wholeheartedly that a man named Qanon is trying to save the country from blood sucking child cannibals. So I don't buy that line for a second.