I
HATE
MATH.
EVIL MATH.
EVIL MATH.
EVIL MATH.
Sorry for all of you out there who happen to find it stimulating and a joyful way to while away the hours.
ps. Please lend me yours brains for the GRE. And somebody please PLEASE explain to me how applied algebra is supposed to apply to real life situations when I NEVER THINK LIKE THIS IN REAL LIFE. EVER! Who on earth contemplates questions such as this: "Pat invested a total of $3000. Part of the money yields 10% interest per year, and the rest yields 8% interest per year. If the total yearly interest from this investment is $256, how much did Pat invest at 10% and how much at 8%?" huh??? Kill me now. How am I supposed to come up with a functioning equation when I don't even understand how the question translates??? oi. Give me language any day. Anybody hiring out as an applied algebra tutor? seriously. Word math problems have forever eluded me. Words and math just don't mix very well in my head... something like oil and water.
5 comments:
Sometimes I was okay at memorizing mathematical equations and therefore being able to figure out Pat's investments. But a lot of the time, I would just guess and check. I'd be like, "do-do-doooo, 10 times 11 plus 8 times 32. nope. um....10 times 35 plus 8 times yer mom."
Those problems took a lot longer to get right though...
good LUCK!
haha tegan, i do that too. grins and yes... it takes forever. ;P
carina informed me of the no-calculator rule, which just makes me fume in all sorts of unhappy ways. i thought they were supposed to be testing your competancy in the level of equations you can perform, not on how fast you do long division and multiplication. yuck. so, yeah. i'm practicing. now.
If you don't know me...I'm a related to this guy.
Anyway, I typed up an attempt at explaining how I would solve that GRE sample problem, and put it here:
GRE-Problem.pdf
More help (hopefully of the informative kind) can be had from me: you'll need to send queries to this email:
stephen.holcomb AT gmail.com
For what it's worth, this is a Math Teacher's version of the Sociology Professor's questionsasking you to write a 500-word essay on the social meaning of A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich...
The Math Teacher wants to know if you can translate ideas in words into ideas in numbers and variables, and use them to solve a generic problem.
The Sociology Prof. wants you to read Tolstoy's story and gain an understanding the characters, their social milieu, and the challenges associated with it; then he wants you to express your response in a specific format that he can grade.
You don't use either specific skill often in real life; you may need to use algebra to help you create a budget or verify your bill in the grocery store, and you may use essay-writing skills to aid in turning your thoughts into convincing words.
No calculators...? Well, not everyone thinks a calculator is the key to good mathematical reasoning. Some test-taking authorities think that good mathematical reasoning can be tested independently of calculator-use.
hahaha
Steve! Thank you so much! The explanation helped a lot! And having it broken down in so many pieces like that can help me apply the broken pieces to other problems. So really, thank you! I'll definitely ask you any more questions that come up (which they invariably will). Are you in TZ right now???
And Dan, I understand you well.
Rach, no I haven't gotten it yet but now I'm really excited! :) When do you leave Japan?
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