"John Knight" <johnknight at usa.com> wrote in message
news:6%X%8.20564$Fq6.2432440 at news2.west.cox.net...
>> "Parse Tree" <parsetree at hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:cnC%8.10455$sb5.1055241 at news20.bellglobal.com...> > "John Knight" <johnknight at usa.com> wrote in message
> > news:tOB%8.17816$Fq6.2124556 at news2.west.cox.net...> > > "Zayton" <zayton at bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> > > news:n4m%8.1374$ND5.293745 at e3500-atl2.usenetserver.com...> > > >
> > > >
> > > > It means, more specifically that Asian educational systems teach
> > > techniques
> > > > for taking eurocentric tests.
> > > >
> > > > Joe
> > > >
> > >
> > > Bunk. Asians couldn't care less about taking "eurocentric" tests.
None
> > of
> > > the Asian countries who beat the pants off us at the 8th grade level
> even
> > > bothered to take the 12th grade test, because they already knew what
> TIMSS
> > > was supposed to discover for them.
> > >
> > > Do you "think" that 95% of Japanese high school gradutes COMPLETE
> calculus
> > > just because they emulate "eurocentric" tests? Heck, no. It's partly
> > > because they recognize the value of calculus, partly because they're
> > > *capable* of learning calculus, and partly because all their teachers
> > *know*
> > > calculus.
> > >
> > > Do you know why less than 5% of American students even take calculus
in
> > high
> > > school? Because 12 years of an "American" public "education" makes
them
> > > uneducable--they CANNOT comprehend calculus, many of their teachers
> don't
> > > even know the multiplication tables, much less calculus, so most
> American
> > > students don't even know the value of calculus.
> > >
> > > Math is an international language. There's nothing at all
"eurocentric"
> > > about a math test.
> >
> > Actually, Math is based on axioms. Since these axioms were created in
> > Europe, it could be viewed as a very eurocentric system. Also, the
> majority
> > of theorems were written and proven in the western world.
> >
> > Also, strictly speaking, calculus isn't incredibly useful. Higher level
> > algebra is much more so.
>> This is not correct. The Asians developed math even before Europeans did.
This is not true. There is very little asian mathematics.
Calculus is entirely western.
> And you forgot to add "it's my opinion" to "calculus isn't incredibly
> useful", because the opposite and far more credible opinion is that by the
> Japanese (and the Koreans, Singaporeans, Taiwanese, Germans, French,
> English, Norwegians, Swiss, Swedes, and even Italians and Spaniards) that
> calculus is important enough to make sure that every student has the
> opportunity to learn it.
I didn't see any questions on linear algebra on that test. And I mean real
linear algebra, not the grade 5 translation thing they try to pawn off as
linear algebra. The test seems catered to what the people learn.
Please point me to some, if I am mistaken.
> The simple fact that we no longer do that, but USED to, should make you
> wonder why so many people disagree with you.
My professors always thought that linear algebra was more important.
> ps--I forgot to add that I believe you're a complete and total dunce for
> even saying this, but maybe you already knew that?
You're a dunce for disagreeing. Higher algebra is used far more often.
Particularly in computer science, the field that generally uses the most
math (since it is much larger than physics). Aside from basic Integration
and Differentiation, calculus isn't very important. Partial differential
equations and tensors really aren't important for most things.
