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sianshan said:

Secondly, some of us were quite happy to take chem, psych and biology all throughout our high school years, but dropped physics like a hot potato once the exam questions just stared being applied scientific maths and stopped actually being about how things worked.

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I suck at math. (This is, after all, why I teach English.)

But, even though I cannot begin to do the math behind it, I do understand the concepts behind things like the Grand Unification Theory and wormholes and cosmic strings and why, if they really had detected particles moving faster than the speed of light, it would have required a brand new set of equations for just about everything we do.

None of which is terribly important, really.

Yet I still think basic physics should and can be taught without having to resort to the kind of math that makes student's eyes glaze over, so that the average person has at least a basic grasp of the fundamentals. Which so few people do.

The conversation this morning on gravity was honestly far more in the ballpark than it probably would have been down at the local coffee shop (even assuming I lived in a town that had one), and that's the bit in the whole thing that was, all kidding aside, terribly depressing.

The fundamentals, not just in physics but in all the rest of the sciences - and 9/10ths of subjects - just seem to be sorely lacking, is all.



Either that I am getting incredibly old and jaded and cynical. More so than I used to be, anyway.

slcboston said:

I suck at math. (This is, after all, why I teach English.)

But, even though I cannot begin to do the math behind it, I do understand the concepts behind things like the Grand Unification Theory and wormholes and cosmic strings and why, if they really had detected particles moving faster than the speed of light, it would have required a brand new set of equations for just about everything we do.

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I understand the concepts behind a lot of science, without understanding the math behind it. My dad got me hooked, more or less. I'm not the junkie he was, but I do enjoy it.

Yet I still think basic physics should and can be taught without having to resort to the kind of math that makes student's eyes glaze over, so that the average person has at least a basic grasp of the fundamentals. Which so few people do.

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The bitch is, it CAN be. I took a college physics class a couple years ago, mostly because I knew the teacher (he was published in Analog several times, so he and I got along like old chums). When he pitched the class to me, he said, "You only have to know addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to get through this class," and he was right. No, on that level of math we're not going to get deep into tachyons or time-space theories. But you'd be surprised how simple a lot of it is. I know I was.

amergina said:

Though I've basically forgotten how to do calculus, since I don't use it.

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I can actually do a lot of math, including a little bit of calculus. But I have to REALLY focus, really pay attention to the fiddly bits (and it's all fiddly bits), or I mess up. I envy people like my dad, or my eldest son, who can just look at one of those mile long equations and say, "Oh, the answer is thus and so," without any effort. I'm SOOO not like that.

Hallo folks. I r tired.

Fluffy zucchini casserole anyone? Is gluten free.

jallenecs said:

I understand the concepts behind a lot of science, without understanding the math behind it. My dad got me hooked, more or less. I'm not the junkie he was, but I do enjoy it.

The bitch is, it CAN be. I took a college physics class a couple years ago, mostly because I knew the teacher (he was published in Analog several times, so he and I got along like old chums). When he pitched the class to me, he said, "You only have to know addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to get through this class," and he was right. No, on that level of math we're not going to get deep into tachyons or time-space theories. But you'd be surprised how simple a lot of it is. I know I was.



I can actually do a lot of math, including a little bit of calculus. But I have to REALLY focus, really pay attention to the fiddly bits (and it's all fiddly bits), or I mess up. I envy people like my dad, or my eldest son, who can just look at one of those mile long equations and say, "Oh, the answer is thus and so," without any effort. I'm SOOO not like that.

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Oh, I am horrible at math. I like to joke that I'm good at everything except it. Science is good (I'm good at it because my Dad--and Grandpa--is a science teacher and he watches mostly scientific channels). If I don't pay attention, I'm likely to get a B. But yah. Even though it's all formulas at the highest level I've been at (college math for the BA students who don't really need it), I still somehow mess it up. My math teacher kept on saying not to overthink the formulas in high school, but I had a hard time figuring out when I was supposed to stop working the formula. Most of the questions had said 'Solve'. Uuuurgh.

Leave me with mah drawings and writings, kthxbye.

I also has a tired, and it is hot outside

My co-workers were enjoying the microwaved heat of the office. I wanted to punch them in their shiny hot sweaty faces....

I can't deal with heat. It makes me tired and cranky and uncomfortable. And it sucks my very will to live.

I'm going to make some quesadillas and watch something mind-numbingly familiar on Netflix.

slcboston said:

Yet I still think basic physics should and can be taught without having to resort to the kind of math that makes student's eyes glaze over, so that the average person has at least a basic grasp of the fundamentals. Which so few people do.

The fundamentals, not just in physics but in all the rest of the sciences - and 9/10ths of subjects - just seem to be sorely lacking, is all.



Either that I am getting incredibly old and jaded and cynical. More so than I used to be, anyway.

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Nah, I agree. As I said, my mother is a engineer, so physics is sort of her thing. When she explains it, it sounds interesting. Then I go take a class in it in high school and the teacher is asking questions like: If a car stops at the bottom of the hill, will the marble on top keep going forwards?

... Yes. I know that from real life. Now, the explanation of behind it is interesting, but they never explained why it happened (transferance of force, inertia ect), just said: here is the equation, learn how to punch in these values, and get the answer for how far forwards it will go.

I did my yr 11 physics exam with no study beforehand whatsoever, and got 71% just by applying the right formulae to the right problem. I'm much more of a "why does this happen?" person, and so I doubt it was physics fault that I didn't like it. Probably had more to do with the way it was taught.

jallenecs said:

I can actually do a lot of math, including a little bit of calculus. But I have to REALLY focus, really pay attention to the fiddly bits (and it's all fiddly bits), or I mess up. I envy people like my dad, or my eldest son, who can just look at one of those mile long equations and say, "Oh, the answer is thus and so," without any effort. I'm SOOO not like that.

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I'm pretty sure I've forgotten a lot of differentiation and anti diff and the cosec and stuff we used to solve for, but I used to enjoy it just because it was fun to figure out the problem. Imaginary numbers especially

Fenika said:

Hallo folks. I r tired.

Fluffy zucchini casserole anyone? Is gluten free.

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Sounds amazing, but I will pass, because I'm going out with the family for a pub lunch in the countryside in about 15 minutes

bettielee said:

I also has a tired, and it is hot outside

My co-workers were enjoying the microwaved heat of the office. I wanted to punch them in their shiny hot sweaty faces....

I can't deal with heat. It makes me tired and cranky and uncomfortable. And it sucks my very will to live.

I'm going to make some quesadillas and watch something mind-numbingly familiar on Netflix.

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*dumps freezing temperature on Bettielee*

All joking aside, that sucks with your co-workers. Is it possible they might let you move a fan into your shiny new office?

*rubes eyes* Eh, so tired... *grabs teddy bear and climbs into bed* G'night all.

Night RA

I just found out where the extra money came from. Apparently they changed the pay week (although not the day I'm paid on) from Wednesday to Wednesday. I'm now paid on the following Wednesday for the sat to sun pay week.

So that's a relief.

slcboston said:

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--

Well, I wrote a little bit today. Probably won't keep it. But hey, I wrote, right?

jallenecs said:

But I have to REALLY focus, really pay attention to the fiddly bits (and it's all fiddly bits), or I mess up.

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Quote booked. (as soon as CM gets back)

Rawr. I has an energized.

... That totally doesn't work, does it?

I still feel "bleh".

Feel better folks.

Zucchini: Right for every meal!

Also- why am I awake? Sleep was so nice.

I'll take some zucchini. I need a post-PT nap. But I also need a couple thousand more words before bed, so I guess that's not happening quite yet.

... <3

Disney's doing another Princess movie! Right now it's called Frozen, and it's based off of The Snow Queen!

Although, to be fair, they're changing a lot of it. :/

...

*is a big fairytale fan <3*

Psychotic.Pink said:

... <3

Disney's doing another Princess movie! Right now it's called Frozen, and it's based off of The Snow Queen!

Although, to be fair, they're changing a lot of it. :/

...

*is a big fairytale fan <3*

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This is exciting news! Hopefully it'll be awesome.

I have brought you all the saddest unicorn in the world....

Actually, as I repped Sian, I have a fan in my office, but it is just not enough, and the constant fans in my face dries my eyes. grrrrr....

My quesadillas were really good, tho... sadly, that was the last of the cheese, and the chicken. But I have some frozen baked potatoes for dinner tomorrow.

Pub lunch was good. I may be skipping dinner tonight however, because I feel that if I ate anything else, I'd be sick

I have also purchased one shiny new ipad, and it is most definitely shiny.

Good morning cantinas

Look, look. It's stopped raining. Only just, but the sun is actually out for once which is nice. I think all this cloud and grey sky is getting to me.

For those of you fed up with the Tour de France Take heart, the Tour of Poland started yesterday. I don't think I'm giving anything away if I tell you that you'll see a lot of trees, it finishes on Sunday. This means that for the rest of the week I am going to be watching Eurosport for something like five or six hours in a row every day. I can feel my eyes going square from here. Still I should get a lot of reading done and probably some knitting as well.

Breakfast then.

Thanks guy. I just feel....weird. I don't know. Maybe I'm just still tired out from Nano. Who knows?