Even had one of those at M.I.T., Gordon Brown... couldn't teach for s*it. Fortunately this was by the time I had been admitted to Honors EE, so there were only six of us in the class, so we all marched in unison to the Dean's office and had Brown replaced by Paul Penfield... only a grad student at the time, but a real winner! ...Jim Thompson
I disagree. That one isn't a trick question at all. It is difficult to find the solution under pressure in an interview but how someone goes about trying is very informative as to their capabilities. You really either see it pretty much instantly or you don't without playing around.
Anyone who could be a top grade mathematician is reckoned to get it.
If you want a trick question what is the next number in the series:
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, 22, 31, ?Unhelpful hint - it isn't 42.
I'm fighting the school system with, now, the 5th granddaughter, 6th Grade.
Last week they were peddling how to cut corners out of a piece of cardboard to form a box with the maximum volume, with no established skill set.... "guess" your way to the solution :-(
This week they suddenly jumped to Algebra, simultaneous equations, without even any single variable background.
And she says her teacher is already using the word "Calculus". I guess that's the leftist way anymore, speaking the words makes you expert :-(
No wonder US students rank so low, worldwide, in math (and science).
Fortunately the school year is almost over, and she'll be with us for a month in July.
So my question...
Can anyone recommend an available Algebra book that instructs in the old fashioned sequential way... lots of one variable word problems first, then go on to more advanced topics?
I'll become teacher of the month ;-)
(I taught math back in 1964-65 to disadvantaged youth (aka "thugs") from South Phoenix with a very high success rate :-)
...Jim Thompson
Of course. The debate is not about HOW to solve such a problem but whether such a problem belongs in 6th grade. There are numerous ways to solve it... none of which comes from the typical skill set of a 6th grader. ...Jim Thompson
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