Maths? It's all Greek to me.....or not.

[Anchorman]

What the Greeks were, really, were masters of publicity.... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/08/ancient-babylonian-trigonometry-tablet-plimpton-322-video-spd/

[SweetPea]

Jim, that is fascinating..... love this stuff.

The other day I was out walking in some fields with two of my grandchildren. We came across a guy with a metal detector who had found what he believed to be a Roman coin. I asked him what made him think it was thus, he said because the 'face' was raised.

So now my wee grandson wants a metal detector for Christmas..

[Anchorman]

Watch him when he gets one. Not only should he mark anything significant he might find, but please, please please make sure there are no underground electricity cables where he's playing with it. The cheaper detectors won't distinguish between a small coin and a whopping great cable.....

[SweetPea]

Watch him when he gets one. Not only should he mark anything significant he might find, but please, please please make sure there are no underground electricity cables where he's playing with it. The cheaper detectors won't distinguish between a small coin and a whopping great cable.....

Thanks for the concern and the advice, Jim, but don't worry, said grandson is only 4 years old (starting school in a coupe of weeks.... very excited!) so he'll have to dream-on for a few years re the metal detector.... haha..

[floo]

Maths is all Greek to me, without a calculator I would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

[Harrowby Hall]

Maths is all Greek to me, without a calculator I would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

You might be better than you think, Floo. Calculators don't do maths they do arithmetic.

[floo]

You might be better than you think, Floo. Calculators don't do maths they do arithmetic.

I am not better than I think, probably worse! I had several maths tutors as a kid and still the subject was complete gobbledegook to me. It is likely I suffer from dyscalculia, which is similar to dyslexia but involving maths. 

[ippy]

I am not better than I think, probably worse! I had several maths tutors as a kid and still the subject was complete gobbledegook to me. It is likely I suffer from dyscalculia, which is similar to dyslexia but involving maths.

You managed to work out the difference between the two, Floo.

ippy

[floo]

You managed to work out the difference between the two, Floo.

ippy

Ehhhhhhhhhh?

[ippy]

Ehhhhhhhhhh?

Just looking on the bright side for you Floo .

ippy

[Robbie]

 

People with dyscalculia have severe impairment when it comes to figures, including not being able to do times tables or read the time on analogue clocks. There's also some association with being unable to recognise people's faces, so floo i doubt you have it. Just not good at maths which isn't that unusual, you're in good company.

[Anchorman]

You just knew I'd shove some Egyptian stuff in at some point, didn't you?
Well.....
Here's one of the treasures of the British Museum:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=117389&partId=1

[floo]

You just knew I'd shove some Egyptian stuff in at some point, didn't you?
Well.....
Here's one of the treasures of the British Museum:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=117389&partId=1

Do you have problem with maths?

[Anchorman]

Do you have problem with maths?

 

Well, yes - 'cos being virtually print blind at scondary school, there were no facilities to help me....apart from being shoved close to the blackboard. All I ended up with was a white nose!
Arithmetic and mathematics were separate subjects in Scotland: I managed a good pass at 'O'grade Arithmetic, but was hopeless at maths as a result - the only subject at which I faied - and failed spectaularly!
When I was given the Rhind papyrus facsimile as a Translation exercise, I learned more from it than I did sitting for four years in a maths class!

[Robbie]

Your Egyptology knowledge is awesome Anchor.

How sensible of Scotland (generally educationally higher than here), to have separate Arithmetic and other Maths as O level.

I was not good at Maths, it was one subject where I found it diffiult to retain knowledge and I was always in the bottom set for that. I'd learn how to do something, think I had it cracked, a few days later it was gone! Not bad at arith if I took it slow and careful!

(The only extra tuition I had was from my dad who was realistic and helped me with maths a couple of times a week, featuring on stuff that would come up at O level and keeping it fresh in my brain. Up to a point he made it interesting. So I was able to pass thank goodness, that was important.If I hadn't the school would have expecte me to retake& I didn't want to do that. Never bothered with it since.)

[floo]

 

Well, yes - 'cos being virtually print blind at scondary school, there were no facilities to help me....apart from being shoved close to the blackboard. All I ended up with was a white nose!
Arithmetic and mathematics were separate subjects in Scotland: I managed a good pass at 'O'grade Arithmetic, but was hopeless at maths as a result - the only subject at which I faied - and failed spectaularly!
When I was given the Rhind papyrus facsimile as a Translation exercise, I learned more from it than I did sitting for four years in a maths class!

Well done you!

I am really, really terrible at arithmetic too. I find giving change a bit of a problem. I know all my tables because we learned them by rote at school, but I don't really understand them. Having done the dyscalculia test it would appear that is exactly what I have. As one of my daughters is dyslexic, and a grandson (13) has both dyslexia and dyscalculia, I reckon I am not wrong in thinking I have dyscalculia too.

[Rhiannon]

There is also maths anxiety, which I have. I'm perfectly capable of understanding it, but I panic which means I make mistakes, or freeze like a bunny trying to do trigonometry.

[Robbie]

I really get that well Rhiannon, sudden blind panic where your mind goes blank. That's how it was for me, with Maths (tho' unlike you I didn't understand a lot of it); that's why I was so grateful to my lovely calm dad who had endless patience and taught me gently, his lessons tailored to my needs which were basically just to get through. So I learned enough to do that, had no wish to be a mathematician & certainly no intention of doing Maths at A level.

 

[Harrowby Hall]

This is all ridiculous. Maths hard. Rubbish.

According to the ToryTelegraph 38% of all  Mathematics students get first class degrees.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/11613261/Top-10-subjects-for-first-class-degrees.html?frame=2207203

This is very much higher than any other subject so it clearly follows that Maths is an easy subject.

[Sebastian Toe]

.....or the exams are relatively easier?
 

[Udayana]

At least there are right and wrong answers, and you can get marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong. Stats involves more discussion and justification for conclusions, so makes it harder to get full marks. No idea how anyone gets any marks in arts subjects.

Actually exams are a lousy way to assess ability and potential but alternatives are too hard to implement.

The Greeks deserve their position because, possibly more by accident then design, enough written material was kept or later recovered, to allow people to learn from and extend their work.