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Re: Why teach geometry
Posted:
Apr 13, 1995 7:46 PM
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>
> The people who arrange remedial courses, or fix the rules for
> accepting students, are usually not the same folk at all. They're
> more likely to ask things like "how many of our introductory
> courses need such-and-such an amount of algebra/geometry/... ?"
>
> These aren't very inspiriting questions. They are more concerned
> with the efficient and practical working of such-and-such a college,
> rather than with (say) the way we can try to ensure that a larger
> proportion of the population enjoys and appreciates and understands
> some mathematics.
>
> There's no inconsistency if I think differently to the
> way my employer acts.
>
> John Conway
I can't speak for you or your institution, but I've rarely seen things
quite as divided as you describe. Here my dept. wrote the placement
test for years, and now they use one made by the MAA, so the CONTENT
is determined by mathematicians, not the administration.
--
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| | Robert W. Hayden
| | Department of Mathematics
/ | Plymouth State College
| | Plymouth, New Hampshire 03264 USA
| * | Rural Route 1, Box 10
/ | Ashland, NH 03217
| ) (603) 968-9914
L_____/ hayden@oz.plymouth.edu
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