MMP - The Quest Lives On

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I was throroughly gripped by your OP **Rifty! ** You’re my New Favorite Person. :slight_smile: Good luck in your quest; I am among the math-challenged (if you’re a writer please raise your hand -> me <- But I relate to your quest also; my husband majored in physics in college, as did his father, and I’ve got a little potential third-generation physicist at the age of 15 months on my hands at the moment. I could releate to the opening bus story! He’s been actually using a screwdriver since before he was a year old.

It’s All About Me Dept.: Christmas shopping is DONE. Done, done, done!! Whoopie!! Now: to bake and pack. And wrap presents. I’m not looking forward to that at all. (See aforementioned highly curious 15-month-old budding physicist, above.)

22

DH is still alive after his run-in with pecan poisoning. (Who the heck puts pecans in chocolate chip cookies?? That just sounds nasty.)

He’s right pissed though - thanks to a long tapering-off plan for the anti-anaphylaxis meds, he can’t have anything to drink until next Tuesday or so. No wine, no beer, no spiked eggnog. He’s not happy.

He should at least be happy that our grandfather clock is coming home after nearly 11 months in the repair shop. They literally were waiting for parts to arrive from Germany. Guess they were sent by surface mail.

Once that’s here and set up, I have to go into SF to mail something. Ugh. The busiest mailing day of the year, and I’ll be standing in line with a fat envelope of discovery that I’m serving on someone that’s suing DH. It’s a fairly monumental and expensive task, just to make all the legally-phrased responses to someone and say “You’re barking up the wrong tree - the person you want is in a different state.” Bleah.

23

gotti chocolate chip pecan cookies are fairly common in these parts. Still doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be a warning the cookies have nuts. I’m glad DH is doing better. I’m not much on baking but I do make a good chocolate chip cookie as well as a chocolate chip pecan cookie. If I’m doing something to take to a work or other related function, I’ll bake the chocolate chip cookies. The chocolate chip pecan are usually made just for home consumption cause of the nut allergy thing. Even then, if anybody wants some (which they are welcome to) I always let it be known that the cookies contain pecans. If I were to take 'em somewhere I’d be sure and have a big sign warning that the cookies contain nuts.

I get to go talk about health insurance this afternoon. We’re switching health insurance providers at work. The good news is much better coverage with no chanbe in price. The bad news is, I gotta go talk to an insurance provider.

24

I was totally with Paula Deen on that tomato pie…until the cup of mayonnaise.

Bleck.

25

Ya know–math is gettin’ a bad rap here. I don’t mind math, per se–and I certainly like it when my paycheck or bank balance has lots of numbers on/in it, but math is just so intimidating.

See, if you don’t understand a word, you can look at the context and how it was used and also read a bit more and usually come out with some sense of the writer’s meaning. Not so with math. The answer is -6 and God forbid it make sense how you got there. And they change the rules in math all the time–well, you can’t divide this by this, so you make it x/1 and regroup… And don’t get me started on story problems.

I have had issues with word problems since second grade when we were taught stuff like: The Smiths, Janey, Bobby and their parents, are driving to Yosemite! They pack their car and head out. If they drive 200 miles a day, at 55 miles an hour (child of late '60’s/'70’s here), how many days will it take to get to the Park?
Now, dunno 'bout you guys, but I was always much more concerned with did the family have food, where would they stay, what clothes Janey had and if she got along with her brother, and who was older, and WHY were they going to Yosemite and was the Mom nice and did the Dad yell “don’t make me stop this car” and stuff like that. Who cares how long it took?

Geesh.
I have been told many, many times that if I had just hung in there until Calculus, I would have liked math. I stopped at what was then called Algebra 3/Trigonometry. I loathed the unit circle–to me it was just something some man made up–I got this from my teacher the very first day of school who said, “Imagine a unit ciricle with the circumference of 1”. I, not recalling just what circumference was, but knowing it meant how big around the circle was (as opposed to the diameter) was UNimpressed. Imagine?

Huh. Iffen we’s gonna 'magine stuff, then NONE of the rules need apply–I can imagine a triangle with 4 sides, if need be! There is NO limit to imagination–putz of teacher (who was jaundiced as all get out and reeked of whiskey and Newports–sucky, sucky teacher).

OK-so I seem to have gone off on a bit of a tangent. Sorry.

26

In bed.
snicker.

27

GROAN

Yes, math is getting a bad rap, which is why I should qualify some more. Beyond calculus, the math you have to deal with is vastly different from that which comes before. I think the difference is that while formulas are formulas, the advanced formulas represent more. They stop being just a way to determine a number and they start becoming a way of thinking. In fact, I took a math course this semester, Linear Algebra, and to my great surprise I suddenly was able to express just about everything I ever learned in terms of the fundamental ideas from that course.

One consequence of this change is that, yes, sometimes the equations are far more complicated. But mathematicians get as tired of writing out long things as the rest of us, so more often than not you quickly learn some kind of shorthand notation. Which leads to shorthands within shorthands within shorthands, which is why a simple equation like Tv = qv can represent every computer modeled process in use today.

28

Oh man, Spatial, do I hear ya. I was never a big fan of math, for much the same reason - it’s tedious and time-consuming and difficult to get right. So much did I hate math (and pretty much all of my other boring instruction) that my parents often wondered if I, too, was afflicted with ADD. A thousand or so dollars spent on Complicated Psychological Tests established that, indeed, there was nothing wrong with me whatsoever, aside from my being bored with the subject matter being taught.

No problem, though - I wasn’t going to college for math, I would be getting a degree in the humanities! History, or Political Science, maybe law school in the future!

So then why do I find myself, in my second year of college, having almost completely abandoned the humanities in favor of Plant & Soil Sciences, with a hefty dose of Biology and Organic Chemistry to study on the side? To prepare for a graduate degree in Plant Biology (cell molecular stuff, mostly), you know?

The long and short of it is, I am taking my first calculus class EVER this spring. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat concerned, but I WILL meet it head on and kick its butt. Because I must, because I can, because I want to know it, dammit!

Anyway, it’s been a good Monday so far. I got to wake up at 10, then go back to sleep again and wake up again at 11:15. About an hour ago I got started building a bicycle wheel (attempt #2). I am taking a break right now before going for the home stretch. This project should occupy the next few hours or so. It’s fun! I just hope I don’t mess it up this time. Cookies would be nice. Hmm…

29

See? This is what I mean–this was not an intentional pun, but no, MATH and its precision and defintions and theorems–how’s about a bit of estimation/inexactitude, eh? Would that kill a mathematician?

:slight_smile:
I actually liked some of Algebra–I just hated, hated, hated taking word data and making it into number data. I can do one or the other–I cannot be the corpus callosum between the two subjects, thankyouverymuch. And don’t start me on constants–never did understand WTF those were, but they’re used everyday in my computing dosing formulas for medications–for which, thank Og, we now have computerized pumps that you can program!

beckwall --they are STILL teaching grains and minims in school? That’s crazy! At least the metric system makes some sense–the apothecary system was messed up…

picunurse --hope hubby stays that course and gives it up for good. One day at a time…

I am debating: make cookies or look at my GRE stuff. Hmmmm…

30

Eleanor! My sister!! I have the exact same rant regarding story problems! I’ve been going off about it for years. I was always getting caught up in the story and then BAM somebody throws a muthaclucking MATH problem in there. And there I am, left hanging, wondering how the vacation to Yosemite went. Torture, sheer torture, I say. :wally

31

I agree with Paula Deen on everything she makes, until she starts making it and adds a stick of butter to whatever it is she’s cooking. Has she ever made drinks with butter? It wouldn’t surprise me.

32

See? Why dress it up at all? and there was always a picture of Mom and Dad and Janey and Bobby heading off in the car–Dad was smoking a pipe and Mom looked dazed-hopped on Valium, no doubt…
You wanna know how long it will take? Write the numbers down, dammit! Stop giving me words when we are working with numbers! Better yet–drive to Yosemite your own self and FIND OUT.
Off to swear at fractions in my kitchen while I bake cookies.

:smiley:

33

The OP was great Rifty, very evocative.

I never had any problem with math, and went up through calculus just for the fun of it. My problem is and always was the pathetic excuse for a filing system used by my brain. If it’s totally useless trivia it gets filed in the shiney new filing cabinets in the front of my brain where it’s instantly retreivable. If it’s some data point that I might actually need some time in the future, it gets stuffed into the dirty, rusty cabinets in the back with the sticking drawers and the locks with no keys. Le sigh.

much better, Taters. I still need a caner to get around and the meds are still giving my stomach fits, but overall, I’m good. Thank you for asking.

Wifey and I love squash, Carnivals are our favorite, but we’ve never made a squashcasserole, so I was intrigued by your recipe Taxi. I’m trying to imagine what butternut squash with basil pesto would taste like and failing. Does anyone else think that Giada De Laurentiis’ head is too big for her tiny little body? I don’t mean this as a criticism, I think she’s prolly a very nice lady. I’m just sayin’
I could totally see Paula Dean’s squash caserole though. I also like her tomato pie recipe. I’ve had cheese sauces made with mayonnaise as a carrier before and that doesn’t bother me. I think I’d like to live next door to Paula, but I’m afraid her cooking would kill me.

34

My dear, you better not watch any Julia Child re-runs. She adored butter. Lots and lots of butter. Frankly, I like it too.

I hated the story problems too, because as has already been mentioned here, I got caught up in the DETAILS of the story. Frankly, I never believed the so-called answer to the story problem was correct anyway. I mean, c’mon; what about all the potty breaks, stops for pictures at scenic points, stretch your leg breaks, and all that? You just know the trip was never completed in the “mathematical” time.

35

Someone’s inner 3-y/o needs a nap! :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m sure you’ll agree with my when I say Physics is the only science that makes sense. Biology is too slimy, and Chemistry is just smoke and mirrors. Physics makes the world go 'round!

Unfortunately, I never learned how to apply the math to the science, despite having a pretty high math aptitude. I never had an instructor show how the two tied together - at least not in a way that clicked for me. So I became an engineer…

Good luck on your Quest - I’m sure you’ll succeed ultimately.

My weekend was productive, and this is a short week. I’ll be off Weds for a blood-letting. OK, it’s just a blood test, but still… Then Thursday evening, we’ll start heading south. We’ve got reservations in Rocky Mount, NC for that night, and we expect to arrive in Ocala by dinner time on Friday.

I’ve got a couple of steaks thawing for dinner tonight. What I really want is a bowl of beef barley soup, but soup really shouldn’t be eaten till it’s had an overnight to sit. So we’ll have steak and onions and whatever green veggie I can find in the freezer. Snap peas, maybe?

36

Thanks, Swampus. I might try Paula Deen’s recipe. Taxi - yours sounds good, too.

I liked math. I never took calculus 'cuz I never went to college. I liked word problems though. Word problems are what you encounter every day! I use trig and algebra in my everyday work as a mechanical designer. And addition and subtraction and multiplication and division.

2-1/2 hours to go…I don’t feel like working. But working kills time! :smiley:

37

I hated hated hated all that unit circle/geometry of a circle stuff too! The year we did that was the first time I ever did badly on a math test in school. I still hate tangents and secants and all that crap. Calculus is a breeze by comparison.

I highly recommend trying the pesto 'n squash recipe if you like pesto. It really makes a very tasty combination. (But then again, I think pesto would probably make just about anything taste good so it might just be me!) :smiley:

38

My geometry teacher actually had me called to the nurse because she thought I might be narcoleptic. I explained that it was ninety degrees in her room, it smelled awful, and geometry was boring, hence the tendency to fall asleep.

39

Word problems are an interesting artifact of our culture. Somewhere down the line someone realized that repetition of the times tables wasn’t quite cutting the mustard, and eventually these word problems were introduced as a way of teaching students how to use math in real world scenarios. Problem is, they’re very poorly written and often don’t place the mathematics in the proper relationship to the events of the problem.

In particular, I don’t think modulo arithmetic is taught enough. We use it every day, every time we look at a clock or a calendar. All of our timekeeping systems are by necessity modulo. Furthermore, use of modulo arithmetic with the structure of the ordinary, base 10 number system leads to some very quick mental math abilities, so your cashier wouldn’t have to use the register to add up the $2.39 magazine and the $1.25 candy bar. ($3.64)

Thank you Bumba; I’m glad you’re feeling better.

FCM, yeah, my inner toddler could probably use a nap. I’ll be getting plenty of rest over winter break, I promise. After my last test in :: checks watch :: 2.5 hours, I don’t have to come back to RPI until January 16. :smiley: I agree with you about physics. My high school chemistry teacher would tell us, “Chemistry makes the world go round,” and I would offer up this correction, “No, Physics makes the world go round. Chemistry makes the world go BANG!”

What’s all this talk about squash? I have to say I was never one for going ga-ga over gourds. I think my good friend George (Carlin. He and I go way back.) said it best: “Squash sounds like someone sat on my dinner.”

40

Wow, that’s entire height of North and Soouth Carolina combined in just one day (I’m assumin’ you’re taking I-95 south.) If FCD wants to stop in that diner that has strippers around Dunn, NC, talk him out of it. It’s a big rip off, and the food isn’t that good.