Did you not read anything else I’ve said? Just drop it. There’s no more to discuss.
Oh. This is silliness. Why don’t we shut up and…
DANCE!!! 
i love the stuff. i admit that i wasn’t wild about it when i took it in middle school, but by college i gained a pretty strong appreciation for it. can’t have calculus without algebra, and calculus… wow, let’s not even go there. i think it’s pretty cool too. i just realized that this probably sounds really sarcastic; it’s not intended to be. it can probably be explained by my degree in engineering coupled with a minor in mathematics… hmm…
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You never know…maybe that future Oscar-nomination will involve a role where you are called upon to play an Algebra whiz. (Think Matt Damon in “Good Will Hunting”) What better way to prepare than Algebra class??
You are right, though, you don’t use Algebra equations in “daily life”, but like others have said, the principles you lear are applied almost daily. You will know what we mean when you get to be our age!!! 
:o) Thank you for the constructive criticism, but please please understand that I was merely ranting about being bored in class and expressed it in the wrong way. I was mad about doing the graphing and was bored with how simplistic the College Algebra course at school is. Please, everyone stop posting and just let this stinkin’ thread die. It really is a stupid thing to be debating over.
I will not let this die yet, until I tell you that I do in fact feel for you and support you. I had 26 or so hours of math in College, Calculus level or higher, and I was bored to tears through almost the entire time. I know how you feel dear, and I hope you hang in there.
I was only posting earlier to say that pepper was not trying to poke at you.
Oh, for goodness sake. Just chill - you’re down because algebra is boring - nothing more. NO one is “writing you off” here, nor can I imagine anyone feels that you are whining or complaining needlessly.
Hang in there, and don’t worry. And don’t feel like you can’t vent to us all here - people here really do want to listen and offer advice and support most of the time.
That’s all I will say - I just wanted to clarify.
Okay, Feelyat, you were just venting, so I won’t get on your case again.
But if you need to generate more enthusiasm about math in general, check out the thread Why is Math important? where people posted some interesting stuff and I posted this quote:
*Originally posted by Feelyat *
Your right war taught us how to make better weapons to kill more people. I’m sorry I just couldn’t resist.
And I see your point unless of course you don’t get that acting job and end up needing to use algebra. Heck you might even be an algebra teacher. Anyway I think that is why they make you take it “just in case you need it.”
Let’s get this straight–you’re a business major and you think that you won’t use algebra?
Either you have no understanding at all of what it means to be a business major or your school has the crappiest business program that ever existed. Jeez, I was a business major and I needed to use algebra, calculus, matrices, etc. in my classes. In other words, I didn’t just have to take these math classes, I had to use the math to pass my business courses. Now, maybe the business program at your school is weaker than the one at my school, but I would expect that you would at least have to use algebra in your later classes.
No, you can’t come in here, post a lot of ignorant crap and then get all surprised when people call you on it. “Oh I was just ranting!” Well go rant on “teen actress chat” or something. And no, you can’t expect people to just “drop it.” Don’t start something that you don’t want to finish.
Green Bean, I’m a business MINOR, and can’t you accept the fact that I apologised for what I said? This is a forum for voicing one’s own opinion, not for verbally attacking people. Pepperlandgirl was the one person I felt I was unjust to, and we’ve already reconciled our differences. Unless you’re infallible, I’m sure there’s been a time in your life when you’ve made a mistake and wanted forgiveness for it. Well, this is a time in my life when I want forgiveness. I cared so much about this that I was crying all day about it, but I realized that it’s not worth it. It’s no big deal.
I forgot to say that I’ve already admitted that I use basic algebra every day. I’ve been feeling apathetic about my classes and was just saying how I felt. I understand that people opposed my opinion, but that doesn’t mean that they had the right to attack me. Neither do you. State your opinion without attacking others because they actually have feelings. I know I’ve learned that through this experience.
OgreUrge? Is that you?
Anthracite wrote:
I, too, was bored with calculus – at first.
The problem was, the course work started out by giving us the definition of a derivative (lim((f(x + delta-x) - f(x)) / delta-x) as delta-x --> 0) and having us work all these completely useless problems using this hard-to-work-with definition. Then, a few weeks later, almost as an afterthought, the teacher told us about the “power rule” (d/dx of x^n = nx^(n-1)), which is the whole central point of differential calculus. In 30 seconds, the whole realm of differential calculus changed from this stupid near-impossible exercise in a book to a devastatingly powerful analytical tool. We could now take derivatives of any polynomial function. The world was our oyster. Nothing could stand in our way! Wah ha ha ha ha!! (Well, except for weird things like trigonometric functions and logarithms, but we eventually got to those too.)
I think if calculus classes introduced the power rule earlier on, they’d have a lot fewer bored students. It’s like the difference between a physics class where you talk about black holes and atomic bombs (ooooh!), and a physics class where you talk about inclined planes and heat flow (yawn).
I can’t wail till I can take Calculus! That’s why I’m just going to tolerate College Algebra. I only have about 12 weeks left. That’s not long at all.
Feelyat, I think you’re being a little self-centered here. You seem to think that this is all about you and your feelings. I’m sorry that you cried over this, but the fact is that if you post a rant which makes you look like a grade-A idiot, and people don’t respond favorably to it, you have to accept that you’ve brought it on yourself. Instead, you issued a (rather token) apology, declared that people are just being mean when they assume that you are an idiot just because you were acting like one, and clearly you feel that it’s unfair that people just don’t drop it.
Please don’t see this as an attack, because it isn’t one. I just think you’re dealing with this in a fashion which is both emotionally unhealthy and, to be honest, a little rude. If I were in your shoes, I would be blaming myself for putting my foot in my mouth. Instead, you’re blaming everyone else for the natural consequences of your own mistake.
As for my own opinion of the OP, I’m not the only one getting a little tired of people demanding to know why they should have to learn things that aren’t a directly obvious part of their immediate career plans. There are plenty of things that well educated people should know, like Greek mythology, Shakespeare, or algebra, even if they never use them.
-Ben
I was actually thinking of something similar on the way to work. When I was a kid, we always had to find least common multiples and greatest common denominators (as opposed to the lowest common denominators, which are sex, violence, and fart jokes.) This was a trial and error process- we’d write down trial numbers and screw around at glacial speed on each problem, oftentimes getting the wrong answer because we had overlooked a smaller common multiple. Then, finally, in 8th grade my math teacher told us that we could find GCDs and LCMs very easily by factoring the numbers. Jeez! Quite literally HALF OUR LIVES spend screwing around with these things, and all along there was an easy way to do it? And don’t get me started on those endless lists we had to alphabetize.
Anyway, this is what scares me about all these debates on education reform. Sure, they might get the guns out of schools, but what if they end up with teachers like the ones I had? shudder. “10 points: what was the name of the couple that USA Today interviewed in their Life section article on high school proms?” “15 points: what color tie was the man wearing in the graveyard scene in the video on grieving?” “What is the license plate code for Macon county?”
-Ben
Please… PLEASE tell me those weren’t actual bonus questions. I have enough trouble sleeping as it is.
The way I first learned about calculus was at in AP Physics. The teacher (Mr. Pasquesi, great teacher) showed us the mechanics of the basic differentials and integrals and how to use them in physics problems. IIRC, this was at the very beginning of the course. I was taking Calculus at the same time, but we didn’t get to the formulas for a week or two. That meant I already had a basic working knowledge of calculus by the time we got to the formulas in calculus class.
That’s how I like to learn things: get a bit of working knowledge first, then add the theory.
Don’t feel depressed about what has been said. Nobody here dislikes you. I have really grown fond of you from reading your posts. I bet most of the nice people here on the SDMB feel the same way.
What we got here is a problem of communication; a natural occurrence for an impersonal forum where the interchange of ideas is time delayed and thus not ideal for clarifying the points being made. Hence the resulting ambiguity in the messages and the subsequent misunderstandings.
Having said that let me tell you that it is absolutely clear to me that you are a very nice, smart and sensitive person. Your posts clearly show that.
I relate to your dislike of algebra. I am of practical nature and tend not to lend much attention to abstract subjects, focusing my interests on aspects of more relevant nature. Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t love movies, music or sports just because they don’t provide me with a tangible manifestation of their usefulness, i.e. money. I love them all, of course. I also appreciate poetry and good literature. If I weren’t a lousy poet I would right one for ya right now!
But as one matures you realize that EVERYTHING is important. Eventually everyone laments not fully exploiting the learning opportunities they had earlier in life. Take me for example, I am currently 24 and was a complete ignorant without any intellectual curiosity until, by the time I was 17, I went to the States to spend the year with my aunt before entering college back here in my natal Costa Rica. Leaving in her house, surrounded by smart, intellectually motivated people, I felt embarrassed by my own ignorance and reticence towards learning.
Fortunately, that experience turned me around 180 degrees and I have now developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge and delight myself in the process of learning. To my astonishment I am now considered a knowledgeable person by my friends, an scenario that, seven years ago, I would have considered totally implausible and unrealistic.
I believe every human being has to make a transition as they mature. We go from a total or partial lack of interest and reticence towards knowledge to a newfound curiosity and perceptiveness where previously considered irrelevant bits of information are welcomed and embraced. I was lucky to have a perspective changing experience that allowed me to make the aforementioned transition early in life.
You are even luckier, you are already a knowledgeable person and have clear goals and objectives set for your life. That’s great! No need to worry if you don’t like every intellectual discipline there is, nobody does. Just try to look at everything from its good side and grab as much pieces of info as you can. Learning is a fun ride and knowledge the ultimate price. Never lose sight of that.
Knowledge is never a burden, is a gift; it might not be useful at a particular juncture in time but it carries in itself the potential of becoming a valuable asset that could manifest its utility in a posterior stage of your life. You never know!
Having said that, good luck in your algebra and don’t forget to drop a line (a post?) when you make it to Broadway!
I leave you with a humble, yet brilliantly eloquent line, by none other than Isaac Newton (I’m quoting from memory so I might be a few adjectives off from his true words):
“I feel like a kid playing around in the sand, while the vast oceans of knowledge lay dominant before me, the opulence of their domains inspiring me towards unraveling their deepest secrets.”
I added the last line to emphasize the idea I was trying to convey. Pardon me for the heresy of tampering with Sir Newton’s sacred words, but I felt the addendum helped emphasize my point.
One last motivational quote:
“Ignorant we all are but through marvel and curiosity knowledge we shall pursue and, to the extent of our effort an passion, a tiny fraction of its vast domains we shall embrace.” ::expecting “Ignorance is bliss” quotes from die hard Matrix fans"::
That one was mine by the way! Hope it motivates you as much as it does to me!
Carpe Diem!
Quasar signs off…and apologizes if he bored anyone to death with this post.
For all of you who are asleep by now, WAKE UP!!! We are now back to our regular programming.
Who said those were bonus questions? Those were regular questions taken from our tests. If you didn’t know what color tie the guy was wearing, you simply could not get an A at my school. In current events class, essentially all the questions on all of our tests were that sort of trivia, so you might not even pass if you didn’t know the score of last night’s ball game.
-Ben