The Influence Of Algebra

Algebra is not an easy subject for many people. It is full of letters, numbers, and rules mixed together to represent real life problems that are hard to swallow for anyone who doesn’t look at the world from the perspective of a mathematician. In his essay, “Wrong Answer: A Case Against Algebra II”, Nicholson Baker addresses this problem and explains why he thinks Algebra II should not be seen as a staple in the education of High school students.

Humans possess a wide range of attributes and characteristics, of which one of the most funda- mental features is that of curiosity. This curiosity has led man to wonder, ponder and then learn. The curious nature of humans drives them to always try to find solutions to the puzzling mysteries behind their ideas and thereby ending up inventing and innovating, extending the boundaries of science and technology. Babylonians and Egyptians used arithmetic, algebra and geometry for taxation and other financial calculations, for building and construction, and for astronomy. To deal with the new dynamics that had arisen from the work of Sir Issac Newton and Galileo Galilei the creation and development of calculus was required. All of them made use of the fundamental tools and items at their disposal to achieve this, but would not have been successful without the one crucial tool - knowledge of mathematics. Mathematics is a language - the language of science and it comes as no surprise that mathematics is vitally important when explaining any phenomenon or scientific theory or proving scientific laws.

Algebra is a critical aspect of mathematics which provides the means to calculate unknown values. According to Bednarz, Kieran and Lee (as cited in Chick & Harris, 2007), there are three basic concepts of simple algebra: the generalisation of patterns, the understanding of numerical laws and functional situations. The understanding of these concepts by children will have an enormous bearing on their future mathematical capacity. However, conveying these algebraic concepts to children can be difficult due to the abstract symbolic nature of the math that will initially be foreign to the children. Furthermore, each child’s ability to recall learned numerical laws is vital to their proficiency in problem solving and mathematical confidence. It is obvious that teaching algebra is not a simple task. Therefore, the importance of quality early exposure to fundamental algebraic concepts is of significant importance to allow all

“Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent.” This help shows that if we do force algebra on students who aren’t getting it currently. Then its just keeping us back from discovering from who they are and what their national talents truly is. If we were to maybe teach these people a unique way of algebra through something they find interesting and are good at then maybe so many won’t fail. But since we get taught the boring textbook way and not a unique and cool way then not only do we start to slack in algebra

While taking algebra, students are exposed to abstract thinking by making decisions based on given information. When they apply for a job or participate in a work setting, the employers will look for these abstract thinking skills. In the article, “Should Algebra Required” which appeared in the New York Times, Hacker states that algebra as a requisite is an obstacle for many students to graduate from college. Hacker indicates that algebra should be considered prudent because it “develops student’s problem solving skills, which involve step-by-step analysis” (2012). Based on that, this step-by-step analysis skill is important in several career settings, including but not limited to the following fields: law, medical, and mathematics. However, further research shows that even occupations such as electricians, upholsters, and plumbers that do not require a college degree must have some type of background in mathematical and reading skills. If as a society we consider to lower academic standards, then we will face the consequences in our nation, especially with the immense competition in the new global economy. As a citizen, scientist, or simply a human being, one must prepare our mental abilities to be able to understand abstract thinking in different disciplines in order to make the proper connections between problems and solutions.

In addition to this, math is captivating because of the various ways I am able to apply it in real life. Construction workers use a mixture of algebra and trigonometry when creating building. The size of a building and the area it covers is important for construction workers to keep note of when designing new buildings. In addition to this, chemist manipulate algebra when finding the weight of an element based on the conditions around the element, as well as how many atoms it contains. Math applications used by chemist increase their understanding of elements or molecules they are trying to

Geometry and Algebra are so crucial to the development of the world it is taught to every public high school in the United States, around 14.8 million teenagers each year (National Center for Education Statistics). Mathematics is the engine powering our world; our stocks, economy, technology, and science are all based off from math. Math is our universal and definite language “I was especially delighted with the mathematics, on account of the certitude and evidence of their reasonings.” (Rene Descartes, 1637).

In recent discussions of Algebra II, one controversial issue has been whether or not it should be a graduation requirement. Some argue that it prepares students for college and provides critical thinking skills. On the other hand, some contend that college readiness can source from any other core class offered in school. My own view is that although high school math classes can provide students with needed analytical skills, Algebra II should not be a requirement. It takes up room in a student’s schedule who would highly benefit from taking another class. This math class should still be offered for those who have an interest in the mathematics field, but should not be a deciding factor in whether a student graduates, or is accepted into the college of their choice.

In my WIKA for week 5 on algebra (Appendix N) I explain that algebra is used as a means of representing data or something that simplifies an expression. I go on to explain the ways in which algebra has been used in physics and mathematics and is the backbone of each and every formula in these and other scientific disciplines and even give an example of how algebra can be used to simplify very abstract problems.

whole numbers, the idea was born that the world could be interpreted through mathematics, which is a key concept in

Unlike geometry, algebra was not developed in Europe. Algebra was actually discovered (or developed) in the Arab countries along side geometry. Many mathematicians worked and developed the system of math to be known as the algebra of today. European countries did not obtain information on algebra until relatively later years of the 12th century. After algebra was discovered in Europe, mathematicians put the information to use in very remarkable ways. Also, algebraic and geometric ways of thinking were considered to be two separate parts of math and were not unified until the mid 17th century.

Mathematics, study of relationships among quantities, magnitudes, and properties and of logical operations by which unknown quantities, magnitudes, and properties may be deduced. In the past, mathematics was regarded as the science of quantity, whether of magnitudes, as in geometry, or of numbers, as in arithmetic, or of the generalization of these two fields, as in algebra. Toward the middle of the 19th century, however, mathematics came to be regarded increasingly as the science of relations, or as the science that draws necessary conclusions. This latter view encompasses mathematical or symbolic logic, the science of using symbols to provide an exact theory of logical deduction and inference based on

Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.

Mathematics has contributed to the alteration of technology over many years. The most noticeable mathematical technology is the evolution of the abacus to the many variations of the calculator. Some people argue that the changes in technology have been for the better while others argue they have been for the worse. While this paper does not address specifically technology, this paper rather addresses influential persons in philosophy to the field of mathematics. In order to understand the impact of mathematics, this paper will delve into the three philosophers of the past who have contributed to this academic. In this paper, I will cover the views of three philosophers of mathematics encompassing their

Mathematics is the one of the most important subjects in our daily life and in most human activities the knowledge of mathematics is important. In the rapidly changing world and in the era of technology, mathematics plays an essential role. To understand the mechanized world and match with the newly developing information technology knowledge in mathematics is vital. Mathematics is the mother of all sciences. Without the knowledge of mathematics, nothing is possible in the world. The world cannot progress without mathematics. Mathematics fulfills most of the human needs related to diverse aspects of everyday life. Mathematics has been accepted as significant element of formal education from ancient period to the present day. Mathematics has a very important role in the classroom not only because of the relevance of the syllabus material, but because of the reasoning processes the student can develop.