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Asimov - Assumptions, the audience and arithmetic - Rant?
Subject:Asimov - Assumptions, the audience and arithmetic - Rant? From:"tronajc" <tronajc -at- freemail -dot- absa -dot- co -dot- za> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sun, 19 Aug 2001 20:20:21 +0200
<<<remember that Asimov story where arithmetic's had been wholly forgotten
until some genius clerk rediscovers it.>>>
I remember that one - But what was it title again.?....
I often "amaze" some of my younger co-workers with simple answer to basic
mathematic problems
The square of 15 = 225 / square root of 625 = 25 so the square of 20 = 400
YES / NO ? or doing simple rough estimates e.g.: if this (topics) takes 8
minutes to complete it we can do about 50 in 7 hours give or take a few =-
just by doing them mentally and not search for Calculator on the desktop.
No I am not bragging but some of the more recent generation seems to be more
spoon-fed and reliant on technology with out understanding the basic's. (<g>
No I am not always right but usually close to bluff / wing it.
Some of the best programmers / developers I know ( not just worked with) -
understand the basic ground roots of not only there tools but also other
related topics and Many are maths related.
<<Knowing how to add a positive number to a negative number is something
like knowing how to spell: it doesn't come instinctively, but once you learn
it, you have it for life.>>
I have / am trying to teach my children this but its uphill work, as they
would rather watch TV or play computer games.
rant....
IMO Many companies indirectly / directly discourage this approach - WHY ?
Many reasons are given are they right or wrong - again IMO I say understand
the fundamentals then grow / develop on that - Don't jump in half way and
Assume any thing.( Does this originates from our School / education systems
which yearly churn out 100 of thousand graduates world wide whom are in
general totally unsuited to enter the work place / higher learning
facilities (see the 1st year Drop out rate ) ? - Another question with
multiple answers
most right or nearly right and some not so right but never totally wrong)
(Assume = ASS out of you(U) and ME - old but still true)
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A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
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IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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