I made A’s in all my math classes growing up except geometry. Most of the year I had an F (but ended up with a D so I could graduate)
I was told that I did not try enough and I would not be able to move to the next level.
That ended my high school math path. No Algebra II, Trigonometry, or even Calculus.
I had to wait two years until college where I was able to take those classes and my professors were shocked to hear this story. I eventually taught myself Calculus with Differential Equation as well as Simultaneous equations.
But I wonder how far I would have gone had I not wasted an entire year on a worthless subject as Geometry. I will vehemently stand against that waste of time for any student who loves math and hates something as stupid as a fake math.
Sorry for the rant a friends child is in the same boat. LOL
Actually geometry is very useful and important. The properties that geometry studies are everywhere, and the logic needed to solve geometric problems can be applied to many other areas. I bet you are using things that you learned in geometry in your day to day work without even realizing. Just because you and geometry didn’t get along well in school does not make it a worthless subject. It’s just natural to hate a subject that you struggle with.
I taught high school math for 31 years, and found that students that struggled with a subject were convinced that they couldn’t do it, and therefore (like all self-fulfilling prophecies) they were never successful at it. Once I was able to convince them that they really could do it, they were able to experience some success and felt much better about the subject and themselves.
Sometimes it just takes a different approach to make a difference.
Geometry is an awesomely beautiful subject. It’s a shame you were made to hate it. I likewise used to teach it, and the kids I taught were always asking if we could do more.
We are probably talking about different subjects. Geometry for me ( at the primary level of schooling) was about drawing amazing shapes and constructs with a compass and straight edge. Simply magical. Secondary and higher geometry is so long ago for me now that I don’t remember it—or can’t distinguish it from other disciplines.
My first really big revelation about geometry came at the age of about 13, when I was tasked with creating Roman armour out of cardboard for a play. I suddenly realised I could use geometry to work out the relative sizes and shapes of the pieces needed for a helmet, and thus dispense with hours of trial and error. Brilliant - geometry is both interesting and useful.
I have very little affinity or feel for Photoshop, but I love to use vector programs like Illustrator, with all those beautiful bezier curves etc. I thank Geometry for that, as well as some of the other math subjects like Trigonometry & co.
I agree with you concerning the drawing aspects (when I was in school we called that Art…lol…I could not resist) but that is where is stops for me. When it comes to the angles that is where Trig kicks in.
It probably would have made better sense to teach Geometry as a Grad level course.
Geometry is all about problem-solving as well. That is why I love all mathematics (including geometric proofs). It’s a lot like coding - once you have figured out the solution to what you are trying to accomplish, it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
The only thing I know is that to pass my geometry I had to include the math related to it. Drawing shapes was not enough. I guess it is fair to say that it was an engeneering course so the relations between shapes, dimensions and scales is probably more important than in School. After all, you’re supposed to use all this to design all type of machinery
I was in the lower maths class at GCSE in school, so I wasn’t really taught the advanced stuff. The thing that I remember most from those classes were data management, such as tally charts and graphs.
So when I went to uni I was at a disadvantage when it came to web services, where we had to calculate areas of shapes in WCF. You can’t really code something unless you understand the subject that you’re trying to code, so I had to teach myself trigonometry through old books and on the web. I was glad to get that assignment over with, but that taught me a lesson that maths can be a powerful ally in programming and in general.
So I decided to learn more such as algebra by myself (again, wasn’t taught that). Strangely, programming has made algebra a bit easier.
For drawing, it is easier drawing with shapes. Say if you’re drawing a person, you’d first make a stickman and then draw bubbles around the lines in the shape of the limbs and then add more detail.
Anyway, as for usefulness, I think that trigonometry and geometry in general are used a lot in construction.
However, geometry is completely worthless except for Art students. LOL I work in a new building here on campus and during teh construction phase I interacted with a ton of construction people. Angles, measurements were discussed BUT I never heard anyone say “What about that postulate and this right angle?” Or “We can’t do that because the axiom does not support it” Or “The theorem does not support this floating walkway”
God help us if the design of building is left to “construction people”. Did you also talk to the architects? I bet they’d be happy to talk about geometry.
God help us if the design of building is left to “construction people”.
Yes, I would put my faith in them. I have seen too many people put their faith in technology and the lack of true skills surely shows.
Funny you should ask about architects. I just pinged a couple of buddies of mine who work in that area and none took geometry beyond high school and one of those guys made a D with me. LOL Trig, Calculus, and physics play a HUGE role in that field of study according to them.
Well, I think that here they add geometry to the mix. I do know that engineering does have geometry as well as calculus, algebra, physics, etc.
In my particular school (mining) geometry was very important as a subject and also in technical drawing.
In programming, all of these topics (including geometry) may be really important, specially if you program for games or animations (beyond Flash, of course) etc
At university, I roomed with a guy studying Architecture, and they did a lot of creative stuff like looking at shapes in nature etc. I’m not a great fan of modern architecture (i.e. anything from the last 2000 years ) but I’d still like architects to be aware of things like Geometry.
BUT in regards to high school geometry THAT my friends is a waste of time. I just heard back from a couple of friends of mine from our old school and there was no math in that class; only drawings and theorems, postulates and axioms. Memorization stuff. No math.
Now Trig is where math came in with those drawings and angles. THAT was awesome stuff!.
My wife is an English person (she loves to diagram a sentence and stuff like that). She loved geometry because it did not involve math. Because she hates math and did not do well at it.
Two different states and two different schools and two different teachers. Hmmmmmm
Maybe, just maybe you guys had a pretty good teacher that gave you math in that course. In which case Bravo to them.
I disagree because I do see the use of it, not only in real life projects (like creating graphics with JavaScript) but also because the more you understand, the better you can become even in fields that seem completely unrelated such as drawing and other arts.
The problem is that the more advanced you go in a subject, the less encapsulated the different areas are. The same thing goes for mathematics. You can’t really separate algebra, trigonometry, geometry, etc. They all overlap.
When solving a trigonometric problem involving a triangle drawn in a semi-circle, it helps to know the geometric property that the angle on the circle’s circumference is always a right angle.
And who ever managed to solve a trigonometric problem involving the cosine law without using a ton of algebra?
Trig, Calculus, and physics play a HUGE role in that field of study according to them.