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Re: [Phys-l] Ca mandates 8th-grade algebra test

In response to John's excellent point about what is meant by "8th grade algebra," the following are the five questions presented as examples in today's SF Chronicle:

1. Two airplanes left the same airport traveling in opposite directions. If one airplane averages 400 miles per hour and the other airplane averages 250 miles per hour, in how many hours will the distance between the two planes be 1625 miles?

2. What is the solution set of the inequality 5 – |x + 4| < –3 ?

3. What is the y-intercept of the graph of 4x + 2y = 12 ?

4. What is (x2 – 4 xy + y2) / ( 3xy – 6y2) reduced to lowest terms?
(This is expressed as a fraction without the parentheses.)

5. The square root of 16 plus the cube root of 8 equals? (This was expressed in symbols.)

All five were multiple choice questions with four candidate responses.



On Jul 10, 2008, at 4:12 PM, John Denker wrote:

On 07/10/2008 02:52 PM, LaMontagne, Bob wrote:
Is that, then, an argument for keeping music out of grade schools -
because some students will never be good at it? Why does that
argument only apply to math?

Please look at the Subject: line.

The main problem is not the 8th grade algebra course. The big problem
is that the _STATE_ is _MANDATING_ a _TEST_ on the subject.


====================

Actually there is another slight problem with any discussion of
8th grade algebra: I have no idea what "8th grade algebra" means.
As Mark Shapiro has clearly pointed out, there are some students
who "get" some parts of the subject, and other students who don't.
As for the students who don't: remember the proverb: You can't
make a flower grow faster by pulling on it.

Does "algebra" mean one linear equation in one unknown? You can
easily teach that to most 5th graders. Or does "algebra" mean
_Algebra_ by Hungerford? I know lots of adult professional physicists
who can't handle Hungerford.

Of course this instantly brings us back around to the real problem,
because the state test will -- for better or worse -- implicitly
*define* what 8th grade algebra means. Until we see the test, though,
none of us has much idea what we're talking about.



Tolerating a certain amount of person-to-person variability used to be
the cornerstone of politeness. Now it's illegal.
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