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Re: devil's advocate (? one wonders...)



We physicists are never going to be mathematicians, but we are pleased
that we learned our mathematics from mathematicians, and consequently
we prescribe mathematics taught by mathematicians for our own students.
Some of my worst teachers were mathematicians, but I wouldn't have
wanted to take the material from another physicist, even though I am
one. I think I got a better introduction to mathematics from
mathematicians. (In some places the engineering schools want to teach
their own physics courses. The misguided hubris which leads to this
attitude is misplaced in a scholar. Perhaps that says something about
those particular engineers.)

Rick is correct; I didn't really enjoy Miss Egan's Latin class back in
grade (?), but I'm still glad I took it, and it says something about me
to other discriminating folks when get my third declension plurals
right. It is also a thrill to be able to figure out an etymology
without going to the dictionary. The very fact that I can still
remember my Latin teacher's name says something about the value of that
course.

Physics is similarly valuable to many more people than the pessimists
in this thread realize. It is rewarding to see the glint in the eye of
a stranger who has asked me a physics question when he realizes he can
understand what I am telling him because he *remembers the underlying
concepts from his college physics class*.

Leigh