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Re: Black Holes and tidal forces



see below

On Wed, 28 Nov 2001, Tina Fanetti wrote:

Algebra? You must be kidding. The class I am teaching this in can b=
arely add numbers. =20
I am having trouble with my calc students to. I just did the chain r=
ule and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Man, what are math departments doing????

They are pretending to teach calculus to people who have only
the scantest grasp of algebra, and they are teaching algebra like a tour
through a picture gallery - as something to be seen once and dimly
remembered. The geometry of Euclid is no longer taught.

The math educators seem to have their own private agenda
which ignores the fact that math is the language that students need for
physics, chemistry, engineering and, now, biology.

My calculus text, in preparation, is intended to remedy some of these
problems. See the sample at: www.hep.anl.gov/jlu/index.html .

Regards,
Jack

Tina

Tina Fanetti
Physics Instructor
Western Iowa Technical Community College
4647 Stone Ave
Sioux City IA 51102
712-274-8733 ext 1429


--
"But as much as I love and respect you, I will beat you and I will kill
you, because that is what I must do. Tonight it is only you and me, fish.
It is your strength against my intelligence. It is a veritable potpourri
of metaphor, every nuance of which is fraught with meaning."
Greg Nagan from "The Old Man and the Sea" in
<The 5-MINUTE ILIAD and Other Classics>