Cliff Gardner

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Fun with numbers

I've always struggled with math. While Mandy recalls her high school AP calculus class with a smile, the pre-algebra class I took as a senior still gives me nightmares. Apparently our polar opposite experiences with math are actually fairly common. Since I always struggled with math in high school, I assumed that my required math class at Willamette would certainly spell my doom.

Fortunately, the class was one of the easiest I took at Willamette. The official title was "techniques of math," but everyone just called it "fun with numbers." My professor pointed out that while most math classes build on what you learned in the previous level class like you're climbing limbs on a tree, under that analogy, this class was the dying shrub in the corner of the yard. We spent two months discussing various methods of voting. I shit you not, a question on the final asked me the following:

"There are three candidates for the president of the marching band in a high school election. Abby gets 10 votes. Carl gets 15 votes. Kim gets 2 votes. Which of these candidates received a plurality?"

Stupid story problems. Math is so hard!

4 Comments:

  • Plurality? God, I KNEW I had a lot of studying to do for the GRE math section.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:18 AM  

  • that's so not a math class. man I wish that could be my math requirement. Instead I'm stuck with Elementary Statistics. bleck. :P

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:48 AM  

  • Thermodynamics would make your head explode.

    Look! I discovered how to leave you comments here!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:54 PM  

  • I think I was in that very math class. Never did any homework because we didn't have to turn it in...and still got guess what...an F.

    No, an A. I felt guilty about it, even!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:47 PM  

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