Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
Really? I never studied economics in any form at all, and I don't get the sense that I'm unusual in that.
BTW, I had to take one math course in college. I picked the easiest one I could find.
Okay, I'll be honest here. I do all of these things all of the time, and I don't see any connection at all with linear equations ( y=mx+b or the other forms). All I need to figure out square footage is a tape measure; I don't need to know the slope of the line or how it graphs on a plane.
Am I missing something? Are my pathetic understandings of algebra showing?  |
Econ's becoming more and more common. I had to take three for my major in undegrad, but every major had to take at least two. I had to take the additional International Economics. I also had to take three in grad school, and surprisingly enough, it was the same three I had to take in undergrad but at a higher level (Micro, Macro, International). My major in undergrad was Foreign Language (International Government) and my major in grad school was "Badass."
Since linear equations are a lead-in for geometry, that's where you're using it to get floor space. Plus, if he goes into construction, contractors use it all the time, especially for designing entrances to buildings, etc.
It sounds kindof random, but figuring out slope goes into things like handicap ramps, etc. - which you can point out to him every time he comes across one. If the slope is all jacked up, it's not of much use to a person in a wheelchair. Even stairs are designed using slope.
The graph on the plane is just to conceptualize the concept in a context where it's not immediately apparent. And for things like statistical analysis, economic understanding, etc. where it's ideas instead of physical space.
Also, I know respiratory therapists use things like linear equations to figure out how much of one treatment a person should get, and I believe there's an equivalent for radiologists. Which seems random but I've become intimately familiar with both a Rad Tech associate's degree and a Respiratory Care associates degree and they use/do a shit ton of graphing.
You also need it for graphic design careers.
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