[FRIAM] Arthur Benjamin's formula for changing math education | Video on TED.com

Owen,

I find nothing to argue with in Benjamin's talk. He says that students
studying economics, science, engineering, or math should learn calculus
but that it may not be needed by other students who should study
probability and statistics.

However, I don't understand your comment that math notation is the roman
numerals of our times. Which branch of math do you have in mind? Certainly
not calculus, where, as you know, we use Leibniz's elegant notation.

I also don't follow your comment about discrete versus continuous.
Among theoretical computer scientists, people who want to understand
the power of the computer and questions such as P vs NP study discrete
problems whereas people like me who want to solve problems
coming from, say, physics or computational finance think about solving
continuous problems such as path integration.

Best, Joe
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Joseph F. Traub,   Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor of Computer Science
                    and External Professor, Santa Fe Institute

traub@...          http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~traub

Phone: (212) 939-7013    Messages: (212) 939-7000    Fax: (212) 666-0140

Columbia University
Computer Science Department
1214 Amsterdam Avenue, MC0401
New York, NY 10027
USA

Administrative Assistant: Sophie Majewski
sophie@... (212)939-7023


**************************************************************

  From: Owen Densmore <owen@...>
  Date: June 29, 2009 12:07:14 PM MDT
  To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@...>,
  General topics & issues <discuss@...>
  Subject: [FRIAM] Arthur Benjamin's formula for changing math education |
  Video on TED.com
  Reply-To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
  <friam@...>

  This is kinda cool and less than 3 minutes long!
  http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_s_formula_for_changing_math_education.h
  tml

  The thesis is a different spin on my claim that modern Math Notation (MN) is
  the roman numerals of our times.  Arthur Benjamin clearly explains
  that  statistics and probability should be the "pinnacle" of our basic math
  education, not calculus.  His reasoning includes the discrete vs continuous
  argument that resonates with my MN vs Algorithm (or MN vs script) concern,
  which I'd love to see resolved in a parsable reworking of MN.

     -- Owen


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