In article <99luf5-qar.ln1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, Penny Gaines <penny@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>Herman Rubin wrote:
>> In article <gc6rf5-6lg.ln1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, Penny Gaines
<penny@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>[snip]
>> they were 14yo.
>>> If you are going to study history, or languages, why do you need
>>> mathematics? You can get into Oxford or Cambridge Universities (in
the
>>> UK) with no formal mathematics qualification, which if you are
British,
>>> means you may be unable to master algebra.
>> Historians and linguists nowadays are using mathematics
>> more than one thinks.
>Possibly, but it still isn't a necessity to study for a degree in the
>subject.
>[snip]
>>> Wouldn't you say that being able to read complex written do***ents and
>>> being able to select the most relevant points is a major part of
>>> "critical thinking skills", and is irrelevant to algebra.
>> Complex written do***ents are usually much easier to read
>> and understand if a fair amount of mathematical notation,
>> and "mathematical" logic, are used to get through the
>> verbiage. How can one think critically if one cannot at
>> least use the part of logic which we understand.
>[snip]
>Oh logic is definately needed. I'm not convinced though that a
>mathematical type of logic is needed, uness it is fuzzy logic.
There is a subject now called "fuzzy logic". But to make
it precise, it is necessary to bring in the dependencies
and apply mathematical logic to probability.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
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