My Top 10 Hates about MATHEMATICS - #10 - #8

My mentor once said, " No one will like history as much as me." My friend said, " No one will like your subject more than you." So, the same saying said different ways. It's true ... I love mathematics! But I do have a few things I dislike about it and I will always dislike about it. Here is my top 10 hates about mathematics!

#10 - Calculators - The bane of the mathematics classroom is the calculator. I have to admit it, I once was dependent on the bane of civilization. Societies have gone thousands of years of doing math without the calculator. When did this horrible invention start taking over the way teachers and students do math today? in my research of this question, I found this nifty article, The Role Calculators have in Mathematical Education. It is a little dated, but it tells you all the myths and rebuttals to EVERYTHING I hate about calculators. However, it is out-dated and the myths have became reality. Check out this myth.... 

Myth #1: Calculators are a crutch! Students use them because they can't compute answers without them! They can not even start the problem without the silly machine and once you take it away from them, they instantly become .... Lack of better words.... Dumb! 

Which is actually brings up the funniest myth of them all.

The calculator started becoming a crutch in the year ... 1985! Where are you Doc Brown! 

#9 - Multiplication Tricks - I was taught this by ALL of my students! There is two tricks that's they teach students today to be able to multiply two two or more digit numbers. I must say I am a fan of the old way of multiplying 115 times 12.

But the new way comes in twos - Lattice Method and Line Method. (The tricks) 

The Lattice Method.... 

Okay ... Real world check. "Tom, what is 115 times 12? Quickly!" Reality check! Pssst.... 

The next method is even worst (I had to go research how to do it properly!) 

The Line Method....

To make life easier, suppose we had 25 times 12, 

Once again .... "Tom, what is 25 times 12? Quickly!" Reality check! 

#8 - The American Measurements - This includes the inch, foot, yard, mile, cup, pint, quart, and gallon. How many nations use these measurements? Guess! You can count them on one hand! FOUR! The United States, The United Kingdom, Liberia, and Myanmar (where in the world is Myanmar?)

Geography 101: Myanmar is also known as Burma, which is what I know it as, Cool huh...

This is why I hate the Imperial method! We are are one world, we need one measurement system! P.S. try converting inches to centimeter (rather having students do it!) YIKES!