Reply to: Global Schooling

[Cliphead]

I still have my old Jeppeson circular slide rule a retired Hurricane pilot gave me when I started learning to fly in 1976.

[pzz76077]

I got taught the Trachtenberg system of basic maths when I was at school.

Im still astounded that such a simple system is not universally taught in every school around the world.

For those that are not familiar with the system: http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.trachten.html


PZZ

[EternalOptimist]

My maths teacher was an astronomy buff.
He was very easy to side track and the stuff he knew was interesting and informative.

best education I ever had

[Tarquin Farquhar]

I used to have a slide rule. Aristo Scholar, good basic model, cost 21s.

There is one on ebay right now, closing 4h, no bids, £6. Hasn't held its value against inflation.

[TimberWolf]

Still have my log tables book complete with graffiti. Used slide rule (now lost) in O’ level course but not exam in 60s.

Also did technical drawing, metalwork (lathe forge etc)
German and optional Russian languages.
Do kids do that at 12+ years these days?

I've still got the compass I used in TD (technical drawing) classes. I suspect I would have kept the slide rule if I'd ever owned one, so they were perhaps handed out in lessons or something. Not sure about log books, but I don't have any now.

Maths was quite advanced at (a good) primary school (Alpha and Beta books, anyone remember those?), but at comprehensive we did 'SMP maths' which was useless.

[Paddy]

Did anyone here use a slide rule in earnest? I remember being taught to use log tables at school, although I just caught the end of that as calculators were available, but not able to be used in exams. Although come t think of it, by the time exams did come up, calculators were allowed. Or maybe I'm mixing them not being allowed at 'O'' level and being allowed at 'A' level.

Still have my log tables book complete with graffiti. Used slide rule (now lost) in O’ level course but not exam in 60s.

Also did technical drawing, metalwork (lathe forge etc)
German and optional Russian languages.
Do kids do that at 12+ years these days?

[threaded]

On one of my first jobs they taught me in excruciating detail how to use a 'Pilot ballon slide rule'.

[mudskipper]

I was surprised (I was going to go with 'shocked' but that implies caring a bit more than I do) to find that today's curriculum doesn't cover base numbers. So your GCSE maths passer hasn't a clue about binary or hex.

[doodab]

Did anyone here use a slide rule in earnest? I remember being taught to use log tables at school, although I just caught the end of that as calculators were available, but not able to be used in exams. Although come t think of it, by the time exams did come up, calculators were allowed. Or maybe I'm mixing them not being allowed at 'O'' level and being allowed at 'A' level.

I remember being taught to use a calculator instead of tables to obtain the value of the logarithm. Which in retrospect seems a rather long winded way of going about it.

[Clippy]

Did anyone here use a slide rule in earnest? I remember being taught to use log tables at school, although I just caught the end of that as calculators were available, but not able to be used in exams. Although come t think of it, by the time exams did come up, calculators were allowed. Or maybe I'm mixing them not being allowed at 'O'' level and being allowed at 'A' level.

You're making this up aren't you - you never went to school.

[TimberWolf]

Did anyone here use a slide rule in earnest? I remember being taught to use log tables at school, although I just caught the end of that as calculators were available, but not able to be used in exams. Although come t think of it, by the time exams did come up, calculators were allowed. Or maybe I'm mixing them not being allowed at 'O'' level and being allowed at 'A' level.

[Paddy]

We had to divide and multiply (numbers) on paper

You had paper in the Soviet Union?

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=7040,1553789

[AtW]

so did I

as I have taught my daughters too.

One of the biggest problems with the kids of today is they have no number bonds - because all they ever do is punch numbers into a calculator/computer and get an answer

with no idea of how the answer is worked out.

I did not have weekly allowance also - there was no such thing in Soviet state

[original PM]

so did I

as I have taught my daughters too.

One of the biggest problems with the kids of today is they have no number bonds - because all they ever do is punch numbers into a calculator/computer and get an answer

with no idea of how the answer is worked out.

[AtW]

Hadn't the abacus been invented yet then?

We had to divide and multiply (numbers) on paper