How important is memorizing math formulas?

[Gonzo Rodeo]

right and if you try to google everything you come across good luck making it to a STEM job, even if all your tests allowed that

this is true in order to be efficient at anything, even liberal arts. Having no ability to put things into context because you have to google every little piece of the puzzle is that the kind of 'solution' that will come from someone who won't be good at anything, and certainly will be easily replaced

Oh, I see what you were trying to say. Yeah.

When people ask if they need to memorize stuff, I can't NOT hear the fat lazy kid ask if this will be on the test.

 

[rabbitcaebannog]

Memorization is the lowest form of learning. It is the application and analysis/evaluating that are the higher order thinking skills.

 

[Winchester]

Memorization is the lowest form of learning. It is the application and analysis/evaluating that are the higher order thinking skills.

First comes memorization then comes understanding.

 

[rabbitcaebannog]

First comes memorization then comes understanding.

No, not necessarily.

 

[calamity]

How important is memorizing math formulas? Is it still important, or is knowing how to use technology and how to find a formula enough?

In high school and college. For preparing for 'real life'.

I put more value in deriving them from basic axioms and fundamental laws. Most of the harry formulas in my engineering classes were built off of a few simple equations.

F=ma
E=IR

That sort of thing.

 

[Winchester]

No, not necessarily.

You're right, some people never get to the understanding phase.

 

[rabbitcaebannog]

You're right, some people never get to the understanding phase.

You don't need good memorization skills to understand something.

 

[Winchester]

You don't need good memorization skills to understand something.

In math you do.

 

[ecofarm]

Memorizing 5x5 becomes memorizing formulas becomes memorizing equations becomes Sheldon. Can't just go from step 1 to end game. Formulas, once fully understood, look like 5x5.

 

[calamity]

Memorizing 5x5 becomes memorizing formulas becomes memorizing equations becomes Sheldon. Can't just go from step 1 to end game. Formulas, once fully understood, look like 5x5.

Yeah, but even 5x5 can be derived from basic axioms.

5+5+5+5+5=25, which if you want to get down to the axiom, breaks down to adding

1+1+1+1+1 five times. Memorizing the times-table just speeds up the effort. But, really multiplication is notthing more than doing the 1+1 thing ad infinitum.

 

[AlbqOwl]

How important is memorizing math formulas? Is it still important, or is knowing how to use technology and how to find a formula enough?

In high school and college. For preparing for 'real life'.

I had to memorize weights and measures and the multiplication tables and other common math formulas when I was in school. And those have been invaluable to me in everyday life for my whole life including this morning.

 

[rabbitcaebannog]

In math you do.

I disagree. Long term memory is strengthened with meaningful connections not mindless formulas. Formulas without connections will barely stick around very long (after an exam for example)unless you take a formula and understand how it works.

 

[calamity]

I disagree. Long term memory is strengthened with meaningful connections not mindless formulas. Formulas without connections will barely stick around very long (after an exam for example)unless you take a formula and understand how it works.

This.

Memorizing a formula without context is just a mindless exercise.

 

[Mach]

For most people, not at all. For people in math, science, and engineering, obviously it's pretty useful.

But k-12 is about developing a foundation, and getting exposure to a wide range of fields of study.
As you develop a talent for some, or a passion for some, you can start to focus on those and transition to college to the same. Or, you find none of that was really to your liking, and you enter the work force after school, and at least you have a moderately useful foundation. So you get exposed to them, like it or not, in k-12. And since they can't "know" what your passion/talent will necessarily be before you find it, you get it all.

I used very few math formulas other than maybe some simple algebra and geometry, until I got further in my career and I started using a lot of algebra/geometry/trig, and a smattering of calculus and discrete math. Then I decided to go into software development, and I'm using more of the same. So I used none of it right out of school, and largely hated it in school, and ended up using it later in life, and not hating it, and it was good to at least have the foundation that let me quickly pick it all back up, or to even know enough to "brush up" on it.

Math is especially difficult to just dive into, it's so hierarchical in many cases that if you don't have a good handle on the lower stuff, the higher stuff simply can't be used. I would think things like History or Political classes or geography are much easier to just pick up a book and memorize, than it is later in life to just pick up a diff-eq book and crank out the sample tests...

 

[joG]

For most people, not at all. For people in math, science, and engineering, obviously it's pretty useful.

But k-12 is about developing a foundation, and getting exposure to a wide range of fields of study.
As you develop a talent for some, or a passion for some, you can start to focus on those and transition to college to the same. Or, you find none of that was really to your liking, and you enter the work force after school, and at least you have a moderately useful foundation. So you get exposed to them, like it or not, in k-12. And since they can't "know" what your passion/talent will necessarily be before you find it, you get it all.

I used very few math formulas other than maybe some simple algebra and geometry, until I got further in my career and I started using a lot of algebra/geometry/trig, and a smattering of calculus and discrete math. Then I decided to go into software development, and I'm using more of the same. So I used none of it right out of school, and largely hated it in school, and ended up using it later in life, and not hating it, and it was good to at least have the foundation that let me quickly pick it all back up, or to even know enough to "brush up" on it.

Math is especially difficult to just dive into, it's so hierarchical in many cases that if you don't have a good handle on the lower stuff, the higher stuff simply can't be used. I would think things like History or Political classes or geography are much easier to just pick up a book and memorize, than it is later in life to just pick up a diff-eq book and crank out the sample tests...

I have found math extremely helpful in just about everthing I have done. Even in philosophy or art it seemed to give one some help getting into. Sociopolitical and economic research would have been totally impossible and banking and asset liabilitt consulting unthinkable without.

 

[Mach]

I have found math extremely helpful in just about everthing I have done. Even in philosophy or art it seemed to give one some help getting into. Sociopolitical and economic research would have been totally impossible and banking and asset liabilitt consulting unthinkable without.

Sure but I think you can get a good math foundation for those things without memorizing all the forumlas. Even IN math I rarely memorized much if I didn't need to. A textbook with all the formulas in the back was easy to quickly look up and use. For people who really apply it, and go on to higher math, they probably need to memorize as much as they can so they can keep it all in their head.

I agree, math is fundamental to everything and should be taught regardless of whether its heavy on formula memorization, or whether or not it interests them.

 

[radcen]

right and if you try to google everything you come across good luck making it to a STEM job, even if all your tests allowed that

this is true in order to be efficient at anything, even liberal arts. Having no ability to put things into context because you have to google every little piece of the puzzle is that the kind of 'solution' that will come from someone who won't be good at anything, and certainly will be easily replaced

There's a difference between memorizing/knowing common tasks that you do on an everyday basis and having to look up something you do maybe once every three years, if that often. In a work environment, I mean.

 

[radcen]

I have found math extremely helpful in just about everthing I have done. Even in philosophy or art it seemed to give one some help getting into. Sociopolitical and economic research would have been totally impossible and banking and asset liabilitt consulting unthinkable without.

When I was in a basic algebra class one student was complaining one day and questioning why he had to take algebra at all. He was, as he put it, a history major and would never use it.

I just sat there and listened (I wasn't the instructor), and my thoughts were: 1) You are a history major. Even if you do get a history-related job, chances are you aren't going to be making big bucks being interviewed on documentaries. 2) You'll probably end up in some department somewhere and algebra will come in handy when working budgets and other mundane tasks.

 

[jet57]

How important is memorizing math formulas? Is it still important, or is knowing how to use technology and how to find a formula enough?

In high school and college. For preparing for 'real life'.

It's important if math is important to you.

 

[joG]

Sure but I think you can get a good math foundation for those things without memorizing all the forumlas. Even IN math I rarely memorized much if I didn't need to. A textbook with all the formulas in the back was easy to quickly look up and use. For people who really apply it, and go on to higher math, they probably need to memorize as much as they can so they can keep it all in their head.

I agree, math is fundamental to everything and should be taught regardless of whether its heavy on formula memorization, or whether or not it interests them.

Admittedly I was not a memorizer. I always liked deriving formulae. But in Shanghai they do a modified memorize thing and turn out crop after crop of top performing math students.

 

[joG]

When I was in a basic algebra class one student was complaining one day and questioning why he had to take algebra at all. He was, as he put it, a history major and would never use it.

I just sat there and listened (I wasn't the instructor), and my thoughts were: 1) You are a history major. Even if you do get a history-related job, chances are you aren't going to be making big bucks being interviewed on documentaries. 2) You'll probably end up in some department somewhere and algebra will come in handy when working budgets and other mundane tasks.

....or analysing historical data or masses of intelligence gathered by hacking a foreign enemy.

 

[reinoe]

what does someone do if the internet is down?

imo, we are depending on technology way to much.

example: at a fast food place I had a bill of $7.24. I gave the young cashier a $20. As she was entering the amount received I stated I have the 0.24. She had already entered the $20 and the register stated my change was $12.76 She could not figure in her head that when I gave her a total of $20.24 I would get $13 back in change.

While it is not a formula. My point is many people today are so hooked on technology that some have forgotten how to think and solve problems.

If the internet is down in your area, it's irrelevant. A smart-phone has you covered. If your smartphone doesn't get internet then you've probably travelled to a place where complex mathematics are irrelevant: perhaps a hunter-gatherer society in a time-travel accident?

 

[Carjosse]

If the internet is down in your area, it's irrelevant. A smart-phone has you covered. If your smartphone doesn't get internet then you've probably travelled to a place where complex mathematics are irrelevant: perhaps a hunter-gatherer society in a time-travel accident?

Not to mention the calculator app doe snot need data connection to function.

 

[Bodi]

How important is memorizing math formulas? Is it still important, or is knowing how to use technology and how to find a formula enough?

In high school and college. For preparing for 'real life'.

Unless the kid is going into a science or math (basically) it is an absolute waste of time. I was great at math. Straight A's. I can't remember any of it anymore because I never used it once I got out of college. That is the same for the vast VAST majority of students. They should be learning about loans and a million other real life stuff.

 

[Grand Mal]

How important is memorizing math formulas? Is it still important, or is knowing how to use technology and how to find a formula enough?

In high school and college. For preparing for 'real life'.

Depends on the value you put on brain function. I don't deliberately maintain stuff I don't use but I regret the things I've forgotten. True, internet access puts everything at everyone's fingertips but understanding is tied up with remembering and Google can't bring you that.