Unresolvable Controversy

I should not allow myself to get drawn into controversies on Facebook which cannot be resolved, because each side is so convinced that they are right, that any argument is futile.  But, I did.  And…it wasn’t even about politics.

You know those math problems that are posted which cause arguments?  One camp thinks the answer is 7 and another group is convinced the answer is 1.  An older school group believes all equations are worked left to right, but the more recently educated believe one must use “Order of Operations” or PEDMAS (parentheses-exponents-division-multiplication-addition-subtraction).  When they come up with different answers, each side accuses the other of not knowing what they are doing.

I think this is all meaningless, because no one worth his salt would, in a practical situation, allow an equation to be written that caused confusion or controversy.

If you were an engineer creating an equation that would help to determine the strength of the material used in building a bridge would you risk someone misinterpreting the equation?

If you were a medical researcher creating an equation to determine the correct dose of a chemotherapy drug would you leave an equation in a form that required PEDMAS to accurately interpret?

If you were creating an equation to calculate the firing of retrorockets to ensure the safe return of astronauts from space would you write an ambiguously structured formula?

NO!  NO! and NO!

As far as I am concerned, this means that PEDMAS is a “parlor game” or internet game and otherwise is only usable by math teachers for test questions.

I tried to say that and created a firestorm of responses.  It apparently drives math teachers crazy to think they are teaching something as the Holy Grail which has no meaningful purpose in real life.  I actually found an article by a Berkeley math professor that said essentially what I was saying.  I posted a link to the article and someone argued that the article agreed with her position, not mine. (I think there may be a reading comprehension issue there!)

Now…I LOVE math.  I thoroughly enjoy it as though it were a game.  I know to most people this is bizarre, but solving a complicated math problem actually gives me a pleasurable sensation inside my head. 

But…I do understand the difference between math as a game and math as a tool.  Just as reading is essential to learning in most fields, math is essential in many, many fields.  In the practical setting, it cannot be viewed as a game or puzzle, it has to be viewed as a precise tool.  There cannot be ambiguity when someone’s life may depend on the calculation.  An equation used for a practical purpose must be clear…even broken down into multiple steps if that is what is required to avoid confusion.

I did some searching and found a formula for calculating the dose of a chemotherapy drug.  It was written with parenthesis which made clear which portion of the equation needed to be dealt with first.  There was no division sign…division was indicated by placing one portion of the equation over the other essentially creating a fraction.  The dose for a female was to be 85% of the male dose, but this was shown as an extra step.  No confusion…no reliance on PEDMAS.

When the math matters, one cannot play games.

If you like games, there are plenty of them on the internet and lots of opportunity to argue which answer is correct.

I will be scrolling past these on FB, because there is obviously no point in trying to explain that it is all a game to make some feel more educated than others.  People apparently want to keep taking shots at those who don't agree with them, and will even use math as an excuse to do so.

Now as to how this happens with political opinions....no, no, Ruth....don't go there!