Re: Math Societies Message #4 Posted by Nenad (Croatia) on 7 Jan 2005, 1:08 p.m., in response to message #3 by Eddie Shore
There was a public presentation of a prepared lecture each month. Most of these presentations were purely theoretical (difficult topics from group theory, topology, etc.). Almost every lecturer wanted to impress the auditorium with the fact that he (in most cases: she) was working on a topic extremely difficult to understand by "ordinary" people.
The most interesting presentations were the ones prepared by mathematicians working as high-school lecturers. They dealt with very interesting topics related to triangles, inequalities, algebraic equations, stereometry and how to present this topics using the easiest and the most understandable way.
AFAIR, when I presented my lecture "Application of program Derive in engineering mathematics", all of the auditorium responded with a unisone question: "Shall we lose our (lecturer) jobs if this comes out?". My response was also simple: "Hopefully!". They did not like it at all, but who can stop the progress.
Anyway, my impression was that they did not like engineers at all, particularly the ones somewhat skilled in mathematics, especially applied numerical methods. The approach of Math Society members was always based upon the thinking that mathematics is a self-sustained deductive theory and that its application is only a consequence of theory.
How wrong they were (and still are), at least IMHO.
|