MINI FOLLOW-UP
Math Awareness
April is be Math Awareness Month. For details see <http://mathforum.com/mam/01/>.
Our Math Awareness Survey (in mini-AIR
2001-03) asked
Are you aware of math? [ YES / NO| ]The results were reported in mini-AIR 2001-04: Eighty-four percent (48%) of respondents say they are aware of math.
Here are comments from some of the respondents.
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Yes... I think so... did something change?
--A. P. Ryerson
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Yes. And to my knowledge, this is the first math problem ever posed to me that I've been able to answer with absolute verisimilitude. Thank you for finally making math simple enough for me to understand.
--G. D'Albert
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Yes. I became aware of Math approximately two years ago when emigrating from the UK to the USA. Up until that point I had a wide awareness of "Maths". Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had been aware of the wrong subject all along.
--D. Oakes
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I am compelled to answer YES. Through my years of gleaning wisdom at university I have become aware of maths, particularly of the variety that scuttles about on blackboards, leaps out at you from textbooks and (in advanced cultures) fades in and out during Powerpoint presentations. As for any other maths that may be in existance, I am blissfully unaware.
--S. Kambouris
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Yes. My job requires the analysis of fiscal impacts on local government of pending legislation. The answers that I provided management often depends upon whether or not the boss favors a piece of proposed law. I'm constantly finding myself answering the question: "Is this good or bad?" by saying: "What answer did you have in mind?"
--T. King
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Yes, I am aware of math, having been at one time a math major. I am also aware that I am aware of math. However, I had not been aware that I am aware that I was aware of math. Hence, until this survey I had been unaware of math at the second derivative of awareness. Now that this survey has come out, however, and I have had a chance to reflect while composing this message, I am aware that I am aware that I am aware of math. I theorize, therefore that-- [EDITOR'S NOTE: BECAUSE OF SPACE LIMITATIONS WE HAVE TRUNCATED T. SPELLMAN'S OBSERVATION.]
--T. Spellman
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Yes. I must be as I took the trouble to count the number of letters in "Are you aware of math?" and came up with 17, which is a prime number.
--B. Urton
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Yes. However, the one place in which I do not see math at all is at my work. I have spent more years than I care to admit working as a computer programmer, and not once have I had the opportunity to work with math. This should be comforting to those concerned with America losing its place as the world's leader in high technology. Our students' obliviousness to math will in no way affect their computer skills.
--E. A. Gedeon
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Thank you to all who participated, or attempted to participate, or believe they may have participated in the survey.
© Copyright 2001 Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)
This is a HotAIR exclusive feature. For a complete
list of the others, see What's
New.