Francine Sherwood

Thanks for your quick reply. We have been always told taht in order for him
to really understand physics, he needs to have the higher math. Are you
saying he can learn the math that he needs to learn the science while he is
doing the science? And that while he is learning the science in effect he
will have learned the higher math? If so, then I am liking this better
already!!!

Francine

<<<<Message: 25
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 18:06:16 EST
From: SandraDodd@...
Subject: Re: unschooling high school math


In a message dated 2/6/01 3:40:24 PM, tsiporah@... writes:

<< So Algebra II, Trig and Calculus, I have no idea what they
are used for in the "real world". >>

They're used for science. That's why all the science recommendations.
He'll
find/discover the math in there where it actually lives, rather than in a
math book!

(You wrote -=- I don't seem to have as much problem figuring out how he can
have
the knowledge base of sciences as much as the math.-=-)

Science first.

Sandra>>>>>>>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Sandi & Scott Spaeth

At 06:29 PM 2/6/01 -0500, you wrote:
> Thanks for your quick reply. We have been always told taht in order for him
>to really understand physics, he needs to have the higher math. Are you
>saying he can learn the math that he needs to learn the science while he is
>doing the science? And that while he is learning the science in effect he
>will have learned the higher math? If so, then I am liking this better
>already!!!
>
>Francine

Pretty much. A good deal of actual LEARNING come from a need to know
basis. If he has a real interest in physics, he will learn the math he
needs. It is all interconnected, and once he sees that, he will either
learn the math or find something else that interests him. I was interested
in meteorology for a long time, but once I found out how much math was
really involved (talk about some ADVANCED calculus!), I decided that I
really did not want it that badly. That might sound bad, but sometimes a
general interest in something is really not enough to carry you through to
a career. But that is ok, it is better to find out early than spend four
years trying to get through it in college just to find out that you hate it!!

Sandi

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Only inspiration.

Piston Ported Vespas:
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http://www.stlsecularhomeschool.org

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In a message dated 2/6/01 6:05:58 PM, vespass@... writes:

<< That might sound bad, but sometimes a
general interest in something is really not enough to carry you through to
a career. But that is ok, it is better to find out early than spend four
years trying to get through it in college just to find out that you hate it!!
>>

And better than FIRST taking four or six math courses and then finding out
you have no real interest in the science you were building up to
understanding.

There are websites galore about astronomy (electric astrolabe, and lots more)
and weather (intellicast.com) which would get him THINKING about what the
math is good for, because he could go a year or two without doing anything
that looked to you like math, and be gathering up a world (literally) of
understanding of the concepts.

Sandra