Why has maths been stripped from engineering subjects?

[K.I.L.E.R]

My maths class was cancelled (We were also going to be doing PDEs, ***holes) because of a lack of people and I had to put up with another programming subject(BOORING!!!). When I went to hell and back to try and find a way of doing the cancelled math subject, I was told by a lecturer that I should speak to another lecturer to look for alternative subjects in the engineering department, so I did.

When I was speaking to the lecturer he couldn't find an alternative subject and he told me that the engineering department had all the maths subjects phased out, and when I asked him "Why? I thought engineers need maths the most.", he just gave me one of those "I don't know" shrugs.

The world is in a very sad state of affairs when people pick "easy" subjects because all they are interested in is passing and getting the hell out of school.
Why are people so disinterested in study?
This attitude is hurting other students like myself who actually want to learn and the worst part of this is that I can't do anything about it.

 

[_xxx_]

Bah, engineers don't need maths, just Google and Wikipedia

 

[AlNom]

The sad part is that that isn't too far from the truth, xxx.

Anyhoo, over here, the math department takes care of the engineering math courses. *shrug*

 

[_xxx_]

The sad part is that that isn't too far from the truth, xxx.

Of course it isn't, first-hand experience saying that here

 

[London Geezer]

That can't be right.....


Besides... Aren't Maths classes just there cause they're fun anyway?

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

Our maths classes are filled with about 4-12 people.
My current maths class has 6 of us at most at any one time.

Maths is a black sheep, people don't do it because it isn't "easy". People pick subjects such as multimedia which is making videos. That's childs play.

 

[_xxx_]

That can't be right.....

Well, all my maths courses were 1+ but nowadays I'm just too lazy, so I often google for the quick solution. Since mostly everything has already been done before by somebody, no prob.

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

I just have to add that University is a joke.
The subjects have been watered down because stupid morons refuse to do any real work. People don't give a shit about their education, they only care about making money. A lot of people don't deserve to have an education. Universities these days are nothing more than vending machines for governments.

 

[AlNom]

People don't give a shit about their education, they only care about making money.

Welcome to the last several thousand years?

 

[nutball]

Universities these days are nothing more than vending machines for governments.

No they're a way of keeping teenagers off the dole for three years.

 

[Captain Chickenpants]

Our maths classes are filled with about 4-12 people.
My current maths class has 6 of us at most at any one time.

Maths is a black sheep, people don't do it because it isn't "easy". People pick subjects such as multimedia which is making videos. That's childs play.

My maths classes at uni had >150.

It probably depends on the university and the range of courses it does. UMIST (where I attended) was specifically for engineering/science type stuff.

CC

 

[Sonic]

Why any engineering student would go ahead and take a multimedia coruse is beyond me except to be lazy in college, which is a horrible idea.

Maths or Maths classes should be a requirement for students to graduate from the college/university and get their degree. If the college allows these students to graduate without taking the math courses then the college is at fault.

Does anyone know if Princeton's engineering programs require math courses?

And my advice to you Kiler, is to challenge yourself in that maths that you think you will need. Do the research online and find example problems that don't have the answer in plain visible form on whatever site you look a, and then do it nd see if your answer is correct. Hell, make up your own problems and solve them, then check with someone either here or another soruce to see if your solution is the correct one.

 

[satein]

The sad part is that that isn't too far from the truth, xxx.

Anyhoo, over here, the math department takes care of the engineering math courses. *shrug*

It is for my country too, which sometime leads a lot of problems. Anyway, math is the root for almost any knowledge in science! I believe that. I don't like the way someone try to solve engineering problem by just thinking it may work and walk to the lab and find out later it's not. Since such a thing sometime can be done on a paper with some math basic ...

Bah, engineers don't need maths, just Google and Wikipedia

It sounds sad for that. Anyway, at the moment, I told my friends that we seem to achieve a PhD by Googling and Wikipedia than by our supervisor Not a joke in anyway.

 

[Captain Chickenpants]

It is for my country too, which sometime leads a lot of problems. Anyway, math is the root for almost any knowledge in science! I believe that. I don't like the way someone try to solve engineering problem by just thinking it may work and walk to the lab and find out later it's not. Since such a thing sometime can be done on a paper with some math basic ...


It sounds sad for that. Anyway, at the moment, I told my friends that we seem to achieve a PhD by Googling and Wikipedia than by our supervisor Not a joke in anyway.

You are doing a PHD at sheffield? What in?

 

[AlNom]

Hell, make up your own problems and solve them, then check with someone either here or another soruce to see if your solution is the correct one.

.....

 

[satein]

You are doing a PHD at sheffield? What in?

Yep. For sure, not computing related . May I just keep it to myself .

The other sad point of Google is that to find out how hard you can say what are you doing now is 'new' too. It seems like internet and Google made world become so small.

 

[Npl]

I just have to add that University is a joke.
The subjects have been watered down because stupid morons refuse to do any real work. People don't give a shit about their education, they only care about making money. A lot of people don't deserve to have an education. Universities these days are nothing more than vending machines for governments.

You are studying CS, right? Take some courses you`d have to do if you`d study maths. Its a world of difference, atleast around here (I`d say CS is one of the cheapest studys you can apply to, nothing hard to grasp and not much to learn)

 

[standing ovation]

Think about it. We are talking about a Bachelor of Science degree, meaning you are likely to minor in one area of science and major in another.

Mathematics is the foundation of science, so it tends to be a minor by default.

But if students are using laptops and calculators to plow through equations, we can see why math is falling from graces.

 

[Sonic]

I don't blame just the university system for the lack of interest in math, I also blame the school system here in the states for the lack of interest in math in the USA. When I was in high school there were required math courses in order to graduate, but calculators could be used and also one was able to be helped by other classmates. The bad thing is when going over the homework most teachers just gave us the correct answer without actually going through the steps of finding the answer. When I had an answer wrong and asked the teacher to show me/us how to ind the correct answer he said time was pressing and we moved on. There were 10 of minutes "free time" afer homework that could have been used to help me solve the problems.

That's my personal experience with the school systems with multiple teachers throughout high school. Indeed it was a public school, but if the teachers do not care then why should the students? I cared so I ended up teaming with someone else in my class who was really good in math and had somewhat of a tutor. My grades increased and all that good stuff.

 

[Bigus Dickus]

whoa, definitely does not sound like my experience in engineering. Of course, my BS degree was in 99, but that was sooo long ago.

Required math courses (notice the singular math... why do people make it plural?):
- algebra (well, optional not required... you need to know it for other courses, up to you if you thought your HS covered it well enough)
- Calculus (15 hrs worth, a three or four course series)
- Trigonometry
- Differntial equations
- Linear algebra

Those were the basic math courses, taught by the math department. And for the record, calculators were often not allowed for tests (depending on what was being taught and the goal of the test/section).