40% of College Students get this question wrong. AND IT MAKES ME ANGRY!

[Squid1361]

I am currently a student at an engineering university pursuing a degree in robotics. I have had to use the FOIL method a number of times. Many of my friends, pursuing degrees in other fields at other universities, have not. It all comes down to what major you are pursuing and what you want to do with your life.

 

[Aphroditty]

The split infinitive was "to correctly spot" in case anybody really cares. No one? Damn. Are there no English majors playing video games?

Nah, it's not that, it's just that split infinitives aren't given much attention since we realized that English isn't Latin. Although depending on your particular focus in English (lit. versus composition), I suppose it might come up more or less often.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

I know the answer (though FOIL might throw some people off because that's a pretty specific mnemonic), but why is this even remotely depressing?

This is a largely pointless exercise for the vast majority of people that relies not on any deep understanding of mathematics, but on simply learning a step-by-step procedure to produce the expanded form. In fact, you are EXPRESSLY asking for that unthinking, mechanistic procedure by asking them to FOIL it rather than just expand it. Being able to FOIL means NOTHING. You can teach anyone to foil so long as they know/have access to a basic multiplication table. They may have no idea what they're doing, but they'll still be able to do it. A better question would be how many people STILL can't grasp the concept of variables.

But really, the main point is still that this is a pretty useless bit of information for the vast, vast majority of people and it doesn't sadden me at all to know that 40% of people studying completely unrelated things in college don't know it. In fact, I'm surprised the number is so low.

We need to know how to expand because math is cumulative.

Expanding leads to graphs, graphs lead to derivatives and integrals, and all forms of science/industry/architecture/etc require these "basic" tools. Would you want your Brain Surgeon to not know what an artery was?

This would be a reasonable argument if more than 60% of college students were in science/industry/architecture/etc. In fact, they are not. Not even remotely. Also, there are MANY sciences/industry jobs/etc. that do not require the ability to do anything beyond plugging numbers into formulae. To take an even better example from my own research life of a field that requires strong math skills, yet doesn't even involve plugging numbers into formulae, formal semantics (a science) requires understanding of set theory, various logics, lattices, and more, but I have yet to ever need to expand an equation.

A better analogy than your brain surgeon one would be "Would you want your brain surgeon to not know what Kripke semantics looks like?"

 

[Paradoxicles]

Spoiler: I'm bad at remembering math stuff normally, but FOIL is an exception.

(x+3)(x+3)
x^2+3x+3x+9
x^2+6x+9

 

[mkg]

1. You're right it's sad that we have relaxed our education sytem to the point where you don't learn advanced math till you're almost 18 and even then we still don't retain it.

2. You're a pretentious ass because you knew the answer to a math problem and you give others a test to show how smart you are. I hope you remember every bit of info for the rest of your life, I really do. Just don't assume anyone gives a shit that you do.

3. If it honest to god makes you angry, tutor others or use your astounding intellect to work your way into the education field where you could make a difference.

Don't know why this thread just rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[Spinozaad]

I prefer to know the inner workings of socio-cultural constructions like nationalism than petty math problems I never need.

In fact, I haven't had a single math class since I was 17.

 

[Kiju]

I failed math in High School, so this question is pretty much beyond me.

The fact you're a Math major makes me sad and a little angry. I can only imagine what is so fascinating about putting two and two together...ugh.

I just don't get math. I can add, subtract, divide, multiply, and even do a little bit of algebra if needed. That's plenty, in my opinion.

I've been in college, and I don't even know what the hell that problem means, or winds up as. It looks like basic algebra, but without X being given a value. So...yeah. Meh.

 

[Aesthetical Quietus]

Spoiler

(x + 3)^2
= (x + 3)(x + 3)
= x^2 + 6x + 9

Unfortunatly, I'm doing a degree which requires this and calculus, so I'd be ****** if I didn't know it.

 

[Deadarm]

I got the answer wrong, but then again I've never been all that great with anything algebra and up.

 

[Deadarm]

2. I am upset because in order to get into college (here in America) you need to pass high school and the SATs. Both of which require Algebra I. Trig and Calculus are a secondary option. This is why I didn't expect people to know how to derive, or what sin(pi/2) was. FOIL is something everyone had to learn.

Well, buggy, I must apologize. I am old. I was not aware that students these days are required to take Algebra I to graduate. I believe it was optional back in the day that I went to school. (I had it in 9th grade in central Oklahoma in 1983.) So, I would like to formally modify my opinion. I will now be slightly more angry about this as well. Long live (-b+/-(b^2-4ac)^(1/2))/2a! (Um, that's not a factorial at the end. It's just an exclamation point for emphasis.)

sin(pi/2)=1. The split infinitive was "to correctly spot" in case anybody really cares. No one? Damn. Are there no English majors playing video games?

I'm sure there are some but they are few and far between. I take it as personal failure when I make so much as a single typo. Also I pose to you this question. Wouldnt english majors rather be reading books than playing videogames and surfing the web? Just because I know thats how I would be had I not discovered videogames as a child.

 

[skeliton112]

What is the arrow? is its times i know it but yeah...

 

[Lord Krunk]

FOIL: (x+3)^2

Oh dear god. First Outers Inners Lasts?

That's something I could do in Year 9.

 

[Ben Legend]

FOIL: (x+3)^2

http://img2.timeinc.net/toh/i/g/products/0908-aluminum-foil/aluminum-foil-00.jpg

Right... just to wrap the question in foil, be right back...

 

[Yokai]

Yeah, I can do it. It takes me a few minutes, but I can do it. I've never been good at mathematics beyond the basics, but fortunately it's one of the least applicable subjects in real life. Sure, people can go on and on about nearly every profession requiring math, and they may even be right. But the math in question usually isn't more advanced than division and decimals.

If I wanted to be an architect or physicist or mathematician, I would worry that I couldn't solve this problem easily. But as it is, I'm working towards a job as a concept artist. I shouldn't even have to worry about math beyond basic algebra, but as the education system currently stands, students are required to take abstract and useless mathematics courses regardless of what they will actually need to succeed in life.

 

[Tonimata]

I've got a bachelor degree and I don't even understand the question!

Mind you, I'm qualified in a profession that doesn't need this type of calculation.

I'm with BonsaiK on this one, sadly, Higher education does the TERRIBLE mistake of specializing people into different professions, and whilst I can solve that, I understand why there's others that can't, and why I will probably have forgoteen in 2 or so years time.

 

[pearcinator]

What is the question? You just say:
FOIL: (x+3)^2
EDIT: FOIL also means Expand...

Please explain this nonsensical rambling.

FOIL

F = First
O = Outside
I = Inside
L = Last

so when you got sommething like this...

(x+3)(x-9)

using FOIL you get...

x^2 (FIRST of both brackets multiplied)
-9x (the two OUTSIDE ends multiplied...the minus is part of the 9)
+3x (the two INSIDE ones multiplied)
-27 (the LAST ones from each bracket...- overwrites a +)

thereforee...the answer is x^2-6x-27 (-9x+3x = -6x)

 

[Danny Ocean]

Why should I be expected to know this if it's completely useless for my everyday life?

Hell, I might as well argue that a good working knowledge of politics and law is more useful, as everyone takes part in elections. At least in Australia. The effects of politics affect everyone on a daily basis no matter what they think of the system.

How about a working knowledge of art and English and skill with a pen? There have been countless times where the best way for me to explain something has eluded me, and I'm normally very good at simplifying complex ideas. I believe that more skill with a pen or a more fluent understanding of my language would have benefited me greatly.

Hell, I've not used maths at all since I passed the GCSE with a C. Except in economics, and that's just long, long strings of very simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and powers. Everyone can do that with a few hours teaching and some practice.

I never intend to re-learn it. You can blabber on all you like about how maths is everywhere, but that crap is what every teacher cites, and it's just not true.

This is all redundant anyway. We've got computers and the ability to look up any knowledge we need at a moment's notice. Perhaps it's time we changed the way we think.

I think you're taking a very arrogant view by holding your subject above others. Especially as you're lauding it over the arts and humanities, both of which have very long and illustrious histories. Maths and Science are useful, but they're not everything. They are tools we utilise to achieve objectives. The setting of those objectives is determined by our humanity, and that is reflected by the arts and humanities. Observing your own humanity in the mirror of the arts is knowing your objectives, and knowing your objectives gives you a purpose. In the end- what are we without a purpose?

 

[Rickyvantof]

College?
I got that in highschool...

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

If ur an american iT would be more serious if they couldnt name the US states (and maybe many cant) but once again will that be relevant on their everyday life. I have seen worse, I had 1 colleague in college who didnt know wich side was north.