[Edu-sig] explaining functions [Possibly OT]

[Robert Ferney]

Sorry Nicholas, I hit reply instead of reply all, and didn't see that
it wasn't getting back to the edu-sig list until I had hit send.

On Sun, 5 Dec 2004 18:28:07 -0500, Nicholas Wheeler
<dragoncow2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Isn't a math function the same as a computer-science function? You
> give the math function an x, and it returns a y. ie: f(x) = 2*(4x)^x
> -or- def f(x): print 2*((4*x)**x). Most people should be able to grasp
> that, if they've been through highschool algebra.

I work, part-time at a local private school.. The school uses
principle based education processes, and they have a placement test to
determine where the entry students should be studying, which is
repeated every 90 days.

The school has found that over 80% of the transfer students from
public or similar education have problems with basic integer math
operations.. This is your basic 1+1=2 type of thing.

Just because a student has physically attended an algebra class, (and
even passed said class) does not mean that they have learned the
concept of function while doing so.