In Oklahoma, the requirement usually is up to “algebra 2” - this is mostly domain and range, finding roots of polynomials, and logarithms.

IMHO, the world would be better if calculus was a required part of the high school curriculum. Like yeah, most people aren’t going to need the product rule in day to day life, but the fundamental ideas about rates of change seem like they’re something that everyone human deserves to be exposed to.

  • Zak@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    I would include statistics. So much everyday information is presented using statistics, often in ways that are misleading or deceptive. A bit better understanding would make people harder to trick.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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      4 hours ago

      Especially political polling which samples a fraction of a percent of the voter population, and is consistently wrong.

    • froh42@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      In my fourth semester im Uni I could choose whether to take numerical analysis or probability theory.

      Most students took numerical analysis, even if the exam typically had a 80% failure rate. (Yes, one of five successed)

      It was a completely different with probability theory (Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung). Oh, having chosen it due to these reasons now I know why: The prof loved teaching and was really good at explaining.

      Ultimately this shows, people have no idea about probabilities.

      Edit: fixed the nunerical typo. No it was not about catholic nuns.

    • Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip
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      10 hours ago

      In terms of utility for the average person, statistics >>>>> calculus.

      I work in an engineering field, and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to do an integral in the last year. But I run into glorified statistics problems virtually every day both in personal and professional situations.

      Having to constantly remind people of error bars, statistical significance, and the difference between correlation and causation, it would have been nice if those things were hammered home more thoroughly in school.