Frazz by Jef Mallett for December 12, 2014

I wish more young people had mentors like Frazz!

Nah, it matters when you like it, not when someone else says he does. Think for yourselves, kids!

For a runner/biker she has some seriously skinny legs.

So many examples of math in everyday life. Ratios (price per ounce). Percentages (is 30% off of $25 better than 25% off of $20?). Fractions (How does this 1/2 off sale compare to that 30% off sale?). Statistics (what does "increases your risk by 50% mean?). Then of course there are the career opportunities that match can open up.

@archipelago Most people can not make change at the cash register – they need the computer to tell them how much – let alone do higher math. Seems too many depend on their PEDs to answer all their questions. The downfall of Rome and all that.

Math was a snap, but Algebra reading problems were a mystery. I could do the mechanics, but determining the formula was a nightmare. If oranges were thrown at 80 miles per hour, which way was the smoke blowing on a passing train on Tuesday at 10:00 am? 2x=3y divided by the square root of a can of tuna?

So Frazz still doesn’t think math is important.

Look, I’m a teacher…..There is no way you can get me to say anything against math…..However, embedded deep within me is a little kid who was brought to tears doing math homework….

I had no trouble with math until after Algebra I; Geometry was fatal, so I stopped. I’m still good at basic math.

My brother taught all those higher mathematics for 30 years – then burned-out and went to computers for his last ten years. The trouble was when I got past Algebra – he was no longer at home, so I had no away-from-school help.

I used to correct his English papers – so we helped each other.

Most people don’t need calculus, or trig, or much geometry or algebra. But this cartoon is about a third grader who is probably learning basic multiplication or something similar. And that kind of thing IS important for just about everybody.

I am an engineer and have used “advanced” math frequently (solving and resolved differential equations, etc.), although my daily work only requires accurate use of the basic operations (not a trivial thing). And for what is worth, my daily work is like a continuous flow of story problems where you need to separate the chaff from the important data. I don’t think most people need to know calculus or linear algebra.

That said, imagine how much better it would be if people actually understood compound interest for a mortgage or savings, and to calculate true cost of ownership (hrm, maybe that F150 is not such a good idea when you really need is a single seat vehicle to go to work), and other financial realities. I only learned this in university (engineering economics). It’s insane and negligent that we don’t, that’s the one thing that we all will use.

I had a math teacher in algebra, that even though I flunked most of my tests, he passed me so he would not be teaching me the following year.

“Too many people … don’t see the difference between a billion dollars and a trillion.”Or realize that $2.99 is closer to $3 than it is to $2.

All I feel like I really understand about math is that 2 + 2 = 22.

(Right … ?)

I think Frazz looks like a grown up Calvin (& Hobbs)

Don’t you mean $0.001?

I don’t think the strip punchline really works – he wouldn’t have been subtracting, just failing to add. Detracting or distracting, maybe…