Math help

[ex]

Sigh.  I'm more newbie at math than anything, I think.  I was multiplying the (3 + 3) for some reason.  This test is going to go great.   

The new problem that's stumping me now is this POS:

(x^2 + 15x + 56) / (x + 4)

...using long division.  This is the most absurd pile of shit I've ever seen.  Wtf is the point of having equations like this, other than for passing a test?

[soh]

This is the most absurd pile of shit I've ever seen.  Wtf is the point of having equations like this, other than for passing a test?

It's essential.

[ex]

To what, though?  lol.

[Barton]

          x
x + 4 / x^2 + 15x + 56
          -x^2 - 4x

          x
x + 4 / x^2 + 15x + 56
          -x^2 - 4x
===================
                  + 11x + 56

           x + 11
x + 4 / x^2 + 15x + 56
          -x^2 - 4x
===================
                  + 11x + 56
                  -  11x - 44
===================
                           + 12
remainder of 12

x + 11 + 12/(x+4)

Double check to see if it's right:

(x + 11) * (x + 4) = x^2 + 15x + 44
x^2 + 15x + 44 + 12 =  x^2 + 15x + 56

I never done this before but you can read about it here: http://www.sosmath.com/algebra/factor/fac01/fac01.html

[soh]

To what, though?  lol.

*Looks perplexed* ... EVERYTHING! When you get to the higher Maths you'll see that it's not just there to dissapoint you. There has to be an order to explain something. Even something as simple as 2+2 has a deeper meaning than just 4. It's the 'WHY' something is? And the 'WHERE'? You should read a book titled

 Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

 

It would be pointless to explain it to someone who is starting off in beginning mathematics. They have to figure it out on their own i.e. you!
Good luck with your education in Mathematics, you'll enjoy it the farther you go

[ex]

Well I see the point in problems like base addition, subtraction, division, multiplication since that's used everyday in life, constantly.  Even proportion problems are nice to use to compare differences in things.  Same with graphing things and knowing how to figure out perimeters and areas of shapes, very important in jobs like construction and the like.  But factoring?  Where does that specifically fit in life?  Other than a mathematician working out math problems for personal enjoyment, I fail to see where it's useful.

Also, having to read through a huge bloated book to find one single thing I'm curious about won't help much either.  I know music and know Bach, and I've studied Escher art ideas as well, but 700+ pages to find what would have been better described in a couple quick sentences is kinda a waste of time.

[fdrjk]

You sound like the people in my Algebra II class.

[ex]

Hey, when did you get unbanned?   

All I'm looking for is an industry or some scenario where factoring is deeply needed in life.  Who knows, maybe I've already used it in life in some way and don't know it yet.  I have heard that factoring sets up subconscious roadways for people to quickly assess complex problems and conflate them into smaller easier ones.  But that still doesn't describe a specific way, a scenario, a profession (other than being a math teacher), or anything like that, that would describe how it's actually used IRL.

[fdrjk]

Well, there are tons of professions that use complex mathematics equations. I just tend to tune out those lectures whenever the teacher starts rambling about them.   

[soh]

ex, what is it exactly you wanted to do with college again?

[quadz]

Hey, when did you get unbanned?

He's not unbanned from the servers yet; but we're coming up on a month.  I'll be discussing it w/ the other admins.

All I'm looking for is an industry or some scenario where factoring is deeply needed in life.

Conceptually, factoring is used on a fairly non-stop basis while coding.  It's not algebraic factoring, though.  But it's organizing code in a way that reduces duplication, increases cohesion, and decreases coupling.

[ex]

Well at least coding has some use for it then.  I'm not against the ideas in math, would just find it interesting to know some real-world applications for math.  And I don't mean upper-level math that only scientists will need to know, but the math they make everyone learn, like this type of stuff in this thread.  If they force you to learn it, then it better be needed out there in the job market.  Otherwise, it's part of a money-making scheme for colleges.

This has been the argument of many people btw, including college professors themselves.  Some fail to see the point of a cooking major learning math, or a swimming major learning about Speech writing.  In fact, the whole system is botched as far as this goes.  At a conservatory, you don't learn this little-bit-of-everything approach to make you watered-down overall; conversely, you learn only what is actually needed in your field of study.

To answer your question Escher, I'm a music major.  I've learned the meaning of being humbled by the choice I made, as musicians get routinely shit on in the job market.  That's why I find it specifically irritating that an arts major has to be concerned with math at all.  Sure, basic math skills are fine, but factoring really doesn't go into music from what I've seen.  Neither does the Pythagorean Theorem or square roots or any of the other shit I've had to learn.  The only thing that goes into music is division and multiplication really, usually dividing or multiplying based on 3 or 4.  That's about it.

I really don't have anything against learning math for fun, but when it could preclude you from getting a degree simply because math isn't a strong point for someone who ISN'T A MATH MAJOR, that's where I have a problem with it.

I'll even be fair and say it's not just math but a multitude of studies in general, the "core", that is pointless to most degrees.  I believe that if you've gone through high school and passed, you shouldn't need to take the core over again.  It's the same fucking work!  It's a joke, and all it does is make some asshole richer that didn't even do well in school.

[Barton]

I guess I'm in the group of people who thinks that mankind might be better off if it was educated as much as possible.

I do agree that a lot of math doesn't seem applicable to the real world (calculus and beyond) for the average joe, but I think learning how to manipulate and think in abstract terms is a huge benefit that you learn from understanding algebra at the very least.

IIRC, most non-science and math majors only need to complete up to college algebra or pre-calculus, which is about as much as you were suppose to learn in high school if you took math seriously or your school didn't suck. 

[ex]

Hurray for me studying so hard!  I failed the test by ONE FUCKING QUESTION, now I have to take the upper-level developmental over again, because I can't retake the test til December.  SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least I nearly made it though, which surprised me.  I thought I might do even worse than that.  But I also had a good feeling that I might pass as well, so I'm drinking heavily tonight. 

Thanks to all who helped me, I can tell it did help quite a lot.

[fdrjk]

Only one more math class I have to take for High School, and it's all online.   

EDIT: Looking through all this stuff in the thread; I could probably do all of it if I reviewed it enough. We did factoring all the time.