The Discussion on Algebra Studying Course

Algebra is very complex, and has been a big problem for me ever since I started it in high school. A question that I have asked and many others ask is why do we even need to learn algebra? When you’re figuring out these problems in a classroom it is very hard to envision how you would use this in real life. Until I got to college I was completely sure that it was a waste of time and makes no sense, but I was very wrong. I know many reasons now why it is a requirement in school, but I am not fully convinced that it needs to be forced upon everyone.

I was very surprised to find out that algebra was created to make math easier. Arithmetic is so much easier, and algebra is in a completely different league. Why is algebra so much harder for people if it’s supposed to be making the math easier for us? But when you realize the real life situations that you can use algebra to solve it becomes much clearer. It can be used to more efficiently figure out grocery budgets, adjusting recipes to feed varying amounts of people; it’s also used by construction workers, architects and engineers use it for planning, buying and building. Algebra also helps you think logically, and in complex ways; algebra is believed to teach useful mental habits that both open up possible future careers and also help train people’s general problem-solving abilities.

Coming to college made me realize how important math is and how much it is used in our society; I didn’t imagine that math was needed to become a computer engineer. I know now that I wouldn’t even be able to use my computer if it wasn’t for algebra. Algebra is used in much of our technology, also needed in many hard science courses; it also creates medications, is used for our taxes, mortgages and interest rates. In an article called "Why is Algebra Important to Learn" Zalman Usiskin stated that without algebra students “are kept from doing many jobs or even entering programs that will get you a job; are more likely to make unwise decisions, financial and otherwise, and

won’t be able to understand many ideas discussed in chemistry, physics, the earth sciences, economics, business, psychology, and many other areas”. Students who leave middle school with algebra are believed to be more confident in math; this is definitely an eye opener on how important algebra is to me. Taking algebra in middle school allows students to take on harder math when they enter high school; this makes sense because I didn’t touch algebra until I entered high school, and the only other math classes I remember taking were geometry and trigonometry. Taking it earlier and being able to understand it would help greatly for students. I believe this is very true because here I am in my first semester of college in remedial ALGEBRA. If I was doing this since middle school I believe that I wouldn’t have as much trouble with it.

I see now how important algebra is in our daily lives, and I am glad that I do. We wouldn’t have many luxuries in our lives if it wasn’t for algebra and that has to be acknowledged. I still don’t think of it as a requirement since its still job specific. If I wasn’t aiming to be a computer engineer I doubt that I would ever use algebra in my daily life. But I don’t disagree with algebra being a requirement, it’s an important part of society and we need people who are able to use it.