Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!mephisto!gatech!galbp!samna!jeff
From: jeff@samna.UUCP (jeff)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: What math would you require?
Summary: NO to statistics
Message-ID: <211@samna.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 90 17:32:42 GMT
References: <8368@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <1990Mar10.000207.8509@aqdata.uucp>
Reply-To: jeff@samna.UUCP ()
Distribution: usa
Organization: Samna Corporation, Atlanta
Lines: 19

In article <1990Mar10.000207.8509@aqdata.uucp> sullivan@aqdata.uucp (Michael T. Sullivan) writes:

>> I would also require one of the following classes:
>>   Statistics (1)
>>   Logic (1)

I disagree.  Get rid of statistics.  My own experience (and I've talked
to a few others who agree) was that statistics consisted of learning
a whole bunch of silly formulae and how to plug your numbers into them.
There didn't seem to be any (hmm ... rather than "any", how about
"enough to make it worthwhile") generally useful principles to be learned.

I considered this to be a complete waste of time.  I don't remember
any of the formulae now - in fact I didn't remember them three months
after the course was over.  So, if I ever need to use any of the formulas,
I'll have to go look them up anyway and I could have done that just as
easily without wasting a semester on the course.

Jeff