[Gllug] Algorithm question

[John Winters]

Matthew King wrote:
> "Adrian McMenamin" <adrian at newgolddream.dyndns.info> writes:
> 
>> Lots of interesting answers, all prompting me (or not) to renew my 25 year
>> dead knowledge of matrix mathematics (always wondered why the Cambridge
>> maths O level taught all that when it never appeared in any maths done at
>> A level or University - now I know).
> 
> My bastard of an idiot of a GCSE maths teacher decided it wasn't
> important. Instead we did months (and I mean MONTHS) of quadratic and
> simultaneous equations, for which I have yet to find a use.

Your bastard of an idiot of a GCSE maths teacher probably didn't have 
any choice in the matter.  There is a lot of really irrelevant stuff in 
the GCSE maths syllabus, but I don't know of any current GCSE maths 
syllabus which includes matrices.  Unfortunately our hands are really 
tied - you have to teach the stuff which is on the syllabus, and there's 
so much irrelevant stuff on the syllabus there isn't time to teach any 
interesting-but-not-on-the-syllabus bits like we'd like to.

<snip long rant about the stupidity of our current 
one-size-doesn't-fit-anybody approach to teaching maths, on the grounds 
that it would be a long rant>

John
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