Sir, – Robert Irwin (December 10th) avers that arts graduates do not use algebra. He is correct. Mathematical illiteracy, specifically inability to distinguish evidence from anecdote, is widespread. The phenomenon is not benign. People refuse to vaccinate their children, and object to mobile masts, and buy lottery tickets, and demand antibiotics for viral infections, and otherwise harass hard-pressed medical practitioners with miracle treatments sustained by cuttings from the UK tabloid press. Young women consider spousal candidates against astrological compatibility. The Irish media recently featured reports of a company that claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine. The company attracted investment. As can easily be shown mathematically, perpetual machines cannot exist. I knew one budding entrepreneur who, when offered debt at 15 per cent over 15 years, held that 1 per cent per annum was an extraordinarily good proposition.
Mr Irwin does his students a disservice in representing to them that mathematics is pointless and boring. Shortly after my own schooldays in the 1970s, similar representations were made with regard to the formal teaching of English grammar and construction. In consequence, the Irish education system has foisted two generations of semi-literate “graduates” on the unfortunate economy. It will suffice to note synoptically the ineffectiveness of Irish education in imparting familiarity with basic science, or, following 14 years of schooling, in producing people who can conduct a simple conversation in Irish. That curriculums may be misguided, and teaching ineffective, do not constitute arguments in favour of elimination of rigorous teaching of core subjects. – Yours, etc,
ENDA HARDIMAN,
Kowloon,
Hong Kong.
A chara, – I was amused to read how trigonometry saved the day when the height of a building had to be calculated by an archeologist friend of Dr Kevin T Ryan (December 14th). However, this does not contradict the claim made by Robert Irwin that arts courses should require only Junior Cert-level mathematics, since this is a Junior Cert-level problem. Or at least it was in my day! – Is mise,
Dr GARETH P KEELEY,
Grenoble,
France.