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Given the relative innumeracy of the public, some argue we should teach stats and probability instead of calculus, if there's a choice. Those things are more ap
by imglorp 5y ago
Given the relative innumeracy of the public, some argue we should teach stats and probability instead of calculus, if there's a choice. Those things are more applicable for everyday choices like "should I buy a lottery ticket or invest in the market?" "How likely am I to die from disease X versus side effects of its vaccine?" "Should I buy comp insurance or pay out of pocket if I break my car?" etc.
- zozbot234 5y agoWe should teach calculus first, because one cannot understand the foundations of stats and probability without calculus.
- Jtsummers 5y agoUsing probability and statistics and understanding their foundations are two distinct things. Prob/stat can be taught (to the point of utility) without calculus and often is. More advanced applications are inaccessible or only learned by rote without calculus, but that doesn't mean that you need calculus first. Of course, this is what commonly comes up in topics like this, a confusion over the two notions: Understanding the basis of something and understanding it well enough to utilize. You don't need a graduate level physics course in electromagnetism to be a competent electrician.