Interpolating polynomials used to be taught in high schools. I learned it in high school and today almost no high school graduate knows how to do this. Is thi

Interpolating polynomials used to be taught in high schools. I learned it in high school and today almost no high school graduate knows how to do this. Is this a bad thing? I don't think so. With new technology and the advancement of ideas and knowledge the basic skill set that is necessary changes. The division of labor has rendered many once necessary skills the province of specialists. This is a good thing. Is arithmetic one of those things? I begin to believe so. The expansion of (x+1)^8 does not require the ability to do 7*8. One can do the expansion using Pascal's Triangle. Besides, the real question is ought one do the expansion of (x+1)^8 by hand? The answer is no. The expansion is a purely mechanical process. A computer does it faster and more accurately. In such a long problem I am likely to make a mistake and this mistake does not mean that I don't know what I am doing. I do want my doctor to thumb through reference books particularly if my condition is rare. In such a case it is unlikely that the doctor will have encountered my condition and I want her to gain from the shared experience and collective wisdom of experts. That's what a reference book is for and it's a good thing. I want my doctor to be able to read and understand the book. That is what her training is for. One can get insights into algebra using a computer. It's just that the insights are different than what one could get without a computer. Instead of teaching interpolating polynomials in high schools they are teaching basic statistics and in this present age the latter is much more beneficial than the former.