I would like to offer my condolences to the family of Mr. Ernest F. Dahl of Snohomish. What an amazing feat to live to be 82 years old. I’m sure his family has wonderful memories of him.
But we all make mistakes and Mr. Dahl made a math error in his letter published on April 26. (“Home ownership: Too many won’t be able to buy.”)
The monthly payment on a 30-year mortgage (360 payments) with a principal of $288,000 at 1 percent per year is $926.32 not $2,880. Put it all in a spreadsheet and see if it doesn’t come really close — and remember to divide the interest rate by 12 to get a monthly interest rate.
This is why we need to teach kids algebra. I’m sure Mr. Dahl learned algebra in his day but his error could influence someone who has not learned it. Other people might make intentional “errors” to deceive young people — low payment car loans, for example. They need to know how to do the math.
If we all would just start being a little more positive about mathematics it might help our students. I have a degree in mathematics but if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the statement, “I hate math! I had the worst math teacher in high school,” I wouldn’t need the math related career I’ve had for the last 24 years. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration but here again if you didn’t know some math would you realize that?
Math can be fun when you approach it as a puzzle. It is a useful tool. Yes, it’s hard. It requires practice just like playing a musical instrument or training for a marathon. It also requires a positive attitude.
I doubt most high schoolers even have to learn trigonometry anymore. Just a couple of algebra classes and they can call it done. Let’s get behind them as a community and quit griping about math.
Janice L. Cecotti
Bothell
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