Failing Chemistry: Can High Schoolers Graduate Without Knowing Logs?

  • Thread starter sportsstar469
  • Start date
In summary, the conversation revolved around the poster's friend who is failing chemistry and the poster, who is getting an A in the class, trying to help her out. It was discovered that she doesn't have the math prerequisite for the class and the poster jokingly questioned her claim of getting an A in algebra 2 in high school. The poster then asked her to solve a math problem, which she struggled with and revealed that she had never heard of logarithms before. The conversation then shifted to questioning how high school teachers allow students to graduate without proper understanding of the subjects. There was also a discussion about the importance of spelling and grammar on the internet.
  • #1
sportsstar469
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0
i was talking to my friend whos failing chemistry. I am getting an A in the class so i try to help her out. anyway we were discussing why she got an 18 percent on her last exam. turns out she doesn't have the math prerequisite for this class. she then said, hey i got an A in algebra 2 in high school. so i was like no way you liar jokingly, she's like yes i did. so i said to her...tell me quickly, what's log base 2 of 8...figuring thatd be easy..and if it wasnt easy she prob didnt get an A in alg 2.

she said to me. WHATS A LOG? IM LIKE a logarithm...shes like I've never heard of that before. I am like how do high school teachers let kids graduate like this.

ill be honest i didnt take algebra 2 in hs, but i took it in college, and logs was like 2/3 of the course id guess
 
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  • #2


sportsstar469 said:
i was talking to my friend whos failing chemistry. im getting an A in the class so i try to help her out. anyway we were discussing why she got an 18 percent on her last exam. turns out she doesnt have the math prerequisite for this class. she then said, hey i got an A in algebra 2 in high school. so i was like no way you liar jokingly, shes like yes i did. so i said to her...tell me quickly, whats log base 2 of 8...figuring thatd be easy..and if it wasnt easy she prob didnt get an A in alg 2.

she said to me. WHATS A LOG? IM LIKE a logarithm...shes like ive never heard of that before. im like how do high school teachers let kids graduate like this.

ill be honest i didnt take algebra 2 in hs, but i took it in college, and logs was like 2/3 of the course id gues

...

Yes, how do they let them graduate like this :rolleyes:
 
  • #3


DavidSnider said:
...

Yes, how do they let them graduate like this :rolleyes:

are apostrophies really necessary online? lol? maybe the space between high school was but w/e.
 
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  • #4


sportsstar469 said:
are commas really necessary online? lol? maybe the space between high school was but w/e.

Commas? I think he was mainly highlighting the apostrophe omissions.
 
  • #5
On the other hand the poster makes no claim to getting an A in English class so the situations are not directly comparable
 
  • #6
Math Is Hard said:
Commas? I think he was mainly highlighting the apostrophe omissions.
oh man you're right!
Office_Shredder said:
On the other hand the poster makes no claim to getting an A in English class so the situations are not directly comparable

;)
 
  • #7
sportsstar469 said:
i was talking to my friend whos failing chemistry. I am getting an A in the class so i try to help her out. anyway we were discussing why she got an 18 percent on her last exam. turns out she doesn't have the math prerequisite for this class. she then said, hey i got an A in algebra 2 in high school. so i was like no way you liar jokingly, she's like yes i did. so i said to her...tell me quickly, what's log base 2 of 8...figuring thatd be easy..and if it wasnt easy she prob didnt get an A in alg 2.

she said to me. WHATS A LOG? IM LIKE a logarithm...shes like I've never heard of that before. I am like how do high school teachers let kids graduate like this.

ill be honest i didnt take algebra 2 in hs, but i took it in college, and logs was like 2/3 of the course id guess


You can't be serious.

You are either drunk, or you have never seen a school from inside, much less spent quality time in one. Take a good night's sleep my friend.
 
  • #8


sportsstar469 said:
are apostrophies really necessary online? lol? maybe the space between high school was but w/e.

I think the point is that if you're going to basically insult someone's intelligence, you should try to do it in a way that doesn't make you seem uneducated as well.
 
  • #9
You're like a logarithm? What is that like? :biggrin:

Seriously, I think others are right that you should be careful not to throw stones when your writing is probably as bad as her math. Though, I do agree, how do high school teachers let kids graduate like this! :rolleyes:
 
  • #10
gr8t, u guys r just like wtf and he is like lmao...oh i hate my life! doesn't anybody have anything better to do tonight?
 
  • #11
You definitely killed chemistry between her.
 
  • #12
She probably did get an A and probably turned in all the homework correctly ect... She just probably never really learned any of it. Very common thing to have happen in schools. Honestly I am more inclined to believe that someone who gets A's in any given class is much less likely to know the material then someone who gets even C's.
 
  • #13
Honestly I am more inclined to believe that someone who gets A's in any given class is much less likely to know the material then someone who gets even C's.

Is this supposed to be serious? Obviously some people may get A's by rote memorization and blindly filling in answers but it's unlikely if the course is designed well, and the students who got C's weren't even capable of that
 
  • #14
GUYS! SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ON THE INTERNET ARE SERIOUS BUSINESS

THIS MIGHT LIKE BE ON THE FINAL EXAM AND WE MIGHT FAIL ! OH NO, I NEED TO SPEND TIME EDITING WHAT I WRITE JUST SO SOMEONE WON'T POINT OUT WHERE I MADE A GRAMMATICAL ERROR, ON THE INTERNET.

come on...
 
  • #15
Monocerotis said:
GUYS! SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ON THE INTERNET ARE SERIOUS BUSINESS

THIS MIGHT LIKE BE ON THE FINAL EXAM AND WE MIGHT FAIL ! OH NO, I NEED TO SPEND TIME EDITING WHAT I WRITE JUST SO SOMEONE WON'T POINT OUT WHERE I MADE A GRAMMATICAL ERROR, ON THE INTERNET.

come on...

duty_calls.png

:rofl:
 
  • #16
How about this approach: if you actually had a reasonable grasp of spelling and grammar, you wouldn't need to spend time editing because you would get it right the first time. Or, at least you'd get it close enough to sound intelligent.
 
  • #17
Monocerotis said:
GUYS! SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ON THE INTERNET ARE SERIOUS BUSINESS

THIS MIGHT LIKE BE ON THE FINAL EXAM AND WE MIGHT FAIL ! OH NO, I NEED TO SPEND TIME EDITING WHAT I WRITE JUST SO SOMEONE WON'T POINT OUT WHERE I MADE A GRAMMATICAL ERROR, ON THE INTERNET.

come on...

Yah, we get it. But
1] This isn't just the internet. This is an academic forum with spelling and grammar rules. He could actually be cited for the infraction.

2] In case you didn't get the irony (and I can't see how you could possibly have missed it), the poster was insulting his friend for the very thing he's missing. Actually worse. Algebra is High School. Grammar is Elementary School. Glass houses and all.

We don't normallly take shots at people for grammar. But SS glued some fathers to his butt, handed us all shotguns and then ran around yelling "It's DUCK season!"
 
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  • #18
magpies said:
She probably did get an A and probably turned in all the homework correctly ect... She just probably never really learned any of it. Very common thing to have happen in schools. Honestly I am more inclined to believe that someone who gets A's in any given class is much less likely to know the material then someone who gets even C's.
well, she may have gotten through alg 2 in high school, without learning anything, but that's not going to fly in this chemistry tclass. the teacher designs the tests, so that you have to actually think critically, in order to not only ace the test, but to also pass it. that's why 10 people failed, and 3 of those 10 people 9could be more?) have less than 20 percent. As stated, her being one of those.

but the point of the thread was, i just was shocked, as to how someone who claims to have aced algebra 2, has never done logs.

for all the people throwing fits over the compositions of my posts, there's a difference between typing crappy online, and claiming you have mastered algebra 2 in school in real life.
Office_Shredder said:
Is this supposed to be serious? Obviously some people may get A's by rote memorization and blindly filling in answers but it's unlikely if the course is designed well, and the students who got C's weren't even capable of that
yeah i agree..
waht said:
You definitely killed chemistry between her.

unfortunately she has a bf..
 
  • #19
DaveC426913 said:
Yah, we get it. But
1] This isn't just the internet. This is an academic forum with spelling and grammar rules. He could actually be cited for the infraction.

2] In case you didn't get the irony (and I can't see how you could possibly have missed it), the poster was insulting his friend for the very thing he's missing. Actually worse. Algebra is High School. Grammar is Elementary School. Glass houses and all.

We don't normallly take shots at people for grammar. But SS glued some fathers to his butt, handed us all shotguns and then ran around yelling "It's DUCK season!"

my post missed some apostrophies, it was way above elementary level... if I am cited for my grammar, than this whole forum needs to be cited. i see so many grammar mistakes on here its not even funny. i wasnt insulting my friend, i was insulting the school system. for a guy in a logically field, youre comprehension skills could use a little tuning ;)
 
  • #20
it was way above elementary level.

If you actually want to make this point. http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache...fifth+grader+writing&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Fourth grade:
It was a humid day in July, the Key Bank sign said that it was 85 degrees outside. That day
my mom drove me to The Smithfield Theater. I had an important job to do. The job was more of
a personal goal. It was to make people laugh.
The catch was that if I was to stand up in front of a theater of people and tell a couple of
jokes then I would get to see the movie “Mission Impossible” free.
When I got to the theater I was sweating like a pig. The librarian that signed me up was
dressed in a clown suit. She said, “Are we ready to make people laugh?”
I feebly answered, “Yes...”
When I got inside the theater a guy was already telling some lame jokes. Then, when every-
one was seated he called my name, “C’mon down Zachary Williams!”
As I reached the first step to the stage I had about a hundred butterflies in my stomach. By
the third step they multiplied. But then, very abruptly, when I reached for the microphone all of
the butterflies disappeared. When I was done telling the jokes I didn’t turn red or anything, I just
smiled. I noticed the size of the crowd and unexpectedly I knew what I was going to be when I
grew up, I knew why God had put me on this green earth, it was because I was going to be-
come… a comedian
 
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  • #21
Moonbear said:
How about this approach: if you actually had a reasonable grasp of spelling and grammar, you wouldn't need to spend time editing because you would get it right the first time. Or, at least you'd get it close enough to sound intelligent.

Thank you.

You put it to the point.
 
  • #22
1= i really don't see how inslting my grammar adds anything to this thread

2- i wasnt insulting my FRIEND. i was stating my amazement to how she was able to be aced out of a high school alg 2 course without seeing s single log, or even being introduced to them.

3- i am fine in english, not everyone ty[es error free online, nor takes the time to apostrophe or capatalize. my posts are just as legible as a lot of others on here, i see a lot of bad english.

4- let's assume you guys are correct, and i have the english skills of an aardvark...random i know..anyway, you guys are supporting my point that high schools are spewing out bad students.
 
  • #23
Well yeah what did you think high schools are for? Educate people hahahahahaaaa.
 
  • #24
DaveC426913 said:
We don't normallly take shots at people for grammar. But SS glued some fathers to his butt, handed us all shotguns and then ran around yelling "It's DUCK season!"

RABBIT season! :wink:

sportsstar469 said:
my post missed some apostrophies, it was way above elementary level... if I am cited for my grammar, than this whole forum needs to be cited. i see so many grammar mistakes on here its not even funny. i wasnt insulting my friend, i was insulting the school system. for a guy in a logically field, youre comprehension skills could use a little tuning ;)

You're entirely missing the point, sportsstar. So, once more, with feeling.

Evidently, from your writing skills, the school system failed not only your friend in math, but you in communication, writing, and basic English skills also. You couldn't take your friend seriously because she didn't know what a "logarithm" was, and yet she'd graduated high school. Fine. We get your point.

However, you don't know when to use "than" as opposed to "then" and you don't appear to know the difference between "your and you're". That's grade school. How on Earth are we supposed to take you seriously, then?

I'm hoping beyond hope you get the point, here. It's important. Clear communication skills are critical regardless of the field you're in. If you can't communicate your ideas properly, they're useless.

If your point is to demonstrate to us that the school system not only failed your friend but failed you too, then you've done a bang-up job of that.
 
  • #25
sportsstar469 said:
not everyone ty[es error free online, nor takes the time to apostrophe or capatalize.
...
and i have the english skills of an aardvark...

Not only did the school system fail to teach you any English, it also failed to teach you basic touch typing. It doesn't take much longer to type something correctly than to type it incorrectly if you can type properly.

So you managed to graduate without learning any of: grammar, spelling, punctuation, or typing. Anything else you want to add to the list?

Look on the bright side: At least you know what a logarithm is!
 
  • #26
GeorginaS said:
RABBIT season! :wink:



You're entirely missing the point, sportsstar. So, once more, with feeling.

Evidently, from your writing skills, the school system failed not only your friend in math, but you in communication, writing, and basic English skills also. You couldn't take your friend seriously because she didn't know what a "logarithm" was, and yet she'd graduated high school. Fine. We get your point.

However, you don't know when to use "than" as opposed to "then" and you don't appear to know the difference between "your and you're". That's grade school. How on Earth are we supposed to take you seriously, then?

I'm hoping beyond hope you get the point, here. It's important. Clear communication skills are critical regardless of the field you're in. If you can't communicate your ideas properly, they're useless.

If your point is to demonstrate to us that the school system not only failed your friend but failed you too, then you've done a bang-up job of that.

i've aced many college level English courses, so i think I am doing fine in english,,, even if i was as bad at English as you say though, the way your presenting it to me, is in a mean way, and kind of stating i can't do anything about it. id hope youre not like this with students who actually do struggle in physics.
 
  • #27
sportsstar469 said:
i've aced many college level English courses, so i think I am doing fine in english,,, even if i was as bad at English as you say though, the way your presenting it to me, is in a mean way, and kind of stating i can't do anything about it. id hope youre not like this with students who actually do struggle in physics.

Are you an English major? Just give up man. Earlier someone argued the same thing for more than 5 pages and I believe the thread was locked down because no one wanted to give up.
 
  • #28
SportsStar said:
if I am cited for my grammar, than this whole forum needs to be cited. i see so many grammar mistakes on here its not even funny.
Many people make occasional grammar and spelling mistakes. You do not make them occasionally and are willfully refusing to abide a simple rule.
We have many members who speak/type english as a second language and they usually are given leniency, but even they actually try.
Since this is GD you may get a pass for a little while but I do not think Evo's patience will extend very far.
If you wish to be taken more seriously and be given more respect then please respect the rules.
 
  • #29
rootX said:
Are you an English major? Just give up man. Earlier someone argued the same thing for more than 5 pages and I believe the thread was locked down because no one wanted to give up.

I'm fairly certain this is the same member. ;-)
 
  • #30
sportsstar469 said:
i've aced many college level English courses, so i think I am doing fine in english,,, even if i was as bad at English as you say though, the way your presenting it to me, is in a mean way, and kind of stating i can't do anything about it. id hope youre not like this with students who actually do struggle in physics.

Sad.

Go educate yourself, somehow. Good luck.
 
  • #31
rootX said:
Are you an English major? Just give up man. Earlier someone argued the same thing for more than 5 pages and I believe the thread was locked down because no one wanted to give up.

my major is science. I am pre dental.
 
  • #34
sportsstar469 said:
my major is science. I am pre dental.

"Science" is a major now?...
 
  • #35
This is the funniest thread I've seen on PF.
 

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