[Fwd: Clean solutions and symbolic manipulation]


[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

[Fwd: Clean solutions and symbolic manipulation]



Somebody asked

> Can you provide a cite for the following quote.  I'd love to be able to use it.
>
<<  "I can't say too strongly how unimportant symbolic manipulation is
in engineering. We see the effects of MSM [Meaningless Symbolic
Manipulation] every day: students who can integrate t^3 Cos[t] but have
no idea what they are doing and why.... Not only is the material of an
MSM course useless and outdated, but the message it sends to students is
bad. It basically suggests that learning math is mastering a certain
list of stimulus-response behaviors.....No wonder we in EE and CS and
other engineering fields rely less and less on people in math to deliver
the basic training needed in our fields." >>

JU attributes the remark to "electrical engineering prof Stephen Boyd."

I suspect Dr. Boyd has long ago forgotten how he learned to "integrate
t^3 Cos[t]" and though these manipulations don't take long learn, I
think it's pretty extreme to disdain such basic skills as something akin
to stupid pet tricks.

If you can't perform this basic skill you have little chance of ever
understanding what it means; algebraically, geometrically or otherwise.
This "product rule" in reverse, how it can be
applied; measuring the computational efficiency of various methods of
analysis. all start with some elemental representation of the product
rule, the d(uv)=udv+vdu is simple enough, but
which can be reduced to a mindless algebraic manipulation

I know where the MSM-bashers are coming from, but I thing that too often
these folks
also fall under the rubric of MTM (Mindless Technological
Manipulation).  I question
whether this is because it's more fun to teach what it means rather than
how to do it, especially if your delivery method depends on use of
techstuff
(internet courses, etc.)

Geoff Hagopian

btw I use Hughes/Hallet but supplement it with plenty of hand
computational
technique which could be done by symbolic manipulator.