TED2009
Arthur Benjamin: Teach statistics before calculus!
Arthur Benjamin se formule vir beter wiskunde opleiding
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Daar's altyd iemand wat die wiskunde onderwyser vra: "Gaan ek ooit integrasie rekenkunde in die regte lewe gebruik?" En volgens Arthur Benjamin is die antwoord vir die meeste van ons "nee". Hy maak 'n uitdagende voorstel vir hoe om wiskunde relevant te maak in die digitale era.
Arthur Benjamin - Mathemagician
Using daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty. Full bio
Using daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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Now, if President Obama
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Sou President Obama
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invited me to be the next Czar of Mathematics,
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my nooi as die volgende Tsar van Wiskunde
00:19
then I would have a suggestion for him
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sou ek 'n voorstel aan hom maak
00:22
that I think would vastly improve
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wat ek dink 'n reuse verbetering
00:24
the mathematics education in this country.
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sou maak aan wiskunde opvoeding in hierdie land.
00:27
And it would be easy to implement
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Dit sal maklik wees om te implementeer
00:29
and inexpensive.
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en sonder groot koste.
00:31
The mathematics curriculum that we have
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Die kurrikulum vir wiskunde wat ons het
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is based on a foundation of arithmetic and algebra.
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is gebaseer op rekenkunde en algebra.
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And everything we learn after that
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En alles wat ons daarna leer
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is building up towards one subject.
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bou op na een vak.
00:42
And at top of that pyramid, it's calculus.
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Die toppunt van die piramiede is differensiasie en integrasie.
00:46
And I'm here to say
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Ek is hier om te sê
00:48
that I think that that is the wrong summit of the pyramid ...
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dat ek dink dit die verkeerde toppunt vir die piramiede is...
00:52
that the correct summit -- that all of our students,
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en dat die korrekte piek -- wat al ons studente,
00:54
every high school graduate should know --
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elke hoërskool leerling behoort te verstaan --
00:56
should be statistics:
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statistiek behoort te wees:
00:59
probability and statistics.
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waarskynlikheid en statistiek.
01:01
(Applause)
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(Applous)
01:03
I mean, don't get me wrong. Calculus is an important subject.
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Moenie my verkeerd verstaan nie. Integrasie rekenkunde is 'n belangrike vak.
01:07
It's one of the great products of the human mind.
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Dis een van die groot prestasies van menslike intellek.
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The laws of nature are written in the language of calculus.
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The wette van die natuur is geskryf in die taal van integrasie rekenkunde.
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And every student who studies math, science, engineering, economics,
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Enige student wat wiskunde, wetenskap, ingenieurswese of ekonomie bestudeer
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they should definitely learn calculus
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behoort verseker integrasie rekenkunde te bemeester
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by the end of their freshman year of college.
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gedurende hulle eerste universiteitsjaar.
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But I'm here to say, as a professor of mathematics,
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Maar ek is hier, as 'n wiskunde professor, om te sê:
01:24
that very few people actually use calculus
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dat bitter min mense werklik integrasie rekenkunde gebruik
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in a conscious, meaningful way, in their day-to-day lives.
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op 'n bewustelike, betekenisvolle manier in hulle daaglikse lewens.
01:31
On the other hand,
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Daarinteen,
01:33
statistics -- that's a subject that you could,
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is statistiek 'n vak wat jy daagliks
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and should, use on daily basis. Right?
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kan en behoort te gebruik. Ne?
01:39
It's risk. It's reward. It's randomness.
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Dis risiko. Dis vergoeding. Dis willekeurigheid.
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It's understanding data.
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Dis die verstaan van data.
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I think if our students, if our high school students --
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Ek dink as ons studente, as ons hoërskool leerlinge --
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if all of the American citizens --
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as alle Amerikaanse burgers -
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knew about probability and statistics,
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waarskynlikheid en statistiek geken het,
01:51
we wouldn't be in the economic mess that we're in today. (Laughter) (Applause)
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sou ons nie nou in hierdie ekonomiese verknorsing gewees het nie.
01:54
Not only -- thank you -- not only that ...
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Nie net -- dankie -- nie net dit nie...
01:57
but if it's taught properly, it can be a lot of fun.
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[maar ook] korrek aangebied, kan dit baie pret wees.
02:00
I mean, probability and statistics,
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Ek bedoel, waarskynlikheid en statistiek,
02:02
it's the mathematics of games and gambling.
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dis die wiskunde van speletjies en dobbel.
02:06
It's analyzing trends. It's predicting the future.
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Dis die ontleding van tendense. Dis toekomsvoorspelling.
02:10
Look, the world has changed
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Kyk, die wêreld het verander
02:12
from analog to digital.
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van analoog na digitaal.
02:15
And it's time for our mathematics curriculum to change
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En dis tyd vir ons wiskunde kurrikulum om te verander
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from analog to digital,
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van analoog na digitaal.
02:20
from the more classical, continuous mathematics,
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Van die meer klassieke, aaneenlopende wiskunde,
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to the more modern, discrete mathematics --
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na die meer moderne, spesifieke wiskunde.
02:27
the mathematics of uncertainty,
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Die wiskunde van onsekerheid,
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of randomness, of data --
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van willekeurigheid, van data --
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that being probability and statistics.
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dit is waarskynlikheid en statistiek.
02:34
In summary, instead of our students
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Om op te som, instede daarvan dat studente
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learning about the techniques of calculus,
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die tegnieke van integrasie rekenkunde leer,
02:39
I think it would be far more significant
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dink ek dit sal veel meer betekenisvol wees
02:42
if all of them knew what two standard deviations
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as hulle almal sou weet wat twee standaard afwykings
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from the mean means. And I mean it.
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van die gemiddeld beteken. En dis my betekenisvolle mening!
02:48
Thank you very much.
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Baie dankie.
02:50
(Applause)
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(Toejuiging)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Arthur Benjamin - MathemagicianUsing daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty.
Why you should listen
Arthur Benjamin makes numbers dance. In his day job, he's a professor of math at Harvey Mudd College; in his other day job, he's a "Mathemagician," taking the stage in his tuxedo to perform high-speed mental calculations, memorizations and other astounding math stunts. It's part of his drive to teach math and mental agility in interesting ways, following in the footsteps of such heroes as Martin Gardner.
Benjamin is the co-author, with Michael Shermer, of Secrets of Mental Math (which shares his secrets for rapid mental calculation), as well as the co-author of the MAA award-winning Proofs That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof. For a glimpse of his broad approach to math, see the list of research talks on his website, which seesaws between high-level math (such as his "Vandermonde's Determinant and Fibonacci SAWs," presented at MIT in 2004) and engaging math talks for the rest of us ("An Amazing Mathematical Card Trick").
Arthur Benjamin | Speaker | TED.com