MATHEMATICS 2

Few students elect Mathematics 2 unless they are required to do so. The demands of this course upon students are too great to attract the man who wishes to acquire a knowledge of Mathematics as part of a general education. However much he may desire mathematical training, the necessity of attending every meeting with a number of lengthy problems drives him to other less exigent fields. And thus instruction in a science upon which our mechanistic and economic culture is largely dependent is virtually denied to the average student.

The subject will always be difficult, but a few modifications in its presentation would make it attractive to the ambitious student, who could hardly be expected to learn calculus by himself. If assignments were made farther in advance, an occasional cut would not be as disastrous as it now is. The major defect of the course, however, is the large amount of time necessary to do the problems. Often, after the student has visualized the problem and set up the equation, he will have to spend an hour juggling algebraic equations and invoking trigonometric identities which may be good practice, but which contributes nothing to the student's advance in the subject. At the end of the course he feels that he has done a great deal of mathematical slavery but that he has not learned enough of the theory and applications of calculus.

A more careful selection of problems would ease the burden of the student and would allow the professor to lecture on Mathematics instead of working over the homework. Thus the course might be made more effective as well as more interesting.