2008 Higher School Certificate

[Bazal]

So English is vital to less than a quarter of the 6 billion on a small planet the size of a large moon, in one solar system out of hundreds of billions, in one galaxy out of thousands of billions in our universe? Maths is vital to the existence of that universe, there's no contest...

 

[Hallatia]

whatever, it is vital to you and that is what matters, you cannot deny it

 

[Bazal]

I can. I could get by if I couldn't speak English. Plenty of people in Sydney don't speak English, for example. Without maths we wouldn't exist

 

[Hallatia]

according to maths 1 +1 = 2 according to reproduction 1 + 1 = 3

 

[Bazal]

Say what?

 

[Hallatia]

you said that you would not exist without maths, I was trying to get my head around it

 

[Bazal]

Put it this way. The general consensus is that life evolved over many thousands of millions of years. As the environment of the earth changed and evolved, chemicals became more and more complex and eventually you got basic amino acids. The sheer mathematics involved in that process is staggering on it's own, especially the mathematical probability involved. Then, once we had a number of amino acids (theory suggests four different chemicals), the violent nature of the planet's climate, in particular the sweeping electrical storms, created an environment where a protein was formed. Basically, the amino acids floating around were hit by lightning, and a basic protein sludge was formed. The process was undertaken in a lab in the fifties if you want to look it up. Anyway from that basic prokaryotes evolved. The point is the chemistry, physics, and maths involved is insane, and without that we would not exist.

 

[Hallatia]

okay okay

maths

english

I think that may be geography

 

[Hallatia]

some maths/physics here

 

[Bazal]

LOL! I'll pay that essay, the guy is a man after my own heart

 

[Hallatia]

biology

 

[Hallatia]

oh my god, they are giving me ideas
more maths

 

[Red Bear]

maths is gay, advanced english is prety crap and 3 unit english was good when we watched the castle, apart from that its not much fun.

Can't wait to finish school

 

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

i agree with Stranger (i do 10 units myself)

 

[Eelementary]

You guys think school is bad?

Should I burst their bubbles and tell them about Uni? :?

 

[Martli]

So English is vital to less than a quarter of the 6 billion on a small planet the size of a large moon, in one solar system out of hundreds of billions, in one galaxy out of thousands of billions in our universe? Maths is vital to the existence of that universe, there's no contest...

Language is, in a sense, universal too. All our languages represent the same basic thing, they are just present them differently. If you showed an alien 1+1=2 they wouldn't understand it, just like an english person with no knowledge of other languages wouldn't understand "Ich Bin Martli". Maths is just a human interpretation of the relationships it represents, much like a language. We use our man made symbols + - / * and 1234567890 to explain these relationships. Advanced aliens would use a different method (ie language) with different characters and symbols that we wouldn't understand. Both represent the same relationships and ideas but are just different interpretations of those relationships, just like our languages are. The only difference is that instead of many different languages for maths, we only have 1 (or 1 with different dialects) while we have several different languages for general communication.

 

[Boon]

Yawn, school was very much last years predicament. Nearly completed a semester of uni and will soon be 18. Enjoying life a lot more since I finished. Though I wish I could do schoolies again, best fking time ever.

 

[Bazal]

Language is, in a sense, universal too. All our languages represent the same basic thing, they are just present them differently. If you showed an alien 1+1=2 they wouldn't understand it, just like an english person with no knowledge of other languages wouldn't understand "Ich Bin Martli". Maths is just a human interpretation of the relationships it represents, much like a language. We use our man made symbols + - / * and 1234567890 to explain these relationships. Advanced aliens would use a different method (ie language) with different characters and symbols that we wouldn't understand. Both represent the same relationships and ideas but are just different interpretations of those relationships, just like our languages are. The only difference is that instead of many different languages for maths, we only have 1 (or 1 with different dialects) while we have several different languages for general communication.

Yes, but if you demonstrated 1+1=2, anyone with a mathematical background would get it. You are right in the sense that we have created our own methods of identifying and communicating the rules and systems of mathematics. The major difference is that with language things change from place to place. Structures change, tenses change, some languages have masculine and feminine (eg in french)...but maths always stays the same. The words for the expressions may change, but the expressions themselves are always the same. If you went back to Sydney in 1800, and said to one of the convicts "G'day mate, how's it hanging?" they'd think you were either a nutcase or an idiot. If you went back and asked them what 1+1 is, they'd say 2...

 

[Martli]

Yeah bro, fo' sho'.

 

[morri (cWo)]

Just remember the result are NOT the be all and end all.

Please tell me what do they teach in IT.

i did IT: Multimedia for the HSC and it was all about making multimedia presentations etc.