Re: What is a determinant?

Ioannis wrote: 
Ο "Lee Rudolph" <lrudolph@xxxxxxxxx> έγραψε στο μήνυμα
news:d748bk$l49$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[snip]

Surely you jest.  The high school in question is in the US (okay,
probably in New York City or nearby; but still...), and there are
many, many curricula for (US) college "mathematics majors"--NOT
just "mathematics education majors"--in which manifolds have no
place and make no appearance in the required ("core") courses,
and possibly not even in the elective courses; "mathematics majors"
who go on to teach high school will, lamentably, tend not to take
the harder electives, including courses that mention manifolds.
As to an entire course "on Manifolds", forget it!



Yes, you are probably right. I temporarily forgot about the distinction
between "mathematics majors" and "mathematics education majors" and its
variants which exist for undergraduates in the States.

Such a distinction does not exist here and all "mathematics majors" are
required to go through certain obligatory courses in analysis, regardless of
whether they intend to teach in high school or continue for a Masters/PhD.

In fact, senior high school problems here, which are often the subject of
the Greek national exams for entrance to Universities, are often hard for me
as well.

When I was a student in the States, there was a branch in graduate college
which specialized in the "Teaching of Mathematics", but apparently I went
through my entire studies without even being aware of the corresponding
distinctions for undergrads.

There is a public institute here whose purpose is to accreditate diplomas
offered in other countries. I suspect that such a (foreign) B.A. in
"mathematics education" (when one wants to teach in a high school), won't
even make it here in terms of equivalence. A person with such a degree would
not be able to teach in high schools in Greece.

[snip]

Lee Rudolph

I think the point being made was (and it is correct) that even pure mathematics majors may never see a manifold mentioned in an undergraduate course. I certainly never saw a definition of one until graduate school.
.

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