tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637631607249418081.post3399251964951473035..comments2023-10-07T00:29:30.516-07:00Comments on The Other Kelly Yancey: A Calculus LessonKelly Yanceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08648597728708472240noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637631607249418081.post-40582270336377335052010-01-07T02:11:57.501-08:002010-01-07T02:11:57.501-08:00Heh, that says to me a) open source has real value...Heh, that says to me a) open source has real value b) the fact that open<br />source isn't always easy to use has value too ;)jjinuxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03270879497119114175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637631607249418081.post-62538874938190639372008-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:002008-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:00Interesting read.I think you are right. But I'll ...Interesting read.<BR/><BR/>I think you are right. But I'll be honest; sometimes my ego gets the best of me, for better or worse. Often times, I am motivated to worker harder and think harder for the recognition that comes with finding the precise solution. I know it isn't particular optimal or justifiable, but it's often what motivates me none the less.<BR/><BR/>When I took Calculus, we had problem sets every month. Most of these problems were pretty straight forward applications of the math involved, but often times there were word problems so that you had to actually understand how to apply the math to understand how to solve them. I remember one such word problem involved a real life situation involving making an optimization decision about the use of money investment in a system. The way the problem was 'supposed' to be solved involved some pretty straight forward integral stuff. But after me and everyone else had come to the solution that way, I started to think. I realized that, actually, if you thought about the problem in context of real money exchange, where things like .2 cents makes less sense as physical cash as opposed to potential money, the exact resolution of the money at two different points could make a difference. <BR/><BR/>At first, I kind of shrugged, since I was pretty sure the teacher just wanted us to assume the problem in its much simpler pure math form. But there was a guy... lol, that I didn't like. He was kind of the 'smart' kid in the class. But he was really condescending to me and everyone else. But worse, he was 'pals' with the teacher because of family connections and it just rubbed me all the wrong ways. I knew he had already solved the problem in the same way me and everyone else had. <BR/><BR/>So I spent an entire evening thinking about it and working out the math. Sure enough, depending on unspecified assumptions about money resolution, there were in fact two possible strategies that would be optimal (with a difference of a fraction of a cent, I admit, lol).<BR/><BR/>While it is true that I enjoyed the challenge and I love to work on things just for the intellectual pursuit, I... I admit, I really more than anything wanted to show this guy that I knew what I was talking about and that I didn't need his help. So I proudly asked the teacher on the day that we as a class solved the problems to clarify wether or not money would be resolved one way or another when converted to real cash, pointing out that it made a difference in the answer. The teacher smiled and took note, but that was about it. <BR/><BR/>How dumb is that? I felt proud because I knew I was the one getting the attention for having done the extra, completely unnecessary work.<BR/><BR/>Ego is weird.turingpuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05374192120389819182noreply@blogger.com