I’m working on an ebook, despite the fact that after several grueling seconds of Googling, I’ve been unable to ascertain whether I should have spelled that “ebook,” “e-book,” or “eBook.” Each choice looks its own flavor of wrong.
But I digress. Sadly, this is the kind of book that actually requires research. Very sadly, some of the research hasn’t been done by anyone else so far as I can tell.
So I need to ask a couple of questions — and not just of you, but of as many of your adult nearest and dearest as you can harass on my behalf. Because if I just post the questions here and wait for answers from Dear Readers, that’s not a terribly wide net. Plus it’s what you’d call a self-selecting response. Whereas if I make you quiz everyone you know, I’ll be closer to what might be considered a representative cross-section. Plus I’ll have a lot more answers. Which may or may not be statistically significant, but will make me feel better.
So please ask around. If you want to win my heart forever, you’ll post about this on your Facebook page, blog, loops, and wherever else cool and groovy types hang out.
Please send me via email — deborah @ 2ds dot org — as many answers as you can gather to the following questions.
1. In high school, what was the highest math class you took? (Algebra, geometry, trig…?)
2. Did you take chemistry in high school?
Please note that both questions are referring to pre-university studies. I just want to know what you (and, if possible, everyone you’ve ever met) did in high school. At least so far as math and chemistry are concerned. And, okay, any other really entertaining stories you wish to share. And by entertaining, I mean really naughty and/or the kind of thing I can threaten to tell your kids about.
But I digress.
Many thanks, and I hope to hear from you soon.
I took Calculus (and passed the AP)
Yes I took chemistry (and passed the AP)
I lived an absurdly boring life in HS, so there are no stories of any interest to tell.
I took Trig & Chemistry, the spouse remembers little from that time and has no idea what he math he took, but he said he first did Chem in college.
I’ll get a few drinks into Brad on Wednesday and see if any math memories float to the surface.
The highest math I took in high school was trig. I did take both chemistry and advanced chemistry.
Algebra II/Trig
Yes, I took Chemistry.
I took calculus and two chemistry classes
I took Algebra 2 abd geometry before that. I did take chemistry in high school.
I took Trig and chemistry..
I took pre-calc and chemistry. I really wanted to take physics and you had to take chemistry first. Also, it wasn’t really a choice as chemistry was 11th grade science, end of story. The physics has served me well. The chemistry… well, I know not to mix ammonia and bleach, and should I ever be in the position of teaching chemistry, I know not to leave my coffee cup unattended in the lab.
Yes, I took Chemistry.
I completed Honors AlgII and then “took” pre-calc, but dropped it after the first quarter to keep an F off my transcript. Do with that what you will.
AP Calc and yes to Chemistry (it was a junior level course at our high school).
1. Trigonometry
2. Yes, I took Chemistry.
I don’t remember much of high school. Just a general, Bob Marley and smoke filled haze.
I took advanced chemistry and pre-calc. Hubby took chemistry and trig.
I took chemistry and pre-calc/trig. My husband took chemistry and calculus. Oldest son – chemistry and pre-calc/trig. Second son – chemistry and AP Calculus BC.
I *think* geometry/algebra 2 was the highest math I took. Wait, does statistics count? No, I didn’t take chemistry. Same for my husband.
And from a friend of mine: Honestly don’t remember which math I stopped at. But I took advanced Chem and Bio. Me and a friend figured out how to make a bomb out of our graduation gowns.
“Figured out”? Did they actually blow them up??? Don’t just leave us hanging!
Well, since I graduated with him and am still here, I guess they didn’t go through with it….unless they did it after graduation. But no, I don’t think they actually did it. He said, “The gowns were made of acetate. With a Chemistry book you can figure out how to build an apparatus to safely melt and separate the Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon atoms and go from there.” I’ll ask for more details though…
Well, I was wrong. “yeah, but it wasn’t anything special. after all the work it was just enough to take care of an 80s large screen tv”
I took Geometery 3 times to graduate from high school and biology. But all my sons have had at least Algebra II and all have had chemsitry to graduate from high school here in Kansas. Last of 5 boys will graduate in May and he is taking physics as did 2 of his brothers. I am not a math person, but my kids are.
Precalc/Trig
Chemistry
2 biology classes
physics
They didn’t have AP classes in my day.
But I like science and got a Biology major & chem minor in college
Both sons took AP Calc, one took Honors biology & honors Chem (he is finance major), the other took honors Chem & biology, then AP chem & physics & environmental science, (he is in engineering in college)
In high school (graduated in 1975, so I’m old, lol), I took Algebra I, II and Geometry. I took Environmental Science and Biology. (The guidance department tried to keep me out of Math and Science wings as much as possible.)
My kids – Class of 2005 – Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra 2, Honors Pre-calc/Trig, AP Statistics (She had taken Algebra 1 in 8th grade). Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Honors Physics, AP Biology 2
Class of 2007 – Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Biology, Chem-Com (Chemistry in the community), Life Science (He was a SpEd student)
Class of 2009 – Honors Geometry, Advanced Algebra 2, AP Statistics, Advanced Pre-calc/Trig. Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Physics
Class of 2015 – Honors Geometry, Honors Biology (He’s a freshman but will have Honors Algebra 2 and Honors chemistry next year).
Hope it helps.
A lot of the people on this list said they would have taken calculus had it been offered in high school back then.
Person #1: Trig (highest offered back then) & yes to Chemistry
Person #2: Trig (highest offered) & yes to Chemistry
Person #3: Algebra II & no to Chemistry
Person#4: Trig (highest offered) & yes to Chemistry
Person #5: Algebra II & yes to Chemistry
Person#6: Calculus & yes to Chemistry
Person#7: Geometry; no Chemistry
Person#8: Trig (highest offered) & yes to Chemistry
Trig & Chem
I HATED chemistry!
I did, too.
I took Chemistry (11th grade req for college prep track). My highest math (and the highest offered at my school) was math analysis/pre-calculus in 12th grade.
I took the bare minimum to get out of high school. I’m sure I took some form of algebra, but the last one I took was called ‘Math of Money’. No, I didn’t take chemistry.
My husband said his highest math was the same as mine and he said he took GMO in high school (Geology/Meteorology/Oceanography), but that he took a class in Jr. High called IPC (Integrated Physics and Chemistry).
I made A’s in Algebra I and II and Geometry and then got a 30 on the first Trig test and they let me drop it.
Yes to Chemistry.
Just saw this. Don’t know if you’re still working on collecting data, but:
I took AP Calculus my senior year, and got a 5 on the AP test.
I took Chemistry sophomore year. My teacher was a joke. She had a doctoral degree in something, but it could not have been chemistry. Probably education. She spent many classes hung over, having us do “guided imagery” with the lights out and our heads down on our desks. She did offer free fashion advice, though, mainly on the evils of man-made fibers. I heard she held parties at her home where students were served alcohol, though I never attended. I took Physics my junior year and Physics II my senior year — my physics teacher was an actual teacher.