Displacement and Maths; And How You Hate China

"DoubleDragon" (mitsubishi) 05/15/2014 at 19:31 • Filed to: None

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Chinese Koreans and Japanese do top out in maths... talk about stereotypes being accurate.

Guess that freakonomics book about China and being smart in maths is due to their language isn't true, because Koreans and Japanese don't speak chinese. And Singaporeans are ethnic chinese anyway and speak english.

" Four cars have different engine capacites:

Alpha: 1.79
Bolte: 1.796
Castel: 1.82
Dezal: 1.783

Which of the cars has the smallest engine capacity?

It's not a trick question. But over 75 percent of 15 year-old school children in Indonesia do not have the mathematical skills to answer it correctly.

Every three years, Indonesia's education system goes through the ritual humiliation of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , comparing the performance of 15 year-olds in 65 countries in reading, maths and science. Indonesia has more teachers per student than most much richer countries, and an amendment to the constitution guarantees that 20 percent of the national budget is spent on education. And yet the 2012 PISA results, released this week, show that Indonesia ranked at the bottom of the heap in maths and science, and did only marginally better in reading.

A full 42% of 15 year-old Indonesians in school don't reach the lowest defined level for maths, meaning they can't "perform actions that are almost always obvious, and follow immediately from given stimuli". Three out of four do not reach level 2 in maths, meaning that they are not capable of making literal interpretations of the results of simply presented data, such as reading values off a bar chart. Just 0.3% of Indonesian students managed to score at level 5, the second highest grade, compared with 55% in Shanghai. Here's the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ,in alphabetical order, though it's easier to find Indonesia if you look at the ranked chart below, because you just have to go straight to the bottom."

In the 18th century, despite ardent protests from the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! government, British traders began importing opium from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The introduction of opium into China was caused by Britain's need to send something back to China in return for their highly consumed Chinese tea. Britain first tried exporting European clothes, but the Chinese preferred their own silk.

Low Chinese demand for European goods, and high European demand for Chinese goods, including !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , forced European merchants to purchase these goods with silver, the only commodity the Chinese would accept. In modern economic terms the Chinese were demanding hard currency or specie (gold or silver coinage) as the medium of exchange for the international trade in their goods. From the mid-17th century around 28 million kilograms of silver were received by China, principally from European powers, in exchange for Chinese goods. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

A lot of people hate on China. But nobody remembers that when China was self sufficient and center of the world, British wanted all the goods China provided. So they flooded China with opium and brought the ENTIRE country to its knees. It made China the "sick man of asia" in the 1800s.

Just some history nobody remembers, to all those hating on China.

For Sweden > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:36

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...context needed...

lonestranger > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:38

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But, it is a trick question. There's no units provided. A Dezal's 1.783L engine (1783 cc) is larger than a Castel's 1.82 cc unit. I can't even convert the Alpha's 1.79 cu. in. displacement to the Bolte's 1.796 elephants.

jariten1781 > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:41

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Cannot take seriously because they use the British spelling of 'maths'.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:41

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I really don't get this... Smallest capacity would be Dezal right.. unless I'm missing something here.... Context needed.. please..

BrianNutter > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:49

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I recently lived there for a year and a half and have a Chinese wife and baby girl. China only takes their numbers from Shanghai and other heavily developed areas of China. Dont think for a minute Chinese have qualms with bending the truth if it serves a purpose. I do believe Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea and parts of India would have significantly better scores than much of the Western world.

Reborn Pyrrhic > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:51

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"A lot of people hate on China."

That would only work if those people were ON China, like on top of China.

"A lot of people hate China" is correct.

There is no "hate on" something.

desertdog5051 > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:52

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Fascinating.

PS9 > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:52

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'Murica's getting it's ass kicked!

DoubleDragon > desertdog5051 05/15/2014 at 19:53

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Yeah it is isn't it?

DoubleDragon > Reborn Pyrrhic 05/15/2014 at 19:54

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Yeah I get your correction. But the point rather was how history is forgotten and people forgot how it came to be this way.

Reborn Pyrrhic > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 19:56

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Yes, absolutely. I can understand Korea and Japan. Those two countries put education above all else. Korean parents will triple mortgage their homes to get their children the best education they can.

My wife is Korean and educating our son is a huuuuuuuge priority for her, which I am 1000% OK with.

DoubleDragon > BrianNutter 05/15/2014 at 19:58

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Everybody bends truth including you. What the fact is, there is always that smart kid from China who kicks the entire classes ass in Maths.

I know in Australia around my social circle there is at least one foreign import who tops out the class in Maths. Now its just proven so.

They still have a very different way of thinking, but being f'ed up by an entire country flooded with opium and everybody hooked on drugs then moving on to communism to fight against western powers robbing your country of its wealth and resources has that effect on you.

AthomSfere > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 05/15/2014 at 19:59

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I think the point is that we learned this early and thoroughly enough that we know a longer number is not necessarily bigger than a short number. We know and understand inherently that 2.1 is 1/10th of some unit larger than 2 of the same unit. Despite being so second nature to us, that we would probably call a friend if we were in the hot seat and this was our million dollar question "Paul, is it really this freaking easy?!"

Indonesia on the other hand: Apparently just doesn't get it.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 20:00

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The chinese is do fascinating. I like them.

But that's maybe because my mom and my girl is chinese anyway.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > AthomSfere 05/15/2014 at 20:02

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Ahh.... yeah,.. that's not cool at all...

DoubleDragon > Reborn Pyrrhic 05/15/2014 at 20:04

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Yep. I graduated uni ages ago, and even in high school and uni there was a chinese kid totally kicking ass at maths.

In uni when we took maths, 1a, 1b, and advanced second year maths, there was this chinese kid who was genius at it. EVERYBODY, and I MEAN EVERYBODY copied off him. This was at a uni in Australia.

And of course nobody cared, because they charge the foreign students about 500% more than the locals (us). It was primarily about making wealth from students.

But the chinese kid was thin, but had scraggly beard, but looked young but always lonesome. When i went to his room once to get help on maths his whole room was full of winnie the pooh stuff, like posters, bed sheets and etc. He was from china, and had bad english and looked like a ugly sheldon. but it was kinda sad.

but he was a natural at maths coz he didnt practice much. must had maths parents or something.

DoubleDragon > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 05/15/2014 at 20:06

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I understand their culture is from a self sufficient system deeply rooted in them...

but it doesnt translate to modern more western life. But not everybody has to be like us, although more intelligent SOCIAL communication would be nice...

but I am awkward sometimes too, so who am I to judge.

DoubleDragon > AthomSfere 05/15/2014 at 20:10

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lol its mean, but I agree. They just don't get it. I will try to correct my thinking, but those indonesian neighbours I have just... shit me something awful. Hanging their clothes against the windows??? I don't want their laundry in sight, just makes it look very very unbecoming.

I am sure nobody wants to see my jocks (underwear). Requests accepted. lol

DoubleDragon > For Sweden 05/15/2014 at 20:12

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From some of the negativity about China on Oppositelock.

I still don't understand how the hell China still uses Asbestos though

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 20:15

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Well, in Indonesia at least, they nearly blends with the natives in here.

But maybe because we both asian.

And oh, their math skills (I almost write them as "Mad Skillz" )is part of their culture. In Asia, Chinese are normally known as Entrepreneurs, and i think being an entrepreneur contribute a fair bit on their math skills.

DoubleDragon > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 05/15/2014 at 20:21

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Thanks for the info.

BrianNutter > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 20:33

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For Oppo, the title of the thread is devisive to begin with and I think you may have axe to grind. Sorry bud, but until youve lived there to see reality, you're not fully qualified to talk on the matter and you have being misled by a graph. There are many positive things and truthes the world should know about China vs their presumptions; but China hasnt reached this level (as a whole) yet.

For Sweden > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 20:40

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If you're finding xenophobic posts, tell the mod team.

Diesel > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 20:45

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It was never officially banned. Also, it's a naturally occurring mineral fiber. In fact, there are state parks in California that are just covered with the stuff.

DoubleDragon > BrianNutter 05/15/2014 at 20:54

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I have lived there. I have lived in many parts of the world, not for long but I have. And I have an extended family from many cultures, all recent immigrants to australia (like all australians are).

My wifes sister married a chinese dude. Been there, yes, some parts are really developed, more developed than a lot of european countries in terms of infrastructure but societal change hasn't happened to the level it will, due to , well, society.

But yes, a lot of asian countries have WAY better infrastructure than european countries. Its just their system that lags behind. Remember that they are building modern countries, not remmanents of our old countries as we developed those infrastructure further back.

Singapore, Malaysia have awesome culture and infrastructure. Malaysia has the 4th BIGGEST shopping mall in the world. Been there, lived there as an expat.

Way better than some of the places in America, and not being inflammatory, but in terms of options, quality of the infrastructure

its just the thought mentality though, its soo different.

DoubleDragon > For Sweden 05/15/2014 at 20:57

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usually i just ignore it. but just feeling really opinionated today. had to vent.

my buddy is walking around with his cup of tea. He is part italian and brit but born and raised here. 3rd gen? Anyway he sips his old englush tea cup like an old ladies teapot type pottery and thinks he is so cool. All the while raging about how awesome the british army was, in the 1800' and 1900 how they colonized and ruled the world.

BrianNutter > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 21:42

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These precise points I would agree with. I loved the bold new Architecture there and admire their ability to mow down blight with what we term "imminent domain". Does it help the poor or simply force them elsewhere is debatable. Ive just seen the things they don't want the west to see.

samssun > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 22:14

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Do you not understand the asbestos thing because your experience of it is trial lawyer commercials? It's been a miracle mineral for thousands of years, with insulation, fire-resistance, inertness, and strength rivaled by few other materials.

It also has a downside in that, if you shred it in the open, it will release tiny fibers that in quantity and over decades can give you lung cancer. Trading its former properties to avoid the latter downside is a luxury like so many other decisions. Easy for you to declare they get rid of it, the same as it would be easy for Bill Gates to suggest you only eat hand-prepared organic whatever ("you can't put a price on health!")

samssun > DoubleDragon 05/15/2014 at 22:17

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Have you compared any of the places the Brits dragged out of the stone age to ones they never touched? Genuinely curious, as I know the "impeeeerialism" crowd is convinced that having twice as many third world countries would be a good thing...