LordoftheMorons posted...
rocket157 posted...
Pure math is garbage.
Tons of math useful currently in science and engineering (I'd guess most, actually) was originally developed in a pure math context!
To point out several things:
1) Merely because they were invented in mathematics first doesn't necessarily that it couldn't be invented in science, engineering when they were needed and when less brainpower was "lost". There is such a thing as an opportunity cost, although I don't think anyone can say for certain how much there is until we gain a better understanding of neurological basis of mathematical discoveries (and I probably would have to eat my words)
2) Not something you said, but I disagree that it's impossible, in theory, for someone to evaluate which areas of math or more or less practical. I don't know of anyone who actually has done an analysis of how many techniques were a result of serendipity, which ones scale well with more people working on them.
HOWEVER,
It's abundantly clear that the British government hasn't actually considered that, I mean seriously wtf cutting computational mathematics? I have kinda a soft spot for statistics and probability theory, but I half suspect that those haven't been cut because they look really shiny to government officials who like to brag about misleading metrics. Not consulting the math community at all is very foolish even if they could be guilty of motivated reasoning, simply because they'd have a much more accurate view of which programs are more scaleable with money.
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Eh? You Serious? Easy Mode? How Disgusting!
Only Elementary School Kids should play on Easy Mode.