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From: Mark  McKinney <mckmark@mail.concentric.net>
Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn
 C or Pascal?]
Date: 1996/08/05
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Date: 1996-08-05T00:00:00+00:00
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Tim Behrendsen wrote
>
>Come to think of it, that's an interesing analogy. Maybe we should start
>math students off with the "abstraction" of calculus, and fill in the
>algebra/arithmetic details later!
>

The idea 1 is an abstact Idea. 1+1=2 is even more abstract. Yet we 
believe and yes claim to know these to be true. Numbers and all math for 
that matter is based on an abstract concept. We apply these concepts to 
the real world and find that they work. Calculus is itself an abstaction 
as with algebra/arithetic etc. The only way to learn these discipline is 
through abstraction because they do not exist in the physical world. What 
does 1 sound like, taste like, feel like, look like .. (not the symbol or 
name the actual number) No it is not a bit pattern store in a register. 
That is a physical implementation of the abstraction the number.

  I'll bet you think far more abstractly than you're willing to admit.

  Some Food for though.                   

                                MArk McKinney