Why SHOULD kids learn algebra ?

An article under EDUCATION in today's Projo asks: " Why

    can't children learn algebra " ? Then the answer according to

    a panel of scientists : their algebra books  just don't relate

    to everyday life.

          It is intellectual dishonesty to pretend that the average

    citizen in our country - or any country - will ever need to

    use even high school algebra in everyday life.

            Algebra is the language of SCIENCE . In the market-place

    it will always  be "  Greek to me ".

            The fundamental IDEA of algebra is this : Let X =

    the unknown quantity. Now in the words of Albert Einstein 's

    Uncle Jacob : "  When the animal that we are hunting cannot

    be caught, we call it X temporarily and continue to hunt it

    until it is bagged . "

           For a DREAMER of genius like Einstein, Algebra was

    just the thing - this " lazy man's arithmetic ".

             A kid more fascinated by baseball and basketball than

    by the wonders of the universe will never even need a

    " scientific " hand calculator.

             I suspect  that members of that panel of scientists

    investigating " the real algebra problem " ( Projo , page

    A8 , April 27 ) want to get in on the school book racket !

        " Algebra is a merry science ", said Jacob Einstein . And

    a  merry X-mas to these scholars with the hearts of shop -keepers!