Useless to you. I extremely need to know the Pythagorean Theorem for my work. Actually, absolutely everything I have ever been taught in math class ever, literally all of it and so much more, I have used. But I'm starting a PhD in electrical engineering in the fall, so I'm a bit biased 😆.

For me personally, dissecting frogs (well actually I dissected a clam) was probably a waste of time, but for at least some of my classmates it was probably helpful. Long division is important because it stimulates algorithmic thinking, which is important for living in a computerized world. Area of a trapezoid is important because... sometimes trapezoids show up, or you can approximate a more complicated shape with a trapezoid whose properties are well understood.

[–] Cat_Daddy@hexbear.net 20 points 3 months ago (5 children)

It's also important for people who will never use it again. Learning algebra and geometry teaches you how to think critically and logically. So yeah, the gas station attendant over here may never use the cone area formula ever again, but at least it's not magic to them.

[–] Sandouq_Dyatha@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Another important thing is that there's no such thing as knowledge that you won't need or won't use.

[–] robot_dog_with_gun@hexbear.net 2 points 3 months ago

i know several things that are actively detrimental to my own wellbeing

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