Re: If you can't calculate the angles on a 50-cent coin...
So very much this. Basic maths like geometry and algebra are used constantly not just in a huge variety of professions, but also throughout the everyday lives of most people. They simply don't realise that's what they're doing most of the time; you don't need to be writing down a solving a big pile of xes and ys for the underlying concepts to be used. The idea that these skills are only relevant to a small number of professional scientists is utterly ridiculous.
Of course, this is not a new thing. Richard Feynman lamented that students he was teaching were unable to answer a question that was nothing more than a rewording of one they'd just answered, because while they'd been taught the maths they hadn't been taught how to actually relate it to anything. And unfortunately, this is what's still missing from a lot of education - it's not enough to just teach people something, you need to also teach them why you're doing so and how it's relevant to them. See the author of this article for a perfect example of the latter part being missed.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
