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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re looking for readers who will keep a money diary for a week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
Last time around, we heard from a support worker on €35K living with her partner in the south west of the country. This week, a 26-year-old finance analyst on €60K living with family just outside of Dublin.
I am a 26-year-old finance analyst working for a multinational company and living on the Kildare/Dublin border. I am still working from home and will begin a hybrid of working from home and going into the office shortly. I work 40 hours per week and am enjoying the work I am doing. As I started my current role from home, I am very excited to get into the office a few days a week, but I 100% believe hybrid working is the way forward.
Having only recently moved to the area, I am renting a room in a family member’s house. While I am happy with the current situation, I’m aware that it isn’t going to be a long-term solution so I’m actively looking for a room closer to the city. The rental market has proved to be a bit challenging since I moved up – in a lot of cases, the nicer rooms are more expensive than a mortgage repayment would be so that can be a little bleak to think about! I am counting myself very lucky to have the current set-up – it allows me to be a bit selective in what I go and view.
Thankfully, my savings have improved quite a bit in recent months – the only good thing to come from the pandemic! I also finished up a training contract with one of the “Big Four” accounting firms in April and moved away from practice into industry, which increased my salary quite a bit. I have been living out of home since I was 18 so prior to this, I was never really able to save anything significant, so it’s comforting to see my savings get a bit healthier. I transfer €1,000 to my savings account on each payday. At the end of the month, I usually have a few hundred left over that I keep in my current account as a cushion for any unexpected costs that might pop up the following month. My main aim at the moment is saving for a mortgage, although I don’t see myself qualifying for anything decent for quite some time.
My weekly spending tends to differ quite a bit depending on my plans, but I’m definitely not frugal. I don’t usually stray too far from my normal pattern Monday – Friday, but now the country has reopened, I’m trying to do as much as I can on the weekends. If I am not heading home to my beloved Cork for the weekend, you’ll usually find me around Dublin for a meal and drinks on a Saturday with family or friends, something I am at my happiest doing – I really missed it during the lockdowns. Maybe this is another good thing to come from the pandemic: an appreciation for the nights I used to take for granted. I think it is.
Occupation: Finance analyst
Age: 26
Location: Kildare/Dublin border
Salary: €60,000
Monthly pay (net): Approx. €3,500
Transport: Approx. €80 – diesel and tolls
Rent: €125/week
Household bills: Included in rent
Phone bill: €35
Health insurance: N/A
Groceries: Approx. €180
Subscriptions: €15 – €7.99 for Netflix and €5.99 for Spotify (still linked to my student account)
Car loan: €420 – I’m trying to clear this ASAP so I’m repaying a good bit more than the minimum repayment requirement
Gym: €57 – paying monthly as will be moving away from the area closer to the city soon
Charity donations: €21 – Mercy University Hospital Foundation, Cork
Savings: €1,000
7.45 am: I wake up and read a quick chapter of my book before climbing out of bed and making my way to the table.
8.15 am: I have a busy morning of meetings ahead so I start planning for the first one while eating my breakfast and drinking a coffee.
1.00 pm: A busy morning of meetings means I don’t get a huge amount of work done, like contributors gone before me have mentioned. I feel like I am always on video calls since working from home, but I am pretty used to it now. I break for my lunch and give my grand-aunt a call for a chat.
6.00 pm: That’s Monday done. Once I log off the laptop, I head out for a 30-minute walk/jog to clear the head and make myself feel a bit better about skipping the gym this morning. Grocery shopping has been done in the meantime, so I transfer money for my share (€14). We are splitting the cost of groceries between the three of us at the moment as we are all eating the same dinners, which works out pretty well as we rotate the cooking.
7.00 pm: I give a hand with the cooking tonight – homemade ramen, which turns out to be pretty tasty. Once we have eaten, we catch up on Kin as we missed the episode on Sunday and then throw on Netflix for a couple of episodes of Maid.
9.30 pm: By this time, I am exhausted so I decide to head up to bed – scroll through a few clothing websites but nothing jumps out at me and I am asleep for 10.30 pm.
Today’s total: €14.00
7.05 am: I wake before my alarm and get straight up before I can think about lying in. I head to the gym, which is just under a 10-minute drive. I recently rejoined and have enjoyed getting back into it, definitely does good for the mind. My diesel light comes on when I am driving back so I stop at the next station (€30) – half a tank will do for now.
9.00 am: Time for work. Not a bad morning of meetings so should be able to get a good bit of work done that has been hanging over me.
1.00 pm: Happy with this morning’s work, got a good few things ticked off! I break for lunch and make a sandwich with a cup of coffee. I’ll be cheffing tonight so get cracking on a red Thai curry, nice and easy. With the chicken simmering and the veg prepped for later, I head back to the laptop for what I hope will be a productive evening.
6.15 pm: I log off the laptop and head straight for a barber. I’m happy with the cut so include a tip (€18). Feel like a new man and about two pounds lighter. When I get back home, I finish off the curry and serve up.
8.00 pm: After dinner, I relax on the couch for a bit and catch up on some shows that I’ve recorded. I also remember that I need to complete my Continuing professional development (CPD) for work by the end of the month, so I head on to my institution’s website to make sure I understand exactly what is required before then.
10.00 pm: I catch myself yawning, so call it a day and head to bed.
Today’s total: €48.00
7.15 am: Wake up. Gym. Shower. Head back home.
9.00 am: I throw myself in front of the laptop with breakfast and a coffee. Don’t have too many meetings today so things shouldn’t be too hectic.
1.00 pm: Not a bad morning put down, so time for lunch. I mull over what I will have but stick with the usual eggs, medallions and avocado. Will be heading to see No Time To Die next week so I watch a bit of Spectre during my break – is it just me or is Christoph Waltz the only good thing in this one?
6.00 pm: Hump Day done. I need some fresh air, so I go for a walk to Lidl (a 10-minute walk each way) for a few bits for dinner. I’m on my own tonight so it’s going to be some ‘nduja pasta. Pick up what I need as well as a few bits for lunch tomorrow (€6.65).
8.00 pm: Fed and watered for the night so lamp myself in front of the TV with my laptop. I’m heading abroad with two friends at the end of the month and it cannot come fast enough – it’s been a long two years since I was on a foreign holiday! I go online and sort out our transfer from the airport (€10, my share) and buy tickets for a 2.5-hour Danube cruise, which includes a four-course meal and live music because why not… (€74.42, my share).
10.00 pm: Feeling pretty tired so I retire to bed and read a chapter of my book, scroll through the various social media and am asleep by 10.45 pm.
Today’s total: €91.07
7.00 am: “Tá an t-am caite anois”, as the mother would say – I head to the gym, do my bits and am back, showered and sitting at the table ready for work by 9.00 am.
1.00 pm: Busy enough morning, barely saw the time pass and I am starved. I break for my lunch and give my bedroom a quick run around, nothing too exciting.
6.00 pm: Thursday done, the week is flying. I finally get around to ringing a pension provider. Based on my previous training and current contracts, I haven’t had access to the companies’ schemes, but realise I really need to get a move on with putting something away every month, so I schedule a virtual consultation for next week. For a lad working in finance, I know embarrassingly little about pensions and probably should have this long sorted but anyway, it’s moving now and a weight off my mind.
7.00 pm: After I do my washing and clean the bathroom, it’s time to suss dinner. The brother-in-law suggests Base Pizza and gets no complaints from me. We order a “family” deal for the three of us (€13). Once the food arrives, we tuck in and catch up on Gogglebox Ireland.
9.00 pm: Mum gives me a buzz and we chat for about 15 mins. I have a cup of tea, watch some Channel 4 and head up to bed around 10.15 pm.
10.20 pm: A chapter of my book and maybe three TikTok videos later, lights out by 10.45 pm.
Today’s total: €13.00
8.00 am: Having slept through my alarm, I wake around 8 am and realise it’s too late to make it to the gym – no hassle, lie-in it is.
8.30 am: I manage to get myself up and make my way to the table for work – have early morning meetings again, so I begin planning for those.
10.00 am: First morning meetings over and done with so I go to make my breakfast and find we are out of milk. I spin down to Lidl where I pick up the milk, some sparkling water and find my willpower being tested by the unbelievable smell of pastry. Ultimately, I give in and pick up three hazelnut croissants (€6.19). Coffee also tastes extra good this morning. Maybe it’s because it’s Friday?
1.00 pm: Morning done, time for lunch. Once I have eaten, I head to Lucan to SuperValu to grab a few bits for the evening – will be heading to a friend’s house for dinner. I grab a few beers and a bottle of wine to bring with me (€19.95).
6.00 pm: Finish up work after a busy but productive day. Throw some bits into a bag and head into the city for the weekend.
8.00 pm: With the curry my friend made devoured and a couple of beers later, we make half a plan for our trip. We book parking at Dublin Airport for the few days we’re away, which we split between us (€15.70, my share).
10.00 pm: We pull out a game of Monopoly – my first time playing, I’m ashamed to admit. I make a winning move by buying a property on Shrewsbury Road – the only time I will come remotely close to owning anything on Shrewsbury Road… once we are done, it’s nearly 1.00 am so we call it a night.
Today’s total: €41.84
9.00 am: Up and at ‘em. We decide to head for breakfast in Rathmines. I order a pastrami sandwich with a flat white, which is all very tasty (€12). Once we have finished, we grab a taxi down to the docks as we are doing a tour of Dublin Port as part of Open House Dublin (€7.50, my share).
12.00 pm: Tour of the port done – all very interesting in fairness. I highly recommend doing a few tours as part of OHD, tickets are usually free and it’s a nice way to spend a few hours. We walk halfway into town but looks like it’s going to rain so we flag down a taxi for the other half (€5, my share).
2.00 pm: I run into Arnotts to grab a weekend bag for the holiday – the zip on my current one is broken so it’s needed. After looking around for a bit, I finally find a decent one. I have an online voucher for most of the cost so only end up paying €19.43. I keep my head down as I walk through the rest of the store, so I am not tempted to buy anything else. I float the idea of a few pints while we are in town and my friend doesn’t take much convincing, so we decide to head over to Grogan’s.
6.00 pm: The pints of Guinness and Beamish taste too good so we end up staying on in Grogan’s a lot longer than expected. A few toasted specials and a lot of stout later, I’m down €43.40, but all very much worth it. I end up texting my brother to see if he is in town… would be rude not to. We run into Pyg first for a quick pizza as it’s across the road before meeting my brother and his friends in Stag’s Head where we stay until closing. A typical end to “will we go for a pint”. (€52.20)
12.30 am: We arrive back to Rathmines after waiting a bit for a taxi. I get the taxi for us both given I will be bunking in my friends for the night (€14.20).
Today’s total: €153.73
10.00 am: After a good lie-in, we surface and make some breakfast and have a coffee. We decide to head out to Dundrum to have a look around the shops as we have nothing planned for the day. En route, I transfer two weeks’ rent for my room so that I can have a clear view of my money situation until payday and realise I definitely won’t have much of a cushion by the end of the month but what harm, I don’t sweat it too much. (€250)
2.00 pm: Not much to report since this morning. We picked up another friend on the way to Dundrum and I didn’t end up buying anything other than a bowl of pasta for lunch! (€18.95).
7.00 pm: Sunday has turned into a very chilled day, which was needed after the last two nights. I head back to my own place and pick up a takeaway en route – it’s one of those days (€16.95).
10.30 pm: After watching a few episodes of Maid on Netflix, I head to bed where I’m asleep before I hit the pillow.
Today’s total: €285.90
***
What I learned –
It’s well known that male intelligence makes up a broader bell curve than the female one but the average is the same. Simply put men have more geniuses and idiots whereas there are more women of average intelligence.
That’s exactly right. Boys tend to get higher grades in maths, always have. That’s why there will always be more boys attracted to STEM subjects. It’s nothing to do with sexism no matter how loud the feminists shout. It’s to do with how the male brain is wired. You also have more boy “slow learners” at the other end of the bell curve. More makes tend to be inventors, innovators, explorers, Nobel prize winners. There are women too obviously just not as many but that reflects their numbers on that side of the bell curve.
What if I changed sex or gender along the way in living cert? Would it be male or female intelligence?
@Marg
“It’s nothing to do with sexism no matter how loud the feminists shout. It’s to do with how the male brain is wired. ”
There are subtle differences in how M/F brains are constructed, mostly to do with evolutionary development (hunting vs gathering and the skills inherent in each) but there is also a lot to do with how boys and girls engage in play from an early age and how they are perceived by the adults around them.
From an early age, girls are routinely conditioned to believe that looks are more important than their physical/mental capabilities e.g. “Isn’t Lisa so pretty in her pink dress?” vs “Freddie climbed a tree all the way to the top and didn’t fall!” This drip drip drip of conditioning means that generally speaking, girls begin to believe that they are not as capable at climbing trees as boys are.
There is also the inherent belief (like the one you display, Marg) that maths is a heavily-gendered subject and that only boys can understand it, leading girls to think that no matter what their interest or capability, there is something ‘wrong’ with the wiring in their brain and they cannot be as good at maths as boys are.
We also have to remember that despite notable exceptions, girls were not allowed to study mathematics and the sciences at major colleges until comparatively recently which means that yes, men have been the leaders in research and discovery. Because generally, there were no women studying alongside them, using the resources available to them.
It’s too complex a subject to go into here but suffice it to say that social conditioning plays a major part in why girls don’t choose STEM careers as much as boys and why boys are ridiculed if they select what are seen as inherently feminine careers such as nursing or childcare.
@linda. I don’t believe that maths is a heavily gendered subject. But the subject suits the male brain better if that boy has an interest in it. Boys will zoom in on and be very committed to what grabs them,girls tend to be methodical and more disciplined in their approach. Boys tend to be very good at maths or very bad, girls straddle,the middle ground. The reason being girls will do as expected (we are of course generalising) boys will do what interests them. Girls can be very, very good at maths of course, but at genius level it tends to be hugely male.
As for boy babies and girl,babies being different , of course they are. Gender differences are not social constructs. It’s amazing to see the difference at early ages. A baby boy won’t be seduced by pink and sparkly, a baby girl will. Baby girls are not interested in wheeling dinky cars around the floor, boys do it for hours. That behaviour is inherent and is common in every society and culture around the world. It can’t be a social construct in every society and every culture and in every time. It’s only ever became a “social construct” in the western world post 1960′s.
What about the ambitions of boys and girls in 6th year? A lot of students who do honours maths do it because its a requirement for the course they want to do in college. Usually these are STEM subjects. So if you really want to go into STEM then you will work harder at honours maths. Where as if you don’t need honours maths quite often you will be advised to drop it as its believed to take up more study time than other honours subjects.
So its a bit of chicken and egg situation and these results can be twisted to suit either side of the argument.
@Lydia Anecdotal evidence doesn’t really prove anything in a nature vs. nuture debate. Women haven’t been discriminated against in education in decades. Girls now outperform men in 50 out of 58 leaving cert subjects (they study more than boys). The exceptions are generally the mathematical ones. The numbers going to third level education are about 50:50 but more women go to universities than ITs. Globally men outperform women in maths so it’s not just an Irish thing. Women were historically discouraged from becoming authors too but that hasn’t stopped them outperforming men in English class. Simply saying girls are marginally not as good as boys at maths because they lack confidence is a bit of a cop out unless you have data to back it up.
OUTRAGE!
This is clearly another machination of the patriarchy. The female students clearly feel threatened by the greater numbers of young men now doing higher maths and its affecting their performance. Separate syllabi for each sex, wait no gender, wait no biological sex…separate things for every type of sex until everyone gets exactly the same results with the exact same frequency. More funding for female maths in our schools is also what’s needed. Ring fence it now!
OUTRAGE!
>separate things for every type of sex until everyone gets exactly the same results with the exact same frequency
Not that that’s the point of the article, but I might as well rebut it a little. If everyone gets the same levels of education with an equal focus on each student, then yes, you would expect that people get roughly the same grades on average (as in, roughly the same numbers of guys and girls doing subjects, and getting around the same grades at the same rates). The bell curve isn’t exactly a difficult concept. If more girls were taking honours economics than boys, and were getting better grades than them, we’d assume that they were recieving some sort of preferential treatment in terms of either how their teachers were treating them, or how society tells girls all the time that they’re wonderful at economics and boys are rubbish. We wouldn’t just go all out and say it’s because boys are either too stupid for, or uninterested in, economics.
Chillax Ronan.
When you realise your long and serious comment was in reply to a blatantly sarcastic one.
Femi-nazis dont tend to get wit, sarcasm of humor. Too busy being OUTRAGED.
>Femi-nazis dont tend to get wit, sarcasm of humor. Too busy being OUTRAGED.
“Sarcasm of humour” I get, but it’s also allowed to make serious replies to “jokes”. I hate that mindset of “Only joking! Can’t get mad because I’m only joking! See! I’m not actually touching your face, I’m just waving my hand near it!”.
Veronica, why is it that you have assumed that it is the teaching making this disparity in grades occur?
We see statisticians all over the world consistently concluding that there is a broader bell curve for males – more idiots but more geniuses.
Exactly how have you ruled this out as a possibility for the cause of the difference in grades?
I think we need to introduce quotas to allow more females to reach the same grades as their male counterparts. Seems only fair.
Slightly off topic but if you compare a current text and text higher level book from the 1990s you will be astounded. The higher level then is is similar to first year university standard and the higher level now is similar to the pass level then.
*leaving cert.
everything was harder in the 90′s
Dumbing down the curriculum. Didn’t they do that in the U.K. And are suffering now because of it?
The maths curriculum was revamped to make it more practical and easier to learn while still laying foundations in all areas. However we’d want to look at the standard of teaching across secondary schools. It’s appalling for the most part.
I studied maths in university and I actually found that the way maths is thought in school helped me grasp university maths so much better. Yes it may be dumbed down but it is dumbed down for a reason
actually, I believe the older curriculum was easier. I was the last year of the older curriculum, the year that followed me were allowed to use calculators. However, its not the “correct answer” that gets you most of the marks in leaving cert maths, its the methods you used to get the answer that got you most of the most of the marks. The older curriculum was designed so you didn’t need a calculator, so all the answers worked out perfectly, if you had an answer with 5 figures after a decimal point, it usually meant you had the wrong answer!
@James Darcy
“However we’d want to look at the standard of teaching across secondary schools. It’s appalling for the most part.”
Unless you have been taught by every maths teacher in the country, then you are in no position to make a sweeping generalisation like this. You may have been taught by a maths teacher that, in your opinion, was appalling. That same teacher, in their opinion, may have taught that you were an appalling student.
“That same teacher, in their opinion, may have taught that you were an appalling student.”
thought that you were an appalling student
Yes, but the marking back then was equally astoundingly easy.
Haha Gerard relax. I work in education’
More people are doing higher level, as there are more points going for higher level maths than any other higher level subject. The stat that I think is worrying is that 10% of leaving cert students are doing foundation level.
I’d rather the 10% passed basic foundation level than failed Ordinary. Foundation is functional maths to survive in the world.
Not everybody can be a shining star. For every male maths genius there’s at least one that probably struggles with very basic maths.
Indeed Gerard, for all those at the right had side of the IQ bellcurve, threre’s all those at the far left hand side also.
Obviously this is patriarchy at work.
I’m triggered now
STATES SERIOUSLY SEXIST SUMS SYLLABUS SUPPRESSES SOFTER SEX’S STEM SECURITY!!! :)
Unfortunately Gerald, this is not the best of all possible worlds. If it were, Leibniz would’ve been a 20th century polymath instead of a 17th century one. That way he could have met Einstein and seen what utter twaddle some of his musings on uses of mathematics in space and astronomy were.
I’ll do a deal with you there Ronan, I will show you an example of what Leibniz meant and why mathematicians are lost in matters of astronomy and the current mess we inherit is basically using astronomy as a dumping ground for every half-witted notion that enters the heads of idiots.
Copernicus figured out the Earth moved through space and the Sun was at the center of the solar system by accounting for the observed motions of the outer planets as they temporarily fall behind in view as the faster Earth,in an inner circuit overtakes them -
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011220.html
The geocentric astronomers thought the forward-backward -forward motions belonged to the planets themselves but Copernicus said it is just an illusion caused by the Earth’s faster motion around the Sun just like a car on a roundabout sees slower moving cars in an outer lane fall temporarily behind in view as it overtakes them. Common sense and made enjoyable for those who take the time to look at the time lapse footage of Jupiter and Saturn above seen from a moving Earth.
Along comes a mathematical idiot that is Isaac Newton invented absolute/relative space based on a dumb view of the same observed forward-backward-forward motions using a notion that we the backward motions (retrogrades) seen from Earth but not from the Sun -
“For to the earth planetary motions appear sometimes direct, sometimes
stationary, nay, and sometimes retrograde. But from the sun they are
always seen direct,…” Newton
Like Leibniz said, higher reasoning destroys the contrived nonsense of mathematicians so if readers appreciated how Copernicus actually arrived at his conclusion that the Earth and all planets move in one direction around a central Sun they can give themselves a pat on the back and see where the followers of Newton have jumped the tracks. I remind readers that this is at the major juncture of geocentric and heliocentric astronomy and if they can’t get this right then anything else that follows including the voodoo of early 20th century relativity won’t make sense.
Isaac Newton a “mathematical idiot”? Throw yourself into a black hole Gerald, please.
There is a black hole at the bottom of my garden but the other fictitious one only exists in the heads of those who know no better. I have to laugh sometimes as you have these guys running around talking about ‘black hole’ as an object with infinite density/ zero volume but infinite volume/zero density means exactly the same thing or an elaborate way to describe ‘nothing’. The theorists and their followers might get upset but everyone else can do without the academic junk passed off as astronomy.
Newton is much more interesting as he set up his absolute/relative space and motion based on his dumb view of the observed motions of the other planets. His followers through the centuries never understood what he was up to apart from the ‘scientific method’ he introduced where he tried to fit astronomy into experimental sciences.
It is one of those things that if you appreciate the time lapse footage of the Earth overtaking Jupiter and Saturn in our common motion around the Sun you can pretty much figure out everything else including the phony view that motions seen from Earth (which Newton called relative space and motion) are resolved by a hypothetical observer on the Sun (absolute space and motion).
A mathematician doesn’t make a person an astronomer and the wider population including students in the education system must learn this.
Feel free to postulate and hypothesise your own explanations and prove them using mathematics. One that, ideally, better explains our universe. Until then, you’re a rambling garden gnome.
This is not engineering science or software programming which do require an aptitude in mathematics , you need no more mathematics to appreciate astronomy than you do hopping to your car and driving across town or the countryside. I have no doubt that a few people will just look at the Earth overtaking Jupiter and Saturn and watching them temporarily falling behind in view will be delighted to discover that this is how Copernicus worked out the Earth goes around the Sun and not the Sun around the Earth.
The analogy of cars on a road doesn’t end there, as the Earth approaches the outer planets they get bigger and brighter just as a car approaching yours on the same road will appear dim and small at first until the point when the headlights are brightest and the car largest at the closest approach of both cars ,same with planets as the sequence of images show as the Earth approach Jupiter and Saturn at our closest point before leaving them behind in the distance -
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0112/jupsatloop_tezel.jpg
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011220.html
People have an aptitude for astronomy that is being blocked by the chanting of voodoo by experimental theorists and it is creating problems for the wider community who need to exercise this part of their brain in making sense of the connection between the motions of our planet and terrestrial sciences, solar system structure and things like that.
How many understand the observations in the time lapse above I cannot say, some will take to it immediately and enjoy that they can while the mathematicians can’t appreciate what is wrong with Newton’s stupid take on the same observations -
“For to the earth planetary motions appear sometimes direct, sometimes
stationary, nay, and sometimes retrograde. But from the sun they are
always seen direct,…” Newton
Again, children need to use the full range of their brain so teaching that junk by Newton as an ‘achievement’ is contrary to the insights of the genuine astronomers who fully understood what the observed motions of the planets represented from a moving Earth and not a hypothetical observer on the Sun.
Didn’t Newton invent calculus? Why such hate?
Newton invented absolute/relative space and motion which substitute for motions seen from Earth (relative) as opposed to motions seen from the Sun (absolute) calling the first ‘apparent’ and the latter ‘true’ hence his nonsense which is outside astronomical reasoning -
“It is indeed a matter of great difficulty to discover, and
effectually to distinguish, the true motion of particular bodies from
the apparent; because the parts of that absolute space, in which those
motions are performed, do by no means come under the observation of
our senses. Yet the thing is not altogether desperate; for we have
some arguments to guide us, partly from the apparent motions, which
are the differences of the true motions” Newton
You can’t hate an astronomical dunce like Newton nor his followers but you can feel sorry for those students who never get to see how the great original heliocentric astronomers worked out the Earth travels around the Sun using the observed motions of the other planets as a gauge for that conclusion. Any reader today with the benefit of time lapse footage of Jupiter and Saturn can enjoy the original reasoning of Copernicus which uses a moving Earth and not a hypothetical observer on the Sun nor the meaningless lingo of absolute/relative space and motion .
Try Galileo instead -
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0112/JuSa2000_tezel.gif
“Now what is said here of Jupiter is to be understood of Saturn and Mars also. In Saturn these retrogressions are somewhat more frequent than in Jupiter, because its motion is slower than Jupiter’s, so that the Earth overtakes it in a shorter time. In Mars they are rarer, its motion being faster than that of Jupiter, so that the Earth spends more time in catching up with it.” Galileo
It is not a matter of hating Newton, it is a matter of admiring what Copernicus did using 21st century imaging tools.
Good answer.
****MEN RULE****
******SLIDE RULE******
I don’t usually like to comment on articles give a “breakdown” on the difference between genders. I’m in Leaving cert and I dropped Higher Level maths around the time of the mocks. I’m more suited to business/English etc so I wanted to focus more time on those. I’m not sure how many people can imagine what it’s like heading into a class, knowing you won’t fully understand everything and stressing about your maths homework before you even got home. Since I dropped to ordinary, it’s taken a huge weight off my shoulders, I understand everything, my homework is far more manageable and I do think because I did higher level right up until then, that it equipped me better for ordinary level. Males usually are better at the new project maths because there’s a big focus on shapes/measurements etc – most of these males might either do tech graphics/construction/engineering – so their minds are more wired for that kind of thing. I think as long as every student is happy with what they’re at, that is the most important thing. Not everyone is wired for everything
Any girl that’s wants to study maths can. This could hardly be more of a non-issue. Girls are actually achieving higher points in the leaving cert than boy on average and yet the fact is that when women and girls are given a free choice they choose to go into non-stem fields more often than not. And theirs nothing wrong with that. Women tend to prefer jobs that are more human centred like nursing or psycho therapy. And men tend to prefer jobs that are more object entered like engineering or construction. What’s the problem with that?
The real issue, and one that is being ignored, is that boys are dropping out if school at far higher rates than girls, scoring lower marks in the leaving cert on average and are entering third level education at a lower rate than girls. The knock on effect of all this is that women in their 20′s and 30′s are actually out earning men in the same age bracket. The educational system is failing boys.
Or are the exams getting easier???
The reason for this is two fold, firstly the higher level maths paper offers over 100 points now so theres a big incentive to achieve in it. Secondly the difficulty level of the papers has been consistently lowered over the past 10 years through both general lower difficulty and changing of the syllabus to focus heavier on the ‘easier’ areas of mathematics.
Im not saying the papers are easy at the moment, but I did my leaving certificate (Honors Maths) in 2006 and have had siblings do it in 2009/12 and last one now in 2016. As far as I can see, since 2009 the paper has become easier and easier to pass every couple of years.
Pure mathematicians make nuisances of themselves and they are likely to be the idiots although the world calls them ‘geniuses’ as they force themselves into disciplines like astronomy where they are ill-suited to deal with observations and make proper conclusions. Leibniz, himself a mathematician, commented on this tendency which has done great damage to astronomy by mathematical purveyors of voodoo and bluffing -
“These are the imaginings of incomplete- notions-philosophers who make space an absolute reality. Such notions are apt to be fudged up by devotees of pure mathematics, whose whole subject- matter is the playthings of imagination, but they are destroyed by higher reasoning” Leibniz
In things like engineering, mathematics is great but once they go into the area of astronomy all common sense is lost and while the wider world may believe that the person standing in front of a blackboard full of equations is understanding something they don’t, it is all a mathematical joke and much as Leibniz describes.
I’m doing the lc this year and I stuck higher level maths until about 2 weeks ago. My own personal experience is that my teacher, when I didn’t understand something and asked a question, would immediately get up in arms and begin to rant about how this was done in the junior cert and about how we should know this already, even though it was higher level leaving cert maths. He expected us to know it already. And yet when one of the lads in our class asked a question there was a calm discussion about where he was being caught and then Sir would give him a few more examples. This is the kind of environment I was expected to learn in and that environment is the reason why there is three girls left in the class.
https://m.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/38ffpk/is_it_true_that_male_iq_has_a_different/
Here’s a reddit about the notion that the distribution of boys intelligence has a higher density in the tails. I wasn’t buying it at first. It seems its true.
From the tables it looks like the average grade is lower now. It’s being dragged down by the people who are enticed to take higher and alot of these end up with a D. Is that better than what was there before?
have your say