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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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[[Megan]], standing with [[Hairy]], is an ex student of [[Miss Lenhart]] and she taunts her old algebra teacher, because she hasn't used algebra since she left school. This is a reflection of a common gripe among students: that they have no need to learn math because they assume they'll never use it after they graduate. [[Randall|Randall's]] argument is that you have the option to use what you learned in school or not. Lots of people use math after they graduate, lots of people use their music lessons, and others don't use anything they learned in school at all. However, Randall doesn't understand why someone would be proud of their own ignorance, especially since people do brag about things like being able to cook and speak other languages, which are also entirely non-essential, perhaps even more so than algebra. See "A Mathematician's Lament" by Paul Lockhart: https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf
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This comic is pretty well explained in the caption and the image text, but I'll extrapolate a little bit. Here we have two ex-students taunting their old Algebra teacher because they have never used Algebra since they left (I'll assume) middle or high school.
  
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However, Megan is also wrong in that she likely does use basic mathematical calculations in everyday life, even if they're not in orderly lists of parameters ending with "solve for x." For example, to turn one's apartment into a ball pit like in [[150: Grownups]], one must calculate or at least estimate (another skill learned in math class) the floor space of the room, the desired depth for the balls to cover, the space occupied by one crate of balls, and the cost of such a crate. While the operations are basic arithmetic, the ability to recognize unknowns and sort them into a meaningful statement comes from algebra.
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Randall's argument here is that what part of your schooling that you use after you get out of school is all optional and up to you.  Lots of people use math after they graduate, lots of people use their music lessons, etc.  Lots of people don't use anything they learned in school in "real life".
  
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The title text states that technically you don't "need" to do anything but survive and {{w|Death & Taxes|pay your taxes}} (although, ironically, doing one's taxes can require quite a bit of algebra), and implies that math is one of the optional and fun parts of life.
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The student also appears to be committing a logical error in that she assumes her math classes only taught her how to solve orderly lists of parameters ending with "Solve for x." Many everyday tasks involve basic mathematical calculations, but we are left to devise our own calculations.  For example, to turn one's apartment into a [[150: Grownups|ball pit]], one must calculate or at least estimate (another skill learned in math class) the floor space of the room, the desired depth for the balls to cover, the space occupied by one crate of balls, and the cost of such a crate. While the operations are basic arithmetic, the ability to recognize unknowns and sort them into a meaningful statement comes from algebra.
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This is one of the two comics where Miss Lenhart is both drawn and named, the first being [[499: Scantron]].
 
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[Hairy is looking on as Megan takes her hands to her mouth and yells after Miss Lenhart who is walking away while looking back at her over her shoulder.]
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:[An algebra teacher by the name of Miss Lenhart, a former student, and a bystander. Miss Lenhart is walking away while the former student shouts at her the following:]
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:Megan: Hey, Miss Lenhart! I forgot everything about algebra the moment I graduated, and in 20 years no one has needed me to solve ''anything'' for x.  
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:Former Student: Hey, Miss Lenhart! I forgot everything about algebra the moment I graduated, and in 20 years no one has needed me to solve ''anything'' for x. I ''told you'' I'd never use it! In your ''face''!
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:Megan: I ''told you'' I'd never use it!  
 
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:Megan: In your ''face''!
 
  
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:[Caption below the panel:]
 
 
:It's weird how proud people are of not learning math when the same arguments apply to learning to play music, cook, or speak a foreign language.
 
:It's weird how proud people are of not learning math when the same arguments apply to learning to play music, cook, or speak a foreign language.
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
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[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
 
 
[[Category:Math]]
 
[[Category:Math]]

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