Primes With Complex Factors

[Frank Shute]

On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 12:05:10AM +0100, Pete French wrote:
>
> > Of course there are; that was generally AS or degree level stuff when I
> > was doing my degree though.  That's what "complex numbers" are.
> 
> When I went to school these were on the O-level syllabus! 

I was condemned to the thicko's class at school for maths and I did a
Frankenstein syllabus for maths at school called a GCSE, which was
like a GCE/CSE combined. I think it was the precursor to what they do
today. This was in 1978.

Complex numbers didn't come up, nor did calculus, nor did factorising
quadratics (with formula or by hand)!

It was so trivially easy that I aced it.

> Actually I just did a quick Google and they still are in Singapore,
> which still uses the English GCE exams, even though we gave them up
> here. Kind of a shame they went away, they are pretty useful
> things...

All my other school exams were GCE which were reasonably tough (for a
15 yr old).

The garbage they use for exams today are trivial rot & anybody with an
IQ>100 can pass them with a good grade. IMHO.

Get off my lawn!

Regards,

-- 

 Frank 

	
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