Nonlinear Psychometric Thresholds for Physics and Mathematics

Canuckguy
Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:10:37 +0000

Thus, a strong interpretation of our result would be that even the most determined student is unlikely to master undergraduate Physics or Mathematics if their quantitative ability is below 85th percentile in the overall population.



I am firmly in this camp. If it is simply a case of good teaching and effort, my first degree would have been mathematics. Nothing I did could have prevented my math grades from declining through high school and college, from an A+ to a C. It is what it is. We don’t live in Lake Wobegon.

I suspect one of the reasons for America’ obsession with elite schools is an attempt to bypass this direct evaluation, much like many folks prefer backgammon to chess; when luck plays a bigger role, we think our chances are enhanced.