Rosie O'Donnell has been quoted in Newsweek as saying that math should no longer be taught because "we have computers [and] no longer need to know why 3x=2y/4." I think that Rosie is, in her words, a "cutie patootie" but in this case she is quite wrong.

Because talk show hosts are in the business of generating conversation, I'll treat Rosie's comments as a friendly challenge to the mathematics community, something like asking Nicole Kidman why she thought she was good enough to be married to Tommy in the first place.

Let me first confess that not all of the content of mathematics is useful in everyday life. As an adult, I have never had the need to recite the poems I memorized in eighth grade. Similarly, most people will never have the occasion to use the quadratic formula. In fact, as a mathematics textbook author for McGraw-Hill, I have sometimes struggled unsuccessfully to find realistic examples to motivate the study of certain types of algebra.

There are, however, countless examples of mathematics being useful and enlightening. Tennis players and fans can benefit from calculations showing that the margin of error in striking angle for a Pete Sampras-speed serve is one degree if hit with no spin, but is three or four times greater if hit with topspin. Analysts of the presidential election would have spoken more knowledgeably about the validity of different recount procedures if they understood basic statistics. Car buyers and home buyers who mastered algebra can confidently refuse to be pressured into accepting bad terms on a loan.

Any list of applications, however, will completely miss the primary benefit of mathematics. A recent graduate of Roanoke College with a degree in mathematics has become the director of personnel at a local company. Clearly, he is not solving equations or proving theorems in his job. However, his experience solving complicated calculus problems has prepared him to handle long-term planning issues at work. He knows how to break down a large problem into smaller, more manageable pieces. He has no difficulty organizing a myriad of overlapping job descriptions into a logical whole. He is able to devise imaginative personnel strategies using his mathematical skills of analyzing data, recognizing patterns and abstracting important principles. The abstract mathematics courses he took have made him a flexible thinker, one who can take an ever-changing set of business constraints and identify effective courses of action.

I always tell my freshmen at Roanoke College that mathematics is the best general-purpose major on campus. When the laughter dies down, I remind them that the first task a company is likely to do with an employee is send them to training sessions to learn the company's techniques. Therefore, smart employers want to hire someone who can learn quickly and thoroughly. Mathematics majors learn to solve technical problems, they learn to think abstractly, they learn the benefits and shortcomings of technology and they learn the (often amazing) mathematical connections among the various sciences and social sciences. In short, mathematics majors are excellent problem solvers in the most general sense of that term.

Such critical thinking skills are keys to a life that is rewarding in both the financial and psychological sense. Mathematics courses in school are certainly not the only source of such skills, but mathematics courses that are done well are perhaps the purest mental conditioning programs that humans have devised.

One of the challenges for the mathematics community is to update the curriculum so that students can hone their mental skills in familiar and clearly relevant contexts. Our society has lost patience with mental puzzles that are worked just because they are challenging. We want to know the immediate benefits of everything we do. In response, there is a national reform movement in mathematics to integrate technology and emphasize modern applications of mathematics. As the world changes, so too will the way in which mathematics is presented.

However, for school children, we need to realize that immediate returns are not nearly as important as the development of skills needed for the remaining 60-80 years of their lives. Our society loses if mathematics and other disciplines are eliminated or "dumbed down" just because students find the material difficult and not personally relevant. We must prepare the next generation to be logical, flexible thinkers in a world that is increasingly complex and mathematical.

Recent research indicates that the concepts of numbers and arithmetic are present in newborn humans. Anyone who has watched young children at play knows that counting and organizing and trading are natural and enjoyable aspects of playing. That is, humans naturally enjoy mathematics. It is easy enough to lose that enjoyment if you start to find the learning difficult and get no help from teachers and parents. We all recognize that athletes must work hard and overcome obstacles to succeed. In tough times, the encouragement of coaches, friends and parents to keep trying can make the difference. The same is true of mathematics. When a young person having trouble with mathematics is told not to worry about it because "I'm no good at math, either" or "That was always my worst subject," there is no motivation to continue trying to improve. In fact, it sounds cooler to just quit and stop paying attention, especially when a popular talk show host proclaims that we should drop mathematics from school.

So, please, Rosie, say something nice about mathematics. You may get a laugh when you put down mathematics, but it's a cheap laugh based on ignorance and prejudice. Please use your considerable charm and influence to help kids see that success in mathematics can give them a great sense of accomplishment while preparing them to enjoy the fast-paced, highly technical world in which they will live.