"New" Math

[Inna Minnit]

When I was a kid (I am almost 50) my parents always begged out of helping with my math homework, because they didn't understand the "new math."

This always puzzled me because to me, math is math. 2 + 2 = 4, right? How does that change generationally? Especially since math is supposed to be the Universal language. It is assumed that if there is intelligence out there we will first communicate through math.

I hadn't heard the phrase "new math," since I got out of school. But last week, I had to figure something out, no calculator nearby, so I busted out the pencil and paper. Since math is never my strong suit, I asked my customer to check my figures. He was close to my age, but he said he couldn't follow my work because he didn 't understand "new math."

So WTH is "New Math?" Can someone shed some light for me?