When Will I Ever Use This Stuff?!

When will I ever use this stuff?! 

I have been in education for forty years and the statement I hear over and over again with regards to math is something I'm sure you have heard too. It I've heard it once, I've heard it thousands of times: "When will I ever use this stuff".

All too often, students who make this statement are referring to the actual concept they are learning; whether it be Pythagorean's Theorem, long division, multiplication of polynomials, properties of polygons, the Power Rule, or what have you, their comment is usually based on the specific math topic. I related what they are learning to "real- life" examples, and or course, I tell them they are also actually applying and deepening many life long skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Skills that include but are not limited to: analyzing, making connections, problem solving, looking for patterns, proving, thinking, understanding and persistence. Math is an opportunity gateway, it opens doors and without it, it often closes doors. However, if in fact math isn't for you and you have a goal or career that doesn't require university math, here's some of the everyday math that you'll need, hence this article is for you.

Everyday Math

First of all, before I generate this list of what I believe to be helpful math for everyone to know for day to day living, it's only my opinion and may differ from the opinions of others.

Percent

Percent is a concept that is used regularly. What is the percent of deductions of your gross pay? This helps you calculate your net pay or potential pay. Sales are often based on percent, what is 20, 30, or 40 percent of a number? Percent is used in loans, investment and mortgages. You need to understand enough about percent to use a calculator correctly. Percent is used to calculate simple and compound interest. Percents are used in services to calculate sales tax and tips. You should be able to use mental math for some percent computations and the calculator for others.

Four Operations

The four operations refers to adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying and are sometimes referred to as arithmetic. I think this concept is self explanatory. We use the four operations for mental math in grocery stores, bill payment, recipes, etc. You should know the basic multiplication facts and you should know when and how to add, subtract, divide and multiply fluently mentally and with a calculator.

Measurement

Understanding the various units of measure that we are exposed to each day is vital to making decisions based on this information. When you go into the carpet store to consider a purchase and the store clerk tells you the carpet is 4.50 per square yard, you need to have an understanding of what your room measurements of 12 feet by 16 feet means in terms of the unit of measure, square yards. Think in terms of following a recipe. If you do not understand the various units of measure for dry goods such as flour, then you can make a mess out of baking. Measurement recognition and understanding is a daily occurrence. Even if you need an online converter or calculator for conversions, a basic understanding of measurement is helpful.

Estimation

Estimation is a basic skill we use so much in our daily lives that we never think about it.  Estimation is not a guess; it is a calculation based upon specific information and often referred to as an "educated guess".You estimate what time you have to get up in the morning to do all the tasks needed before you head off to school or work. You estimate how long it will take you to your homework. I'm sure you can think of countless examples.

Charts, Graphs and Data

Visual representation of information is commonplace in modern living. Graphs and charts are used to reduce the amount of textual explanation that many comparisons require. With the advent of the internet, it's imperative that we have the ability to look at a graph and see the weight of the data points individually while having an idea as to the trend the data exhibits. Basic to extremely complex information can be portrayed using charts such as scatter plots in terms we understand. It's helpful to be able to interpret pie charts, and line bar graphs.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is a daily skill. Being able to use the basic math mentioned here and apply it to problem solving situations is key. In other words, knowing what math to use to solve basic problems. Examples of this are in doubling a recipe, halving a recipe, calculating how much tile is needed id a room of various sizes, balancing check books, calculating time lapses and distances for trips along with various money situations/financial literacy.

It can be difficult to determine the daily math one needs in everyday life and much depends on ones responsibilities in life, however, having a grasp on the above certainly helps. And, taking steps to improve your math skills is always a great idea. Knowing math helps us understand the world and empowers our ideas.