mike It is often preached that anything beyond basic mathematical knowledge is unnecessary knowledge for a large section of the population since all of us do not pursue a career where those advanced math skills could be put to use. This is not entirely true though, because it has been found that advanced mathematical exercises from a young age help us develop skills such as creative thinking, problem solving, and simplification of complex situations.
Given that these are essential soft skills that we are discussing, which are often necessary to succeed in your career or personal life, the importance of learning mathematics beyond the basics cannot be overlooked. That being said, today we are going to take a quick look through a few examples of mathematics being used for solving problems in real life. These should provide us with a better understanding about the nature in which math is an infallible part of our lives, be it for performing mundane daily tasks, making professional calculations, or for choosing the right path at a crucial juncture of one’s life.
Skilled Builders Rely Heavily on Mathematics
When you think about your carpenter, handyman, roofer, or local contractor, it is unlikely that you think of them as people who use mathematics in their daily life. We are sure that the moment you thought about it, the answer became obvious, and you have most likely realized the importance that math holds to their work by default.
Taking the measurements and writing them down is just the easy part, because based on those measurements, they do spend a good deal of time making advanced calculations regarding what options they have, which materials can be used, how much of what will be necessary, the profitability percentages attached to every option, and the list continues. Their hard skill is guided by the mathematical calculations they make, and rest assured they know the importance of those numbers better than their customers.
Irrespective of What they Teach, School Teachers Must be Savvy in Math
Now, it would make no sense to state something as obvious as the fact that math teachers should be good at math! However, what even students may not often realize is the fact that all schoolteachers need to have at least a decent understanding of mathematics. Not only is it a necessity for getting the job, but math is also something that teachers have to use quite regularly for calculating the average mark percentage of each student, and that of the class as a whole. In case you are a teacher yourself, we highly recommend checking out this page on mark percentage calculation. It does an excellent job of teaching you how to find the average marks for a class and how to convert the numbers into percentages from test scores with simple formulas. The resulting simplification of the entire process should boost productivity and improve time management.
Cooking is More Reliant on Mathematics than People Realize
Can we cook well without knowing how math applies in cooking? Yes, we can do that, but what we cannot do is cook well without applying the mathematics necessary to do so. If that sounds confusing, then let us explain the idea first. Cooks who do not know that they are using mathematics to calculate, adjust, use, and maintain various aspects of their cooking are still using the same rules of culinary math necessary, but they are so used to doing it instinctively, it simply does not register as math in their mind.
Expert chefs, on the other hand, are perfectly aware of the fact that math is an especially important part of cooking fine cuisines, and they use that knowledge with the accuracy that a fine meal preparation deserves. How much of which ingredient must be increased or decreased at what temperature to accommodate a larger or smaller group of guests is all about mathematics and experience.
Even from a very general point of view, it is not difficult to see how closely mathematics is associated with success in real life. After all, the goal of math is to find an accurate, or near-accurate answer to any quantifiable query. Therefore, our ability to use both advanced and basic principles of mathematics is directly related to how accurately we are able to calculate the chances of success in any scenario. Sure, there is always the unpredictability of life, but the probability theory even makes way for that to a degree. A lot of estimations made in data science may figuratively seem like magic to onlookers, but in reality, it’s just mathematical modelling, statistics and the probability theory put to use.
