Complex formulas, long equations, calculations, and so on—if you think this is what math is all about, you might change your opinion after reading this article.
The universal language of math is broad and beautiful. The implication of the subject is diverse, as it is more than just a set of formulas. It can take you a long way in life.
You cannot remove the basics of math from your life. From simple functions like measurements, numbers, and coding to complicated functions or theorems, math is relevant in day-to-day tasks. This makes math a handy subject. Whether you like it or not, you practice this subject in one way or another. Isn’t that fascinating?
Math and Your Daily Activities
The following are some of the ways you may unknowingly encounter math regularly:
- Banking
- Shopping
- Traveling
- Paying for food
- Landscaping
- Baking
- Gardening
- Home Decor
- Rationing
- Drafting Policies
- Budgeting
- Investing
The list can go as long as you want; the crux is that math is all around us. It’s just that we do not realize its existence.¹
Maths Fundamentals and the Functioning of Life
Apart from being used in daily activities, math also plays a vital role in conducting important activities for technological advancements.
- Aerodynamics
The Wright Brothers invented the airplane in 1903. With that started the field of aerodynamics. They took four years to draw and construct a sound structure that opposed gravity.2 Elevated at a height, it made traveling easy. But how?
The principles of math and physics played a crucial role. Angles and trigonometry were the heroes of their assignment. So they constructed the Wright Flyer.² Since then, much change and progress have been achieved in flying. Today, it is more than just designing an aircraft. It is about crafting something unusual and better with time. While an airplane is designed, the concepts such as proportion, angles, geometric successions, velocity, numerical linear algebra, etc., come into play. Even the flyers and pilots are well-versed in this.²
- Keeping Track of Time Zones
Suppose you are moving from one country to another. The first thing you would need to do is keep track of the time. Due to the vast expanse of the earth’s strata, you have several different time zones. The longitudinal extent of the earth, while moving from one region to another, keeps on changing. Calculating time is playing with numbers and the use of multiplication, logical reasoning, and a bit of angular geometry. Even when looking at a clock, you are essentially counting numbers. Also, the time and speed depend on the distance you travel.
It is calculated as follows:
Distance = Speed × Time
To understand time, it is important to make sense of this logical reasoning and the other variables involved.³ Thus, math is a real-life application-based subject rather than a theoretical dimension of education.⁴
- Coding
You must be familiar with computers and website building. Coding is a tool to build websites. When coding is taught, some mathematical concepts automatically fall into the dynamics. High-end math topics like calculus, binary math, statistics, and college algebra come together when learning to code. Be it for HTML, Java, Python, Javascript, or even C++, codes are tailored using mathematical reasoning. Coding has become a top-notch subject taught to children from a very young age.⁵ This adds to the skillset of younger minds. They can analyze and generate something more productive. Coding is fun, but you should not forget its foundation is math!⁵
In a Nutshell
Since ancient times, scholars have stuck to the principles of math to develop the concepts you come across every day. Math is deeply rooted in daily life with activities like buying things from a shop, tailoring the monthly budget, and investing. The approach is more application-based than theoretical. It might be boring to study general principles of math in textbooks, but believe us—it’s all worth it!
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References:
22 Examples of Mathematics in Everyday Life – StudiousGuy. (n.d.). 22 Examples of Mathematics in Everyday Life – StudiousGuy. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://studiousguy.com/examples-of-mathematics/
Math Matters in Everyday Life – NIU – Math Matters. (n.d.). Northern Illinois University. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.niu.edu/mathmatters/everyday-life/index.shtml
Calculating speed, distance and time. (n.d.). BBC Bitesize. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z83rkqt/articles/zhbtng8
Real-Life Applications of Mathematics. (n.d.). Real-Life Applications of Mathematics | University of Northern British Columbia. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www2.unbc.ca/math-statistics/real-life-applications-mathematics
Why kids today need to learn coding. (2021, January 17). India Today. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/why-kids-today-need-to-learn-coding-1759990-2021-01-17
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