Different Types of Math Every Student Should Know

Whether it is about building a treehouse or cooking in the kitchen, there is one skill that comes in handy, which is math. Yes, you read that right. Math is more than just a subject that we learn at school; it is a powerful tool for solving many daily life problems. This is why it’s crucial to start teaching your child math at a young age so that they have a solid foundation in it.

There are different types of math that we use in our daily lives. So, here is a list of math types that every student should know:

Algebra

Basic algebra includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. All these concepts are extremely useful in many daily life scenarios, such as buying groceries, arranging chairs in rows and columns for a school event, or selling cookies for charity. Basic algebra is taught in elementary school, and you can also take the help of many modern-day calculators to make the task easier.

Geometry

Whether it is building a birdhouse or making a school science project based on the solar system, or even if it is arts and crafts, if it involves shapes, it involves geometry. Shapes are everywhere around us, and if you know how to deal with them, you can be super creative. We all made paper boats when we were young. The best paper boats can be made by using paper that is square-shaped. We also see triangles in nachos, circles in pancakes, and a big rectangle when we go to a movie theater. Geometry can be learned very easily because it is everywhere around us. 

Perimeter, Area, and Volume

Assume you came for a run to a rectangular park without your smartphone or a smartwatch. Will you be able to find the distance covered by you in a round? It’s a simple task if you know the measurement of the park. All you have to do is figure out the perimeter. And if you want to carpet your floors or hire someone to tile your yard, you will need to know the area. If you want to wrap something or design your own clothes, you would need the area of the cloth. Also, if you want to know how much water you can fill in your swimming pools or bathtubs, you would need to know the volume. If you want to own a house, you must understand area and volumes. At times, perimeter, area, and volume can be tricky as they involve the usage of different formulae, but human beings have invented calculators and computers just for such roadblocks.

Ratio and Proportion

You have found an incredible recipe in a cookbook for making pasta, but the recipe says for four people. What if you have eight guests coming over? In such a case, you need to make all the measurements twice of what is mentioned in the cook book. We used ratio and proportion for this. Ratio and proportion are also considerably applied in our daily life, from cooking to calculating the car’s mileage. Calculating ratios may sometimes produce errors if values are not taken in the correct order.

Profit and Loss

Money management is a big topic that involves TED® Talks, best-selling authors, monthly magazines, financial advisors, and much more. Let me take you to the spark that ignites all of this fire. It all starts with a simple profit–loss calculation. The world’s economy can be made simpler to understand if you know what is profit and loss. It is a math skill that can really help you lead a stable life and make wiser decisions while handling your money. Do you know what else is wise? Use a good calculator, because you don’t want to risk losing even a single penny.

Statistics and Data Handling

If we talk about weather reports or stats of a football game, we see that they have used a way to represent the data. Most of the data that is recorded for various purposes cannot be shown entirely, as it is huge in size. To make it more presentable, pictographs, bar graphs, pie charts, and so on, are used. Effective data presentation may help you earn promotions and expand rapidly. We can all agree that the days of making a bar graph using a pen and paper are long gone.

Math is an effective subject, isn’t it? If this article on basic math concepts piques your curiosity, and you’d want to read additional articles about related concepts, tips, and methods to teach your child, go to Byju’s FutureSchool Blog.

References:

1. 9 Must-Know ACT® Math Topics | Albert.io. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.albert.io/blog/9-must-know-act-math-topics/ 
2. Basic Math Skills: Definitions, Examples and How To Improve Them | Indeed.com. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/basic-math-skills 
3. Math Skills Needed for Different Math Subjects | Understood. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/skills-your-child-needs-for-different-math-subjects 
4. What Children Know and Need to Learn about Shape and Space | DREME TE. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://prek-math-te.stanford.edu/spatial-relations/what-children-know-and-need-learn-about-shape-and-space