From: http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.why.math.html
"Why do high school students need to learn math? I mean, we don't use
math all that much in English, so why learn it when we already know
how to balance our checkbooks?"
You might be surprised at how many people need math in their lives.
Math is useful for a lot more than balancing your checkbook!
Jen Peck, Karen Rosser, and Carol Pifer, Math and Education students
at the University of Richmond, have put together a series of Web pages
called "What Good is Math?" talking about the connections between
mathematics and art, calculating grades, cooking, shopping, sports,
and travel:
Art and Math: How Are They Related?
How Did I Get a C in Spanish?
How Do I Get the Most For My Shopping Dollar?
Mathletics! or Is There Math in Sports?
So You're Planning a Party?
So You're Planning a Trip?
Will I Ever Be Able to Fill My Piggy Bank?
See also Math in Daily Life , from Annenberg/CPB: How do numbers
affect everyday decisions?
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There are actually thousands of different jobs that require some
knowledge of mathematics. Here are more than 30 firsthand accounts
from Mathematicians at Work telling what some college math majors are
doing, from an Air Traffic Control Systems Analyst and a Lawyer to a
Data Capture Facility Troubleshooter on the Hubble space telescope.
Exactly How Is Math Used In Technology?, from the Mathematics
Department of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, provides
examples of math uses for biomedical engineering, food technology,
building technology, chemical sciences, civil and structural
engineering, graphics and computer-aided drawing (CAD), electronics,
environmental health, mechanical engineering, mining technology,
nuclear medicine, occupational health, petroleum technology,
prosthetics, forestry and wildlife, robotics, and surveying.
Examining How Mathematics is Used in the Workplace, by Annie and John
Selden for the Mathematical Association of America's Teaching and
Learning Research Sampler, provides abstracts of studies on how much
mathematics is used in various occupations: Mathematics in Automobile
Production; Proportional Reasoning by Nurses; Modeling the Mathematics
of Banking; Mathematical Models as Seen by Biologists; and How do
Scientists Interpret Graphs?
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From the Dr. Math Archives
Why Is Math Important?
Math Used Every Day
Math in Everyday Life
Math in Everyday Life: Projects
What's the Purpose of Algebra?
Jobs That Use Geometry
Real-World Carpentry and Trigonometry
Mathematics in the Applied Sciences
Why do we need algebra?
Why Study Practical Geometry?
Math and the Law
The Importance of Math
From the Math Forum's Key Issues in Mathematics
Why should students take mathematics courses?
Tom Davis, Principal Scientist, Silicon Graphics Inc.
Lee Rainwater, Professor of Sociology (retired), Harvard University
Colin Adams, written for the undergraduates of Williams College |
