Mathematics in Daily Life

Posted: Apr 18, 2008 | Comments: 3 | Views: 12,433 | Bookmark and Share

Waxing eloquently on the basic importance of Mathematics in human life, Roger Bacon (1214-1294), an English Franciscan friar, philosopher, scientist and scholar of the 13th century, once stated: "Neglect of mathematics works injury to all knowledge, since he who is ignorant of it cannot know the other sciences or the things of the world." And the ingenuity of his statement is there before us to see, in this Internet era.

However, mathematics, in itself, has all the ingredients that make it a universal language shared by all human beings irrespective of culture, religion, or gender. Pi is always 3.14159 regardless of where we are. Similarly, the elemental mathematical processes (like addition, subtraction, etc.) never get changed due to a change in the location or for any other reason whatsoever. These all say about the close intertwining of mathematics in our daily life.

At a time when even a common man is being increasingly dependent upon the application of science and technology in the day-to-day activities of life, the role of mathematics has undoubtedly been redefined. Right from getting up in early hours of the day to the ringing of an alarm, to wait for the counts of whistles of the cooker, to exchange currency at a ticket outlet while availing a public conveyance, almost every next moment we do the simple calculations at the back of our mind. Of course, these are all done pretty unconsciously without a thought being spared for the use of mathematics on all such occasions.

Reading time on a watch, rounding a date on a calendar, checking up the mileage of your car, halting at the filling station, attending to a roll call at school, getting scores in the class exams, scoring in a game, betting on a horse race, preparing a recipe in the kitchen, - the list is just endless if one goes on to note down the situations when our computational skill, or more specifically, simple mathematics comes to play a role. It scares us to certain extent to think of a life without any knowledge of calculation or computation, or in other words mathematics. In many a case, lack of a formal education hardly affects gaining a relative mastery in these computational skills which are so essential in our daily life.

At a psychological level, exposure to mathematics helps in developing an analytic mind and assists in better organization of ideas and accurate expression of thoughts. At a more general level, far away from dealing with the higher mathematical concepts, the importance of mathematics for a common man is underpinned whenever he visits banks, shopping malls, railways, post offices, insurance companies, or deals with transport, business transactions, imports and exports, trade and commerce, and the ilk. Even when we think of role of mathematics in our recreational activities, we surprisingly have a list that runs quite long: video games, computer games, puzzles, riddles, and so on.

It ensues from the above discussion that a modern life style seems completely handicapped and at times, highly improbable, in the absence of mathematics. For, unless we are well versed in the language of numbers, we would find it difficult to reach at important decisions and perform everyday tasks. Be it to shop wisely, or buy the right insurance, or refashion a home within a budget, knowledge of mathematics holds the key, and hence, barely necessary.

(ArticlesBase SC #390556)

Rate this Article
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 46 vote(s)
    Feedback
    RSS
    Print
    Email
    Re-Publish

    Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/mathematics-in-daily-life-390556.html

    Article Tags:

    worksheet

    ,

    Mathematics Solved Paper

    ,

    Solved Example

    ,

    Online Solved Paper

    ,

    Free Worksheet

    How to Prove the Similarities Between Triangles 2

    Look at a real life example of the angle-angle postulate, and another proof of the similarities between triangles. (03:51)

    An Algebraic Function Practical Example

    Check out this real-life example of how algebraic functions work, including how to do a vertical line test! (05:18)

    How to Solve Simple Linear Equations in Algebra

    Mathematical tutorial: this tutorial will show you how to solve simple linear equations in algebra. (03:23)

    How to Use The Quadratic formula-to Solve Algebraic Equations

    Mathematical tutorial: this tutorial will show you how to use the quadratic formula-to solve algebraic equations. (03:17)

    How to Solve Quadratic Equations with the Square Root Rule

    Mathematical tutorial: this tutorial will show you how to solve quadratic equations with the square root rule. (03:00)

    chandrajeet

    Math is a set of interrelated concepts. One concept serves as the prerequisite for many other concepts. Math at early years of elementary school forms the basis for K-12 mathematics.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Oct 08, 2008 l Views: 455 l Comments: 1
    chandrajeet

    NO banking WITHOUT Mathematics. Many of you would have learned about Simple interest and compound interest in your middle school. Simple interest is seldom used in practice. The concept of compound interest is used in banks and many financial institutions.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Dec 26, 2008 l Views: 886
    chandrajeet

    The term “equivalent” means “the same”. Two equations are said to be equivalent if they have the same solution.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Dec 16, 2008 l Views: 2,484
    chandrajeet

    Measurement is a part of everyday life. It is an essential life skill. Measurement is one of the most important and widely used applications of mathematics.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 19, 2009 l Views: 2,016
    chandrajeet

    One in four adults has difficulty with mental arithmetic, a survey suggests. Applying the simple calculation tricks of Vedic mathematics is a novel attempt to deal with large numbers. Vedic Math facilitates quick and easy mental calculations.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Aug 01, 2008 l Views: 62
    chandrajeet

    How many times have we come across a situation in our daily lives where we are not able to make a calculation quickly, on our own? A lot of times, I guess. What we do require in these situations is the ability to calculate in our heads, with the help of shortcuts!

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Jul 07, 2008 l Views: 564 l Comments: 2
    chandrajeet

    Math is not as difficult as you see it. You can always make it easy by using some quick tips. Sometimes we do math mentally. Remember most of us use 10 Rule for calculating the multiples of 10’s.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Aug 01, 2008 l Views: 25 l Comments: 1

    Bison Educational system has created a database of questions that are similar to those on state proficiency tests, allowing teachers and parents to easily help their children and students prepare.

    By: InformationForYou l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 09, 2010

    Engineering is the application of mathematical and scientific methods to solve problems. Engineering is one of the broadest industries in existence and spans from manufacturing, maintenance, construction through to research and development.

    By: K James l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 09, 2010
    Adarsh Sharma

    Times have changed but not we. The anxiety and curiousness of the students and parents still remain the same which was decades back.

    By: Adarsh Sharma l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 08, 2010 l Views: 7

    Are you looking for an online education but can’t seem to find the right online degree program? Choosing a degree to pursue is one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make.

    By: K James l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 08, 2010 l Views: 2
    Victor

    At the present the simple multiplication skills of very many pupils are good for nothing, and our children are getting worse and worse at the skills. If the situation is not changed, then, maybe, very soon we will be forced to say that most pupils cannot perform simple multiplication.

    By: Victor l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 05, 2010 l Views: 13

    It is truly said that- “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another”. Education is an essential part of a student’s life. It is the knowledge, skills and value transmitted from one generation to another. The aim of education is to produce men and women of enlightenment and character.

    By: Symonds lee l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 05, 2010 l Views: 9

    Online Arts and Liberal studies degree programs will give you a wide range education covering everything from science to history to human nature.

    By: K James l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 03, 2010 l Views: 5

    Adopt-A-Classroom grants are helpful to teachers and students alike. The classroom grants empower teachers by giving them financial liberty and boosting morale. Teachers benefit from the additional classroom resources that teachers purchase with the donated funds. When a donor makes a donation through the Adopt-A-Classroom grants program, they are making a real difference in the community.

    By: Nancy l Education > K-12 Education l Feb 02, 2010 l Views: 8
    chandrajeet

    This article is a continuation of last week's article on Number Systems. This week, we’ll discuss Octal and Hexadecimal Number Systems.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Jul 16, 2009 l Views: 64
    chandrajeet

    The following are the four important types of number systems.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Jul 16, 2009 l Views: 57
    chandrajeet

    A ‘happy number’ is a special type of number. A "happy number" is defined by the following process.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Apr 30, 2009 l Views: 760
    chandrajeet

    ‘Mathematics is the queen of all sciences’ – those are the words of Carl Friedrich Gauss the greatest mathematician of all time.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Apr 30, 2009 l Views: 342
    chandrajeet

    The term ‘fraction’ is from the Latin word ‘fractus’ meaning ‘broken’. A fraction is a broken number that represents a part or parts of something considered as a whole.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Apr 08, 2009 l Views: 618
    chandrajeet

    No measurement is exact. Every time we make a measurement a certain degree of error creeps in, however careful we are.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Mar 25, 2009 l Views: 279
    chandrajeet

    The Counting Principle Works for Two or More Events Occurring in Series. it is Used to Find the Total Number of Possible Outcomes When Two or More Events Occur Together.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Mar 13, 2009 l Views: 540
    chandrajeet

    Two Angles are Said to be Supplementary if the Sum of Their Measures is 180°. Each Angle is the Supplement of the Other.

    By: chandrajeet l Education > K-12 Education l Mar 13, 2009 l Views: 610

    Add new Comment

     
    * Required fields

    Comments on this article

    2
    1. Kartikeya Bhargava April 08, 2009
    i got all that i was looking for, graet site
    1
    2. kunal June 02, 2009
    this site is very good of studant to know about math more and more thanks
    1
    3. pranav December 10, 2009
    perfect thing for my project
    Author Box
    Articles Categories
    All Categories
    0