An infinite number of calculations are done every second in this world which are based on basic concepts of mathematics namely addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Although almost every person is familiar with these basic concepts, Mathematics is a very deep subject if we look closely. It is so deep that every object that exists in this world has its own mathematical equation. Not only human beings but all the living beings perform some sort of mathematical calculations while doing activities for example, when a lion goes for hunting or when a spider builds up a web.
Mathematics in our daily routine
We can see mathematics in many aspects of our daily life. From visiting the bank for money to cooking the delicious food, we use mathematics sometimes even unknowingly. Learning maths and other basic science concepts prepare you to think and analyze problems more effectively. Here are some examples which prove that mathematics is important in our lives and help us in different ways.
Travel
We use Global Positioning System (GPS) in our daily commutes to know the shortest route, traffic status on the route, estimated time to reach the destination, etc. In all these tasks, mathematics is at work in the background. Distance from a fixed point is determined with triangulation that has significantly improved with the satellites.
Music
The music on a compact disc is coded by mathematical strings of 0s and 1s. These strings are read by the CD player to produce the sound. Duplicate packets of data are added to the compact disc to make it resilient to the damage. The CD player can detect and correct the sequence if any damage or dust is present on the disc. This theory is known as “theory of error-correcting codes” which is found in other applications also.
Playing cards
We all know that a lucky player has more chances of winning a card game but a lucky player with knowledge of mathematics has even more chances of winning a game. The player who can use probability and calculate odds has an advantage over the players who can’t. Also in Poker, if you can learn a few statistical notions and keep in mind some other factors, you will be able to play more consistently.
Time
We find it easy to read the time from a clock but if we break it down we will notice that reading time is not that simple. The person must know the number of hours in a day, minutes in an hour and seconds in a minute. Your mind automatically works out and you tell the exact time instantly by looking at the hands of an analog clock because you are doing it from your childhood. We also use fractions to tell the time for example “a quarter to 5” which means a quarter of an hour left until till 5 o’clock.
Shopping
Whenever you start thinking about shopping, the very first thought is about how much you have and then you calculate what all can you buy with that amount. After that when you go to a market and enter a shop the doors and security scanners you go through are electronic systems which could not be designed without maths. The products you buy have barcodes on them which refer to the product identity and manufacturing company. Then at the payment counter, you just pay through a cheque, card or by cash, which again includes mathematics. Also, if there is any kind of discount being offered, you should be able to calculate the amount of money you need to pay after applying the discount.
Cooking
A good cooking recipe always involves maths in it to describe the quantity of each ingredient to be used, the temperature for cooking and the instructions in a proper sequence to make the dish. The person preparing the dish should also know basic conversions of weight between pounds, kilograms or grams, temperatures between Celsius and Fahrenheit, and simple addition or division of ingredients.
Buying property
The most practical example of mathematics in daily life is purchasing a piece of land or any other kind of property. As a huge amount of your valuable money is at stake, you should be able to calculate each cost factor carefully. Even if you are borrowing the money from a bank you should be able to calculate the rate of interest that you need to pay. Banks offer a different rate of interests for different time durations. The amount of interest to be paid in the long term should be calculated to know the total cost of the property.
This is an era of skill growth and modernization. The more mathematical your strategy is, the more success you will gain. Mathematics provides consistency to our minds. It can serve as a tool to make our lives easier and simpler. With such great power, mathematics is a talent that should be mastered by all to make their living better. Whether or not you like to learn the subject, it has great importance for everyone.
