Math in Everyday Life, Research Paper Example

Mathematics pervades almost every facet of life both in the developing technologies and in nature. It remains the lexicon and language of many disciplines and fields such as science and engineering and describes human understanding of what is observed. Mathematics and its relevant epistemologies have been in existence throughout world history, beginning with the simple act of counting. Mathematics is also ubiquitous in nature, as mathematics were developed because of the desire to understand the cycles of nature (Heath 5). Great pieces of art by renowned artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci attest to the beauty of symmetry. Shapes, curves, and patterns are all governed by mathematical properties and proportions. The most commonly perceived use of mathematics in everyday life, however, is in puzzles and games that necessitate mathematical logic. Ultimately, it is evident that mathematics are practical in both mundane and significant daily situations. The use and wonders of mathematics in the lives of people everyday shows how critical mathematical concepts and skills are to the functioning of society within the context of modernity.

Mathematics burgeoned as a vehicle to comprehend nature cycles that people observed every season. Moreover, the Fibonacci Sequence, which is a sequence in which each integer comes about by adding the two preceding numbers together, can be found in many forms of nature including pine cones, pineapples, and sunflowers (Hazewinkel). Humans are naturally drawn to symmetrical patterns, which Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man conveys as a prototypical representation of the symmetry of the human body.  Moreover, the ancients fully understood the necessity to define time relative to celestial movements for astrological, agricultural, navigational, and astronomical purposes. The mathematics of astronomy spawned a litany of cultural-historical calendars and ultimately resulted in time being divided into hours, minutes and seconds.

Although the initial uses of mathematics pertained primarily to understanding nature, it currently is used in people’s daily transactions and activities such as shopping. While searching for clothing, people look at the price and consider whether or not the price reflects the perceived worth and/or utility of the item. In addition, if there a sale or discount then one must calculate the sale price if a shirt is marked as being twenty percent off the retail price.  After purchasing an item or items, math is still used if cash is being used because the consumer wants to make sure that he or she receives the correct amount of change if there is any. Shopping for groceries requires basic math skills in a variety of ways in order to total food costs, subtract costs if coupons are being used, and ascertaining how much food and ingredients are needed when shopping for a certain occasion such as a family member’s birthday. While grocery shopping, people make a concerted effort to budget their money in order to ensure that they have ample funds to pay for other monthly bills. As such, they look for sale items or practical coupons when deciding which items are necessary and fairly priced. Mathematical skills are necessary to add up how much groceries cost on a monthly basis in order to make sure that an individual stays within his or her budget. Some of the most interesting math applications at the grocery store are weighing produce and figuring out price per pound versus price per unit in order to enhance one’s capacity to predict and estimate amounts with greater accuracy. Ultimately, it is unequivocal that the grocery store is one of the best examples for people to practice estimation, quantity, and measurement.

Once home after a shopping trip, putting away groceries also involves mathematical skills, including reasoning and classifying abilities and the capacity to examine information and different forms of data. Parents often test the estimation skills of their child by asking the child to guess the number of items in a bag, or how full a bag is. This activity tests the ability of the child to apply fractions to a mundane yet necessary daily activity. Moreover, children can estimate the weight of a grocery bag with various items in it. As such, there are several different ways for people to estimate weight and volume when looking in a grocery bag and feeling how much the bag weights. People often classify grocery items that share similar characteristics, such as canned foods and box foods. After grouping together the items that share a certain trait, the items are then sorted in a certain way according to the person’s tastes.

Beyond mundane activities such as shopping, mathematics is also used in the workplace for various occupations such as automobile production and banking. Assembly workers in automobile production repeatedly engaged in the same actions on a quotidian basis such as using wrenches to bolt on car components amongst other actions that required apt hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. The majority of these workers thus required basic mathematical skills such as measurement, counting, simple arithmetic, and interpreting information involving numbers. A small group of workers required a much more complex mathematical understanding because they had to be able to visualize, plot, orient, locate, and reason in complex, two and three dimensional coordinate systems as well as basic trigonometry in which ratios are mastered (Smith 835). Understanding algebraic expressions such as [A x 13]/[T x 1000] x 10 are needed within the automobile industry.

Banking and engaging in banking transactions require the application of mathematical skills and concepts. While many people perceive the mathematics of banking as complex, thinking mathematically about making transactions is necessary. Investment banking math is far less complex than people perceive it to be, as it involves merely simple arithmetic even if one approaches banking transactions from accounting or finance models. Moreover, people must balance their checkbook every time money is spent using one’s checking account in order to ensure that an individual and his or her bank concur on the activity taking place in the consumer’s bank account each month. The bank sends its customers a monthly statement of all of the financial transactions that took place during that time frame. Balancing one’s checkbook is necessary in order to correct any and all errors made by the bank as well as discovering one’s own errors in order to figure out how much money a person really has. Arithmetic is necessary when comparing one’s withdrawals with their deposits and adjusting the statement for any outstanding issues or fees that the bank statement fails to reflect. All transactions must be taken into account in order to ascertain the correct ending balance.

It is unequivocal that mathematics are used in diverse ways in people’s daily transactions. Shopping, quantity discounts, banking, business transactions, purchasing a cell phone package deal, and organizing and hosting a family party all require the application of mathematical skills and concepts. Mathematics remains a universal language through which people can understand almost every facet of life including nature, commerce, business, and finances.  The grocery store is a prime example of a place where math becomes real and more tangible to people. Banking transactions and balancing one’s checkbook call for the use of math skills in order to accurately keep track of one’s financial situation. Math is also necessary for many different occupations, which underscores how mathematics is used in everyday life in ways people often do not think about.

Works Cited

Hazewinkel, Michiel. “Fibonacci Numbers.” Encyclopedia of Mathematics. 2001. Web. 20 Jul. 2015.

Heath, Thomas. A Manual of Greek Mathematics. Dover, 1963. Print.

Smith, John P. “Tracking the Mathematics of Automobile Production: Are Schools Failing to Prepare Students for Work?” American Educational Research 36.4(1999): 835-878. Print.