Importance of mathematics in our life

Mathematics is one of the most important subjects of our life. No matter to which field or profession you belong to, its use is everywhere. That is why it is necessary to have a good understand of the subject. Though the basics of mathematics start from school but its usage continues till we become adults and thus it can be said that maths has become an integral part. Imagining our lives without it is like a ship without a sail.

You might be surprised to know that we use mathematics every day even without knowing it. From dialing numbers to make a phone to giving money for making the payments, our world is surrounded by mathematics. So let us see what impact this subject has made on our lives.

Use in kitchen – While preparing food, we always measure the different ingredients so as to cook the desired quantity only.  This is possible only because of the mathematics. If we were not aware of the numbers, it would not have been possible to measure, make adjustments and cook tasty food. So you can say that our day begins with the concept of maths.
Shopping – When going for shopping, we prepare a list of items we require, calculate the amount of money needed for it etc. All this calculation is based on numbers which come from mathematics. Without the numbers, you cannot decide how much you need to pay to the vendor and how much you have saved. So in the case of shopping too, you are surrounded by the world of mathematics.

In the field of banking – This is the sector where a number of concepts of mathematics are applied and therefore the experts need to have a good understanding and command of the subject. Handling the transactions of the bank is not simple and you need to have some knowledge of mathematics in order to maintain your account, deposit and withdraw money etc. If you wish to take a loan, you need to have an idea about the interest you will have to pay and what will be the monthly premium that you would need to pay. In short, the banking sector is completely related to maths and so even the customers need to be familiar with it.

Traveling – Everyone loves to travel but there is a lot more to it than the enjoyment. While planning your vacation, you not only have to decide the place where you wish to go but book your hotel, tickets etc. All this requires budget planning and a sense of understanding of mathematics so that you can accomplish the different tasks successfully. From the traveling distance to its cost, bus tickets, hiring cabs etc all requires maths.

Thus from the above examples, you might have got a clear idea that there is no such area where the concept of mathematics is not used. You just cannot do without this subject and that is why it is essential to keep your basics right to perform the everyday activities of life. So have fun with the number and enjoy.

qutoes of maths

Short essay on the importance of Mathematics

It is said that Mathematics is the gate and key of the Science. According to the famous Philosopher Kant, "A Science is exact only in so far as it employs Mathematics". So, all scientific education which does not commence with Mathematics is said to be defective at its foundation. Neglect of mathematics works injury to all knowledge.

One who is ignorant of mathematics cannot know other things of the World. Again, what is worse, who are thus ignorant are unable to perceive their own ignorance and do not seek any remedy. So Kant says, "A natural Science is a Science in so far as it is mathematical". And Mathematics has played a very important role in building up modern Civilization by perfecting all Science.

In this modern age of Science and Technology, emphasis is given on Science such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and Engineering. Mathematics, which is a Science by any criterion, also is an efficient and necessary tool being employed by all these Sciences. As a matter of fact, all these Sciences progress only with the aid of Mathematics. So it is aptly remarked, "Mathematics is a Science of all Sciences and art of all arts."

Mathematics is a creation of human mind concerned chiefly with ideas, processes and reasoning. It is much more than Arithmetic, more than Algebra more than Geometry. Also it is much more than Trigonometry, Statistics, and Calculus.

Mathematics includes all of them. Primarily mathematics is a way of thinking, a way of organizing a logical proof. As a way reasoning, it gives an insight into the power of human mind, so this forms a very valuable discipline of teaching-learning programmes of school subjects everywhere in the world of curious children. So the pedagogy of Mathematics should very carefully be built in different levels of school education.

In the pedagogical study of mathematics we mainly concern ourselves with two things; the manner in which the subject matter is arranged or the method the way in which it is presented to the pupils or the mode of presentation. Mathematics is intimately connected with everyday life and necessary to successful conduct of affairs. It is an instrument of education found to be in conformity with the needs of human mind.

Teaching of mathematics has its aims and objectives to be incorporated in the school curricula. If and when Mathematics is removed, the back-bone of our material civilization would collapse. So is the importance of Mathematics and its pedagogic.

Tips For New Math Teachers

Tips For New Math Teachers

by Gisele Glosser

	Try not to frown on wrong answers. It discourages students from participating. Critical thinking and honest effort are more important than correct answers.
	There is no teaching without control of your class. It is better to fall behind by a day or two early in the year to address discipline, than to have an uphill battle all year long over behavior.
	Avoid talking over your students. If there is too much noise in the classroom, sometimes the best thing to do is to stop talking. (I am famous for the "Glosser Glare".)
	Routine and structure are good, but too much of it can cause you and your class to fall into a rut. Try to vary activities from time to time.
	Encourage active participation from your students. From time to time, call students to the board, or allow them to work in groups. Avoid giving teacher-directed lessons all of the time. (See our article on Cooperative Learning Techniques.)
	Try to be flexible. Math can be a rigid topic, but you don't have to be. For example, I have a strict rule against chewing gum. But I close my eyes to it during a test.
	Try to spell out what topics will be on the test. Telling your students to "Study Chapter 6" is not enough, especially if they have poor study skills.
	In some schools, math is the only subject where students are grouped by ability (i.e. homogeneously). This makes it stand out more than other subjects. Parents may frequently ask: "Why didn't Johnny get an A in math? He got one in all his other subjects." Some parents may insist that their child be placed in the top math group, even when the child does not belong there.
	If a student was present for all the material taught, but is absent on the day of the test, then on the day the student returns, inform him/her of the make-up day and time. Don't let it go more than a day or two. However, if the student missed part or all of the material taught, you should give him a deadline by which to make up all missed work, and a new test date. It may be helpful to contact the parent in this case. A student should not be penalized for being absent. However, they can be penalized for failing to make up missed work.
	I recommend a technique called "Front Loading". Students are most motivated to learn at the beginning of the school year. Rather than reviewing material from the previous school year, why not introduce a topic they haven't seen before?
	Try to teach students good problem-solving skills. When your students enter the work place, their superiors will not give them a worksheet with 25 least common multiple (LCM) exercises. They will more likely have a scheduling problem that needs to be solved using LCM concepts.
	To motivate students, give out awards for both good academics and for good effort.
	Do your best to be fair to students. You will earn their respect this way.
	It is important to get support from a school administrator when it comes to difficult issues such as math groupings. Ask that they be present at conferences with difficult parents.
	The best motivator of all is connecting math to the real world. For example, when teaching the metric system, have students bring in empty cartons and bottles from their kitchen.

Math Motivators

Math Motivators

by Gisele Glosser

Throw Your Paper Airplane! This is no joke. I once taught a high school geometry class with some tough kids in it. One day, I brought in large colored labels, and had the students move all the desks and chairs to the corners of the room. I placed two long rows of colored labels on the floor. Then I asked the most disruptive student to make and throw a paper airplane, using the labels as a runway for landing it. This was a hands-on lesson on the locus (set) of points equidistant from two parallel lines.

Students Asking for Homework? Yes, they really did! When teaching a unit on Geometry and Measurement to a seventh grade class, I presented creative, real-world problems at the chalkboard. We solved one problem on area of a circle by standing in a circle with a stick and some string. As I went to assign homework from the textbook, the class eagerly asked if they could create their own problems instead. They were so enthusiastic that I changed the assignment. The next day, the students proudly read their problems aloud --even those who rarely did their homework! The instructional value of this student-created assignment proved to be far more than I had expected!

Facilitating the Need to Learn After introducing prime and composite numbers through 100, I asked my class to determine if the numbers 517, 623 and 641 were prime or composite. Students groaned about having to find all the factors of these large numbers. I offered to let them use calculators to speed up the process, but they still groaned. Finally, the class asked if there was a a better way to do this. So I introduced divisibility tests, and they were happy to learn this new topic!

Seizing That Teachable Moment I was in the middle of teaching a math lesson, when a student asked me "When are we ever going to use this math?" He seemed quite serious, so I stopped the lesson, and gave an example of how farmers use systems of linear equations to calculate the costs of cultivating crops. This inspired me to include numerous career connections on my CD.

Letting Your Students Decide Kids take real ownership when allowed to make decisions. But what decisions can we entrust them with? At the beginning of each marking period, I assign students to cooperative learning groups. I choose the partners for each group, but each group gets to choose a unique group name. Thus, each group has made its first joint decision. For more information and ideas, read my article on Cooperative Learning Techniques.

More Strategies There are many other ways to motivate students. I like to connect math to the real world, as outlined in my article Math Connections. Being creative and using humor are effective ways to keep students interested. Read Creative Teaching Ideas for more information.

Math Connections

Math Connections

by Gisele Glosser

Math and History of Computers Students can examine the binary number system. They can look at the relationship between base 2 numbers and how computer circuitry was developed. The history of computers can be studied from the invention of the ENIAC through today's wireless devices. For example, my Unit on Symbolic Logic provides an excellent framework for computer circuitry. When I taught an electronics class at a NY City high school in 1990, I presented lessons on Boolean logic and circuitry. Specifically, I gave a lesson on gates such as AND, OR, NAND, and XOR.

Math and Science The math teacher can teach students about exponential notation. Once students become proficient in reading and writing numbers in exponential form, and in converting numbers between exponential, factor, and standard form, they can apply this knowledge to topics in science. For example, they can write the distance between the sun and each planet using scientific notation. For advanced students, you can teach them about negative exponents. Then they can explore the half-life of certain radioactive elements, or the size of bacteria and viruses. Try our WebQuest on Exponents and Scientific Notation. Explore many scientific facts, such as the boiling and freezing point of liquids, the melting and freezing points of solids, and the temperature of planets, in my WebQuest on Integers and Science. Have you been to the playground lately? You'll find many connections between algebra, science, and the real world in our article entitled Why Learn Algebra?

Math and Social Studies After teaching a Unit on Graphing, you can have your students apply these skills to topics in Social Studies. For example, they can draw bar graphs to compare the Population, Per Capita Income, and Population Density of various countries. For other connections between math and social studies, try on Unit on Integers.

Math and Sports Students can compute the percent win-loss of games played by their favorite sports teams. They can find data on teams in their school, or they can find data for professional teams online and in the newspapers. You can bring this activity into the computer lab by placing all the data in a spreadsheet. A formula can be used to compute the percent win-loss. Try our interactive lessons on Understanding Percent. Then Explore Win-Loss Percentage, Graphing Data for Olympics and Super Bowls, Batting Average and ERA, and the NBA Draft Lottery with my Webquests on Math and Sports. You can also play my unique Integer Football Game.

Math and Technology There are two main approaches to to addressing technology in the math classroom. You can integrate math and technology, making these topics the object of instruction. For example, round-off error is described below. You can also use technology to facilitate math learning. For example, the use of an iPod, an interactive whiteboard, or other devices, as described on our Math and Technology page. If you divide the numerator of a fraction by its denominator, and the result is a repeating decimal, your calculator will not display the results with 100% accuracy. This is because repeating decimals have an infinitenumber of digits and calculators can only compute to a finite number of digits. This phenomenon, known asround-off error, also applies to computers. You can use this topic to integrate math and technology in your classroom. Students will marvel at the way different calculators and computers display varying results when they experiment with fractions such as 2/3, 5/6 or 8/9. Read our creative teaching idea entitled: Repeating Decimals and The Monster That Wouldn’t Die.

Math and Writing One of the things stressed by standardized tests is the ability to answer open-ended questions. Typically, students are asked to provide written explanations for solutions to math problems. This assesses their ability to express their mathematical ideas in written form. To help them prepare for these types of questions, I do a math project that involves writing. I ask students to answer several open-ended questions using full sentences. The math teacher can grade students based on the mathematical correctness of their responses. The Language Arts or English Teacher can grade them on spelling and grammar. Some sample questions are provided in our Classroom Activities and Project Ideas for Number Theory and Understanding Percent. Students can also answer the questions in our Number Theory WebQuest using full sentences.

Percentages and the Consumer I have nine lessons on Consumer Math, covering sale price, discount, interest, commission, sales tax and percent change. Students can also try my interactive Loan Calculator. My WebQuest on Percent in Daily Life is another good resource for making connections. For printable resources, try my Worksheets on Percent Applications.

The Causes and Prevention of Math Anxiety

The Causes and Prevention of Math Anxiety

by Marilyn Curtain-Phillips, M. Ed

Mathematics anxiety has been defined as feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations Math anxiety can cause one to forget and lose one’s self-confidence (Tobias, S., 1993).

Research confirms that pressure of timed tests and risk of public embarrassment have long been recognized as sources of unproductive tension among many students. Three practices that are a regular part of the traditional mathematics classroom and cause great anxiety in many students are imposed authority, public exposure and time deadlines. Although these are a regular part of the traditional mathematics classroom cause great deal of anxiety. Therefore, teaching methods must be re-examined. Consequently, there should be more emphasis on teaching methods which include less lecture, more student directed classes and more discussion.

Given the fact that many students experience math anxiety in the traditional classroom, teachers should design classrooms that will make children feel more successful . Students must have a high level of success or a level of failure that they can tolerate. Therefore, incorrect responses must be handled in a positive way to encourage student participation and enhance student confidence.

Studies have shown students learn best when they are active rather than passive learners (Spikell, 1993). The theory of multiple intelligences addresses the different learning styles. Lessons are presented for visual/spatial, logical/mathematics, musical, body/kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal and verbal/linguistic. Everyone is capable of learning, but may learn in different ways. Therefore, lessons must be presented in a variety of ways. For example, different ways to teach a new concept can be through play acting, cooperative groups, visual aids, hands on activities and technology. Learners are different than they were forty years ago. These learners today ask questions why something is done this way or that way and why not this way? Whereas years ago learners did not question the why of math concepts; they simply memorized and mechanically performed the operations needed.

Students today have a need for practical math. Therefore, math needs to be relevant to their everyday lives. Students enjoy experimenting. To learn mathematics, students must be engaged in exploring, conjecturing, and thinking rather than, engaged only in rote learning of rules and procedures.

Students’ prior negative experiences in math class and at home when learning math are often transferred and cause a lack of understanding of mathematics. According to Sheila Tobias, millions of adults are blocked from professional and personal opportunities because they fear or perform poorly in mathematics for many, these negative experiences remain throughout their adult lives.

Math is often associated with pain and frustration. For instance, unpaid bills, unforeseen debts, unbalanced checkbooks, IRS forms are a few of the negative experiences associated with numbers. Parents should show their children how numbers are successfully used by them in positive pleasant ways, such as in cooking, sewing, sports, problem solving in hobbies and home repairs.

Math must be looked upon in a positive light to reduce anxiety. A person’s state of mind has a great influence on his/her success. Many games are based on math concepts. Some games that are beneficial to learners and are enjoyed are cards playing, Life, Yahtzee, Battleship and Tangrams.

With all the tension and anxiety, math humor is greatly needed. Young children enjoy cartoons and jokes. Cartoons may be used to introduce a concept or for class discussion. Most children will master mathematical concepts and skills more readily if they are presented first in concrete, pictorial and symbols. For example manipulatives are concrete objects used to teach a concept. By using manipulatives, pictures and symbols to model or represent abstract ideas, the stage is set for young learners to understand the abstractions they represent. Students enjoy the change from lecture and books and they are more inclined to explore with manipulatives and show greater interest in classwork.

Cooperative groups provide students a chance to exchange ideas, to ask questions freely, to explain to one another, to clarify ideas in meaningful ways and to express feelings about their learning. These skills acquired at an early age will be greatly beneficial throughout their adult working life.

In conclusion, math anxiety is very real and occurs among thousands of people. Much of this anxiety happens in the classroom due to the lack of consideration of different learning styles of students. Today, the needs of society require a greater need for mathematics. Math must be looked upon in a positive light to reduce math anxiety. Therefore, teachers must re-examine traditional teaching methods which often do not match students’ learning styles and skills needed in society. Lessons must be presented in a variety of ways. For instance, a new concept can be taught through play acting, cooperative groups, visual aids, hands on activities and technology. As a result once young children see math as fun, they will enjoy it, and, the joy of mathematics could remain with them throughout the rest of their lives.