Why should we care about pi? The number 3.14… may be irrational, but it can be found all over the natural world. It appears everywhere there's a circle, such as the disk of the sun, planets, and even the earth. Pi is in the physics that describes waves, such as light and sound. Pi even appears in the spiral of the DNA double helix!

Q: Why did the computer keep sneezing?
A: It had a virus!

All joking aside, if you use a computer, you are directly benefiting from math in action! Whether it’s in the creation of hardware, programming of software, or distribution of the final product, math is there every step of the way. At Mathnasium we know that in our current high-tech world, students who have a good understanding of middle school math and high school math are more likely to succeed in whatever they choose to do!

This week’s word problem challenge gives students the opportunity to practice math skills such as fractions, multiplication and division by applying their knowledge and logic to a real world math problem. We know you can do it! Check out the question and take your time working out the answer. Be sure to check below to compare your solution to ours!

Question: Stan is running a computer program to scan all the memory on a computer. When the program is ¾ done with its scan, it has 12 minutes left to run. How long does it take the computer program to scan the computer in total?

Solution: If the program is done scanning ¾ of the computer’s memory, then it has ¼ left. Since we know that it takes 12 minutes to scan ¼ of the memory, it takes 12 × 4 = 48 minutes to scan the whole thing.

One of the most common “real world math” applications is in cooking and baking. Recipes require a lot of mathematical knowledge, especially if you’re planning to alter the recipe in any way for more or fewer people. The best math tutor knows that whether you’re practicing high school math, middle school math, or elementary school math, baking is great practice!