We may have heard students, or possibly even ourselves, ask, “When am I ever going to use this?” when studying certain topics in school. When it comes to math, there are several reasons why it is important and useful to study different mathematical concepts.
Math is found in the real-world.
Math is used everyday in the real-world. In our daily lives, we use math when we make purchases in stores, when we fill up our tank with gas, and when we bake, among hundreds of others. Even when driving and planning a trip, we can calculate how much drive time we need based on far we are travelling and the speed limit of highways. Without math, even our GPS would not be able to calculate this information.
Math provides a strong foundation for other fields.
Studying math helps you build a strong foundation in analytical and problem-solving skills, which easily translate to other fields of study. Math is all about being able to approach problems in different ways in order to find the best solution. For example, in fields of medicine, we not only use math to prescribe medications and courses of treatment, but we can also apply those sharp problem solving skills to find the best course of action for different ailments. In fields of law, math is used in real estate law when buying and selling properties as well as in civil law when discussing financial settlements.
Math inspires creativity.
There are multiple ways of approaching a problem in order to solve it. Some students are visual learners and would rather use drawings to depict the situation. Other students prefer mental math strategies and would rather break down the numbers in their head. Because each student learns in a different way, there is an amount of creativity involved when solving problems. One needs to come up with a method and apply it to the problem at hand. Because each problem is different, we need to be creative in our approaches because not all approaches will be the most effective for every problem.
How can we help your child strengthen their math skills? Give us a call at (305) 274-3700 to talk about your math goals!
