Written by Di Phillips
If you have four pencils and I have seven apples, how fast is the train going that started from Birmingham New Street Station at 10:00am, while the earth is moving at 300 mph?
Yes that maths problem is a joke! But the feelings I had for years when confronted with anything that looked vaguely like it weren’t.
I really hated maths. I regularly found excuses not to attend the lessons, e.g. imaginary illnesses, fake dental appointments and truanting.
On the rare occasions that I did attend, the teacher would always ask me to work out a maths problem, by myself, on the board, while the rest of the class watched – the result was always the same – I couldn’t do it and I felt a failure.
As time went on, things got worse. I quit trying to learn the subject. I didn’t see the relevance of it. That was until I got older and discovered that it was an essential, everyday skill. I couldn’t get away from it – maths was EVERYWHERE!
For example, I take daily medication and I have to understand the different dosages, whether they are in grams or millilitres.
Recipes I follow call for either imperial or metric measurements and I have to work out how much of an ingredient I must add when making a dish.
When I decorate in my house I need to know how to work out the area of my room so that I buy the correct amount of wallpaper, paint and floor coverings and I must know the correct dimensions of furniture to ensure they fit into the space I have available.
When travelling for work I have to consider my costs in miles, time and money. When going on holiday I need to understand the departure and arrival schedules and think about the weight of my luggage or risk hefty surcharges.
When I’m shopping, whether buying a quick and easy ready meal or a new car or house, I need to think about my budget and the cost and affordability of these items. For small purchases I only need to think about whether I have enough cash in my purse, but for bigger purchases I need to have knowledge of interest rates. Finding a mortgage is very different than choosing what to have for dinner that day, but they both cost money and require me to use maths.
Even my free time can involve using maths. For instance, I enjoy Sudoku puzzles, which involve logic and I am learning to play chess, which involves probability – chess players have to look at the options and possible setbacks of each move. If you’re into sports you may considering basic win/lose ratios, players batting averages etc. and if you’re a runner or cyclist, you may chart your progress, from time to mileage to elevation.
Another place math’s is widely used is in the workplace – many jobs use it at many different levels, from shelf stacking to brain surgery. Some jobs such as accountancy, architects, engineers, statisticians, and economists may require complex knowledge, but even hourly paid workers need to know if their working hours multiplied by their rate of pay accurately reflect their wages and having good maths skills can also lead to promotions, better jobs and higher salaries.
In my job as a training advisor I teach and support adults and young people who want to improve their essential skills. If I had to give one piece of advice it would be “It’s never too late to learn maths”. It will increase your ability, your confidence and will lead to you getting greater workplace opportunities – so what have you got to lose?
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