I am pretty sure most maths aim to develop your problem solving skills in general...not arm you with the formulas for finding irrelevant information. It's to challenge you.
With that said, I am 18 and currently in Mathematical Studies as a part of the International Baccalaureate Program. I switched out of Mathematics (a separate course...basically calculus) more than halfway through purely because the things I am learning in Math Studies are more easily applicable to real life. Maths is not.
So basically...no, you won't use it much...but it will help you if learned properly.
I had to do percentages for my work and that was sucky
Beyond that I dont think i've particularly come across it apart from at uni (I studied Psychology)
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
I'm 25 on Saturday (eek) and even when I was at school the only reason I did maths was so I could help my kids with their homework.
It depends what you want to go on with in later life, but most people use very little except maybe adding and subtracting. It does make your brain think logically and be good at problem solving which are invaluable life skills though.
xxxxxxx
Last edited by beautiful&dying : 25-03-2008 at 11:35 AM.
Reason: spelling was rubbish
How could you become as awesome as you are and still feel like a loser?
I'm doing aero engineering... could you imagine attempting to design an aircraft that functions without using maths?? They'd never get off the ground!
Personally I found media studies the most pointless GCSE subject ever. Only 3 classes were ever held. You got the exam question before you went in. There was an hours break in the middle. One of the questions involved colouring in. Sorry to offend media types, but it was a joke.
Wake me up before I change again
Remind me the story that I won't get insane
Tell me why it's always the same
Explain me the reason why I'm so much in pain.
I'm 20, and I've never had to use anything more difficult than percentages out here in the real world. All advanced math ever did to me was put me $2000 in debt with my university because I failed their required math classes 3 times and had to pay for it over and over again.
I've used stats for youth work and for volunteer work and the occasional trig. But my dad (computer software designer) uses my advanced trig and calculus. BUT having said that, you never know. And eventually you'll get to choose. So as my older brother said to me (mocking me the bastard) Buck up old chap, it wont go on forever. I threw my calculus book at him...
not sure if that was any use lol but just thought i'd share. I was good at maths. I hated it. But i was good at it.
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
A lot of people will use maths in their work, and for those that don't, learning maths will help improve your logic and problem solving skills. It's the same with all subjects at school. When do i ever need to use different types of poetry in my life that i learned in english lessons? Or when do i ever need to know the periodic table, how to use sources or the history of jazz music?
The point of school is to teach you about lots of different things, that way you get a choice of what you want to go on and do with your life. I liked maths, i went on to do it at college and university and i'm going to be a maths teacher, but most of the other things i learnt at school i will never ever need. That doesn't mean it wasn't worth learning them.
I use maths but not cos my job requires it. Working out household bills, figuring out what pay services have done to my wages this month, (which requires algebra when they don't provide all the right figures), balancing my own books, and to try and get the ansers right in tv quiz shows. Without maths you will struggle to get a well paid job. Doesn't matter if the job requires maths if you don't have it at GCSE C or above you're already less likely to be interviewed. I had a math test for a job working in a call centre for the fire service which involved fractions and algebra - nothing to do with answering 999 calls but if I failed I wouldn't have been interviewed. So yeah, do it. That way you won't have to prove yourself so often when you're older.
only time ive used it was at uni... had to do 'analytical methods' as part of my degree, i scored a year record of 98% on it too! go me *does a lill dance*
but in day to day life... very very uhm never
hush little baby, don't say a word, and never mind that noise you heard
it's just the beast under your bed, in your closet, in your head
I can competely, 100% see the point of basic maths, the kind you learn before senior school, but the stupid stuff like using stupid equations to find out the side of a triangle... surely if i can be bothered measuring two sides of a triangle, i'll just measure the third?
Not everyone's numerically minded, either. I can work best with words, but numbers are something I've always found hard to get my head round, even though I'm not unintelligent - I can do the basics, which is all I need for what I do. I'm just glad that I have the gift with words that I do.
Not everyone's the same, and it makes the world more balanced having people excel at different things. :)
