Six examples of when you are using maths without knowing
If we were to tell you the statement: “Mathematics is a subject that you are using every day”, would you agree?
Since the beginning of history, the needs of maths and mathematic discovery has been at the forefront of communities. The need for math arose based on the wants of society: the more complex a society, the more complex the mathematical needs. Today, we often get stuck in this notion about maths: It is challenging and separated from us as individuals, only used when solving and calculating complex and big problems.
The truth is quite the opposite. The magical thing about mathematics is that is it so widely helpful that it has become the building block of everything in our daily lives. Yet, sometimes, maths is so natural and embedded in our lives that we don’t even recognize or credit it as maths. But truly, we are all born as maths persons.
So let’s look together at six moments in our everyday lives where maths is both important and used – often without us even thinking about it!
When you structure and plan your time
Every day, you are faced with planning and managing your days and your time. When doing this, you are using a lot of maths, maybe without even acknowledging it. For example, reading the timings on a clock, no matter if it is on a digital or an analogue clock, can only be done if you understand the basic concepts of maths. You are also calculating in your head when you are managing your time for the day. One example of this is figuring out when you need to leave your home to get to your workplace at the right time. It makes you calculate time, distance, and speed in your head – sometimes without you even noticing it!
As an addition to this, maths is helpful for you to understand the management of time and value it! So, for example, you know that one hour is more than fifteen minutes, even if 15 is a bigger number than 1.
When you are shopping
If we were to ask you for one example of where you use maths in your everyday life, we guess one of your first examples is when you’re out shopping. Anywhere you are spending money are some of the most prominent places where you would easily recognize the application of basic mathematical concepts.
You are not wrong; stores are where maths forms an essential part of your everyday life. We might just acknowledge maths here when calculating discounts like “50 % off”. But the maths you are doing in stores extends further than just discounts. You estimate the quantity to be bought and count how many you are putting in your carts. You are also measuring and calculating the weight of products, their price per unit, and finally, the total price of all the products you are getting.
When you are cooking or baking
Maths and cooking are more connected than you think, and you are performing a lot of maths when cooking delicious and fulfilling food. When cooking or baking anything, you follow a set series of steps, measure ingredients, and understand different ingredients’ proportions. Sometimes you need to half or double a recipe to make it suit the number of serving you are planning for; this is also calculating! The kitchen is also a fantastic place to explore, explain and practice maths together with your child. Here, we have collected some tips on how to do it.When you are listening to music
Listening to music and dancing is one of the most common hobbies. Hearing someone saying that they dislike music has maybe never happened. By now, you might not be surprised when we say that listening to music engages you in maths concepts. The rhythm in music is a pattern of beats made by fractions that indicate lengths of notes.
Connected to music, we also find maths in dancing. Maths is all about creating symbols and putting them together to represent the real world. It’s the same for dancing. Dance stems, like music, from rhythm, shapes, and patterns. And what do you do when learning a new dance? You count; 5, 6, 7, 8!
When you are working out
Getting your body and mind stronger and faster includes doing maths. By itself, practising maths is helping you develop your brain and your logical thinking. But it’s also beneficial and widely used when you are doing physical training.
Working out is based on simple mathematical concepts. For example, you set your routine according to our workout schedule, count the number of repetitions while exercising, measure the weight you can lift. It can also be you tracking how fast you can run. It is all maths!
When you are playing video games
Playing video games could be one of the most loved entertainment activities for both children and adults worldwide. But have you ever heard of a student stopping playing video games to study? It’s more usually the other way around – which often gets parents annoyed or even angry. But games also make you practice your maths without you knowing it.
Video games at their core are like computers, built on numbers and codes. But also, by playing games, you learn about the different steps and techniques to be followed to win. It is about logical thinking, solving problems, seeing patterns, and sometimes also counting!
In this notion, every game is a maths game. But there are also games focused on maths as a subject-specific design for children and their maths learnings.
Maths is all around us in everything we do
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we all use maths in everything we do in life. Sometimes, the maths is a bit more hidden. But it’s there – even in the most unlikely places.
Maths is a tool in our hands that we are all using to make our lives smoother. We just need to understand the importance of the subject to be able to see and enjoy the beauty of it.
When you start seeing the world through maths, you see maths everywhere. It’s almost magical!
