7 reasons to love math

All difficult topics raise similar questions. “Most likely, it will not be useful to us in life,” my students say. And if we analyze the statistics of graduates, they are right. Only a small fraction of them will use any of the above. And even less - to apply in future work all the mathematical knowledge from the school curriculum.

Let's figure out what is the meaning of the subject and why you should fall in love with mathematics at all.

Reason 1. Unambiguity

How did the reforms of Peter I affect the development of the state? A controversial topic. Why did Taras Bulba kill his son? Many articles have been written with varying interpretations. Can the rule of law listen to its own citizens? The question is controversial.

And finally: 3x + 4x = 7x. Is always. Yesterday, 50 years ago, in Africa, in a crisis, in inclement weather.

Reason 2. Development of thinking

The child has learned to count, and if he only deals with calculations, then sooner or later he will stop developing. Yes, you can count orally using complex algorithms in your mind, but only the speed of thinking will develop, not depth.

This is followed by acquaintance with variables, geometry, trigonometry, stereometry, logarithms and the derivative with antiderivative. And each next, more complex topic leads to the fact that the student develops intellectual abilities: the skills of analysis and generalization, abstract thinking and the ability to think in concepts.

Reason 3. Ability to reflect on the abstract

We know that one platypus plus two platypuses will be three platypuses. Although few people, solving this problem, saw the platypus live. It is mathematics that teaches us to think about what we do not have in reality, to design. We use current input information to plan for the long or short term. And the quality of such planning is highly dependent on our mathematical abilities.

Reason 4. Making difficult decisions

If we only have n rubles, and we need n + 20,000 rubles for a vacation, then we choose a cheaper option, since mathematics taught us to compare. And as much as we want to go on a dream vacation, the harsh mathematical reality tells us that it won't work.

Here is a classic problem for the fifth or sixth grade. 100 children live in city A, 300 children live in city B. The distance between the cities is 10 km. At what point should the school be built so that the children collectively cover the shortest distance possible? The answer is at the end of the article.

Reason 5. Yes, it is practically applicable

The influence of mathematics on the success of programmers, scientists and engineers is self-evident.

Many times I have met engineers who use trigonometry in their design. Successful office workers have a competitive advantage in optimizing their performance.

Reason 6. We are learning algorithms

We do not hesitate when we repeat everyday algorithms. We don't think about how to breathe, how to lace up our shoes, we don't plan our thousandth journey to work. Yes, we mastered most of these skills long before we started school.

But if we are talking about high-level algorithms, then mathematics helps us here. Make the right solution of the substance, carry out the operation (the surgeon makes decisions based on the input information, and two identical patients will be treated in the same way), make logistical decisions, and so on.

Also, mathematics tells us that it is foolish to perform the same actions and hope for different results. Your colleague brews coffee according to the usual algorithm, but the coffee maker does not work. He repeats the same action again, again - and still no coffee. Analyze his math level.

Reason 7. Generate and recognize lies

It can be of different types.

Comic lie: "Perhaps this is the best article about mathematics from the teacher of mathematics on Lifehacker for 2018". Similar narrowing of the information field we can not only joke, but also mislead.

Statistics are like lies: "According to statistics, most of those who drank water died." This is the most commonplace example. There is a more elegant one, with the same misunderstanding of correlation: “Everyone who has achieved success in life, saw the sunset or took a bath, or maybe both. The conclusion is obvious. If you want to be successful, take a bath at sunset."

The next type of lie in statistics can harm not only the one who reads it, but also the one who collects the data. it falsity of the sample … You start your own business and conduct a survey near a business center, for example, about confectionery. You received a sample of 1,500 people, understood what a future customer wants to see, and open a confectionery in your residential area, taking into account the wishes of the people. But clients don't come and you are bankrupt.

This trap can be set up on purpose. For example, a study of the effectiveness of toothpaste on people who just left the dentist. Sports research on students and projection of results on the older generation. Survey of public opinion on the Internet: "As the Internet survey shows, 100% of the population has access to the Internet."

There is also probability lies … Not everyone is quite correct in assessing the relationship between events and the number of repetitions. First example: if the probability that a house on the seashore will flood, for example, is 1/10 000, then when calculating the probability of two houses flooding at once, we get 1/100 000 000. This is incorrect, because if a house is flooded, it means that that there was a natural disaster: heavy rainfall, large waves caused a flood. Obviously, in such conditions, many houses will be flooded, and the likelihood of flooding a second house is much higher.

The second example is for the number of repetitions. If we have a small probability of an event, but its conditions are often repeated, then it is most likely to happen. Let's say the probability of slipping in a bathtub without a mat is 1/5 000. How often do we shower? Once or twice a day. So, we can assume that if we do not put a rug on the bottom of the bathtub, then about once every 10 years we will still slip, and here the outcome depends on dexterity and luck.

Learn math, understand life.