Why do we need math?

nice tags…

Please elaborate. Do you mean the school subject?

yess lol

Well…..sorry to say what you’ve heard before, but so that we can get a job and support ourselves later in life. Sorry about that.

Easiest reason: Money.

Second easiest reason:
Without math, the internet wouldnt work. Do a google search for IP subnetting and IP subnetting. All math. Even more basic then that, 1’s and 0’s. Binary math make everything computerized work.

Third:

Math is at the foundation of almost all of our technological advances. Without it, we would be no where. It is all about fundamentals. You have to understand that in order to understand more things later on in life.

I use math every day.

Estimate a tip for a waitperson at a restaurant
Figure out how much a new shirt will be at 30% off.
How much grass seed and fertilizer to buy knowing my lawn is about 100ft X 150ft.
Change for a $20.
Understanding what averages are when we hear stats.

I could go on and on.

Math is needed to create boredom in the world so it makes other activities more exciting :P

Listen to this Radiolab about numbers!

@LAURENNICOLE Are you studying a specific type of math that you are having trouble with? Or, do you just hate math in general?

Without math, there would be no trade, and no remotely advanced technology.

So, no civilization basically.

Plus math is interesting.

Without math there would be no 2+2=4

I need my 2+2=4

It should be clear why it is necessary to learn the basics taught in elementary school. Everyone should have some basic feel for numbers and the basic operations. The real question is what use there is to learning beyond this. Why should anyone be required to learn algebra or geometry, considering that only a small portion of the population will ever have a need for them.

So let me start off by answering your question with a question. Why learn history or literature or science? Funny that nobody ever questions the wisdom of teaching these subjects. The only reason to learn them is that these areas are of interest and are part of our common heritage. I argue the same holds for math. Unfortunately, the way it is usually taught fails to bring out the joy and beauty in math. I sympathize with you. There are better ways of teaching math. Maybe some day the old “drill and kill” approach will be replaced by the more exploratory approach, which seems to work so much better.

1. Math class teaches you more than math. Just as importantly, you learn critical thinking and how to break problems (not just math problems!) down into solvable steps. It teaches you reason, sequential thinking, and all kinds of other good stuff. I didn’t realize this until later.

2. Math teaches you math. ;) You actually do use it in life. You have a quarter tank and the next gas station is in 100 miles – you do math to figure out if you should fill up or wait. You want to paint your living room, so you use math to figure out how many gallons of paint you need. Even if you contract your driving and home improvement out to someone else, you need math to figure out if you’re getting a deal (or screwed) on their wage, and math to balance budget. People use math all the time!

3. Lastly, it helps people not kill you. I used to manage cashiers in a grocery store, and one of them just could not balance her drawer properly at the end of the night. I totally had to walk her through it every time. And she’d look up at me with a little giggle and say, “Hee hee! I’m just not that good at math! :D” —and every day, I dreamed about stuffing her body in the mop closet. I never did, though. Not being good at math limits your career options. It’s as important as learning how to read and write.

Without math, geeks and nerds would turn to violence.

Maths will (at a high enough level) help you percieve glimpses of eternal truths, and what is more, it will provide you with an understanding of WHY those truths are as they are (by providing proofs for everything). It doesn’t require any suspension of disbelief or leaps of faith.

If you are interested in understanding the world you live in (for whatever reason; improving yourself, gaining an advantage over others or just sheer curiosity), you are by extension interested in math.

When faced with the same question I still remember my high school math teachers response. He dropped his crayon, turned around slowly, faced the class with a stern look on his face and ominously and preciscely spelled out “to – learn – to – respect – the – truth”.

Math is universal. It is needed in the field of physics, for instance, to explain the phenomenon in the universe.

I use pi (at least an approximation of it; 3.14159) all the time when I am in a machine shop or trying to figure out which non-stock size tires to get.
I use other fairly complex math to get a slight edge in my gaming.
There are so many other uses for all sorts of math beyond basic addition/subtraction type stuff that I can’t list them all.

i hate to say it. but you do need math. math is very important for thinking. you need to be able to think it increases logical thinking, logical thinking increases your common sense.

Because math is awesome!!!

Math is essential in personal finance issues and budgeting. In your personal life, you may use math to plan how budget your money. On the job you may need to plan how your company will spend money.

Learning math and solving problems is a mental exercise that improves your general thinking ability. It is like exercise for your brain. Want to become smarter in every way? Learn math.

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