WELCOME TO YOUR MATH CLASS!
It is up to you to become successful.
LEARNING SKILLS & WORK HABITS
WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN MATH?
1) The Coolest Subject
Math is probably the coolest subject that you will ever study. Once you acquire the language of math, you will start to see the fraction in a recipe you are cooking, the quadratic equation in the soccer ball you hit, the Pythagorean Theorem in your plasma tv, the compound interest in your student loan, the sine function in heavens, the Fibonacci Squence in the wave you are surfing...Don't you want to be the cool one who knows the cool stuff?
2) Necessary Skills
When you are doing math, you are developing and learning a variety of skills. You might be thinking, "cliche sir. When will I ever use advanced math in my daily life?"
Promise, I will not try to convince you that you will; however, let's put it this way: when you were a toddler, you were playing with building blocks, legos, and other toys alone or with others. Guess what? Those fun times helped you develop your motor skills and hand-eye coordination, spatial skills, creativity, thinking, social and language skills. Are you going to disagree with me? Of course not. Do you still use those building blocks in your daily life? Probably not, unless you are selling them at a store. Those toys served as an agent to help you improve yourself. Once their task was done, you left them behind in the memories of your childhood.
Where am I trying to get at? Learning math is IMPROVING you beyond your recognition.
By solving math problems, first of all you are becoming a problem solver. Don't you want to be one? You are also improving your analytical skills by analysing that problem you just hopefully attempted to solve. What is analytical skill again? According to Google, analytical skills refer to the ability to collect, gather, visualize and analyze information in details. They help you solve COMPLEX PROBLEMS. Ok, you solved the problem then looked at your answer to see if it made sense. Guess what you just did. You just sow the seeds of REASONING. Math just taught you to be a logical person.
I am hoping you got my point. Please do not build up an emotional wall between yourself and math. Math is a very beautiful thing.
3) Healthier Life Choice
High salt intake increases blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease. Like any other processed food, Kraft Dinner might taste good but it is not good for you in the long run. If you only eat 1/4 of the box, this is 17% of your daily SODIUM intake. Someone who knows math can easily tell you that when you eat the whole box, it will account for almost 80% of your daily SODIUM intake. I bet you eat other processed food, don't you? Do the math, you will end up making better and healthier life choices.
4) Math Related Careers
Here is a list of careers you might be thinking after high school. Let the list do the talk on my behalf:
Accountants assist businesses by working on their taxes and planning for upcoming years. They work with tax codes and forms, use formulas for calculating interest, and spend a considerable amount of energy organizing paperwork.
Agriculturists determine the proper amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, and water to produce bountiful amounts of foods. They must be familiar with chemistry and mixture problems.
Architects design buildings for structural integrity and beauty. They must know how to calculate loads for finding acceptable materials in design, which involved calculus.
Biologists study nature to act in concert with it since we are so closely tied to nature. They use proportions to count animals as well as use statistics/probability.
Chemists find ways to use chemicals to assist us which entails purifying water, dealing with waste management, researching superconductors, analyzing crime scenes, making food products, working with biologists to study the human body, ...
Computer Programmers create complicated sets of instructions called programs/software to help us use computers to solve problems. They must have a strong sense of logic and have critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Engineers (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial, Material) build products/structures/systems like automobiles, buildings, computers, machines, and planes, to name just a few examples. They cannot escape the frequent use of a variety of calculus.
Geologists use mathematical models to find oil and study earthquakes.
Lawyers argue cases using complicated lines of reason. That skill is nurtured by high level math courses. The also spend a lot of time researching cases, which means learning relevant codes, laws and ordinances. Building cases demands a strong sense of language with specific emphasis on hypotheses and conclusions.
Managers maintain schedules, regulate worker performance, and analyze productivity.
Medical Doctors must understand the dynamic systems of the human body. They research illnesses, carefully administer the proper amounts of medicine, read charts/tables, and organize their workload and manage the duties nurses and technicians.
Meteorologists forecast the weather for agriculturists, pilots, vacationers, and those who are marine dependent. They read maps, work with computer models, and understand the mathematical laws of physics.
Military Personnel carry out a variety of tasks ranging from aircraft maintenance to following detailed procedures. Tacticians utilize a branch of mathematics called linear programming.
Nurses carry out the detailed instructions doctors give them. They adjust intravenous drip rates, take vitals, dispense medicine, and even assist in operations.
Politicians help solve the social problems of our time by making complicated decisions within the confines of the law, public opinion, and (hopefully) budgetary restraints.
Salespeople typically work on commission and operate under a 'buy low, sell high' profit model. Their job requires good interpersonal skills and the ability to estimate basic math problems without the need of paper/pencil.
Technicians repair and maintain the technical gadgets we depend on like computers, televisions, DVDs, cars, refrigerators, ... They are always reading measuring devices, referring to manuals, and diagnosing system problems.
Tradesmen (carpenters, electricians, mechanics, and plumbers) estimate job costs and use technical math skills specific to their field. They deal with slopes, areas, volumes, distances and must have an excellent foundation in math.
Mathematics Pathways
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