There are many students who struggle with the subject of mathematics. Many of them don’t want to learn about it because they feel it has no practical use in life. This is especially true for students who study algebra, calculus and trigonometry. But here are some practical applications for mathematics that many use in adulthood and you may not even realize that you are using those mathematical concepts.
Managing Finances
Every responsible adult needs to know how to manage their finances and this is one of the main areas where mathematics is used in a practical setting. How can you balance a checkbook or reconcile your bank statements if you don’t know basic addition and subtraction? But you also need to know some basic algebraic concepts if you ever have an investment account or a financial loan. The idea of “interest” is based on exponential growth, which requires an understanding of algebra to calculate compound interest and such.
Cooking
If you ever plan to cook anything and follow a recipe, you may not need to know math since everything is spelled out for you. But what if you only want to make half the recipe? Or if you want to make twice as much or even three times as much as what the recipe makes? Then you would need a basic understanding of how fractions work. You would need to know how to double or triple things like a half a cup of flour or a third of a cup of oil. You would also need to know how to cut those fractions in half.
Home Improvements
If you plan on making a career out of doing home improvements for other people or if you want to do your own improvements, you will need an understanding of several concepts from mathematics. For instance, if you are going to install a tile floor, you will need to know some geometry so you can figure out the area of the room you are working on. You may also need to know some geometry and basic arithmetic to figure out how much paint you will need to buy to cover the walls in a room.