Reality Check by Dave Whamond for August 13, 2018

Haven’t used it yet.

X = 100. I used it regularly.

Either we probably use it all the time, or I have a vague idea of what algebra is. When at the store, a gallon of milk costs $3.00, and I want to buy 2 gallons, so what would that come to? Or the other way around, if I have a budget of $6.00, how many gallons of milk can I get? So the question, does this fall within the mathematical field of Algebra?

Ever figured out MPG on your last tank of gas? Algebra. Ever split a check evenly between friends at a restaurant? Algebra. You use it constantly and just don’t realize it.

See Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal 11/5/17https://www.gocomics.com/saturday-morning-breakfast-cereal/2017/11/05

I used it in college. To calculate my GPA….nothing else, ever.

I used it in my employment, but otherwise, never. Simple arithmetic handled everything else.

I had to use it at least a dozen times in 40 years of work. I used calculus once, but never trig.

The odds that you will use algebra are proportional to your salary divided by the square root of the sum of salaries squared.

Now I’m gonna use it just for spite.

if you have ever built a deck and wanted it squared to the front of the building it’s on, you have used algebra.

In nursing, it’s useful figuring out how to administer the prescribed dose from the dose on hand. Also figuring continuous IV dosing in mcg/kg/minute. Now there is unit dosing and the IV pumps figure the drips for you. Every now and again a nurse is still faced with calculating the correct dosage which requires an algebraic equation. Also, algebra teaches problem solving skills and trains you to think a little bit.

In my profession of Opticianry, I used algebra all day every day! e.g. like signs add unlike signs subtract. A prescription for myopia with astigmatism might read …-3.50 +0.50×90 when transposed is -3.00-0.50×180 are equally effective in correcting the patients vision!

You could always get a job as a cartoonist.

saw it earlier, X=100%

Let me put it this way: You can get by without knowing algebra. You can get by without knowing how to read. In either case, you not only close yourself off from many possible careers, you also make yourself much more dependent on those who have the skills you lack.

If you don’t learn basic physics, it will eventually kick you in the ass.

I was sick the week they took up factoring. Returning, the teacher refused to teach me “you’ll pick it up”. I didn’t. Still, the only algebra I ever used regularly was as a museum modeller, scaling dimensions from photographs.

If hotdogs come in packs of 10 and buns come in packs of 8, how many packages of each do you need to buy to have a 1 hotdog to 1 bun ratio?

I do, every time that i must convert a recipe from Serves Six to just one or two servings.

I teach math, and I tell my own students that most of them will probably never use the formulas I teach them. Many of the above examples are indeed just arithmetic, but most of the practice needed for mastery is gained in Algebra class. Additionally, mental agility can be priceless. If you want a lifelong advantage when dealing with the interaction of complex variables, determining the validity of an argument, or making useful comparisons, then take your math classes seriously. Mister Miyagi put young Daniel to work waxing cars, painting, and sanding for no apparent purpose. This did not make sense and he soon became frustrated, but then he discovered that in just a few days he had acquired crucial muscle memory that greatly accelerated his karate training. Similarly, Algebra and other areas of math are like “wax on, wax off” for critical thinking. You can learn good reasoning skills elsewhere, but be ready to invest years acquiring what you get in just one semester of Math class.