When Will I Use This?

a list of real-world math problems

scroll down to see the problem list or get a random problem

When will I use this math?

When will I use math in real life?

High school students often ask these questions. It is a legitimate question to ask! High school math instructors are busy, though, and we cannot study a discipline thoroughly enough to know how math could be used in different occupations. This website will be a list of questions that math teachers can use in their classes to show how math is used "in the real life setting".

Each link contains explained examples and practice problems for students to complete. There are videos in each problem to walk the student through an example! There are typed up examples that are very similar to the problems that students can try on their own.

Mathematics is used in several different professions as we need to calculate volume. When triangles are involved, the pythagorean theorem can help us make a cut, determine if an item will fit in a location, or construct a fence on a corner lot. Math, specifically, trigonometry, can help us in a setting by reasurring us (or making us worried) about if that sick looking tree might hit our home.

Mathematics is also a part of many systems of government. Many countries use weighted voting when elected representatives make decisions in local or federal government. Students can also use weighted average methods when determining the impact on their grade for turning in a new assignment or for calculating their overall GPA.

We use mathematics when we make many personal financial decisions. We can use math to make decisions on what to do with household debt, including decisions on when we should refinance a loan or pay down a debt early. Basic math is also done when considering a household budget.

There are many calculators to help us understand the cost of buying a home, but we might not understand what those numbers mean for our home finances until we understand compound interest and mortgages in general. The taxes we pay on our home are determined by our local town mill rate. We might not make the mill rate calculations ourselves, but if we understand how they are determined, we can be more helpful when participating in town meetings and discussions about mill rate. A mortgage lender will also calculate our debt-to-income ratio to determine whether it is too risky to give us a loan for our home.

There are also calculations to be made when renovating a home. There's math behind the decision on whether to purchase and install a heat pump heating system or when painting walls or coating floors.

We can probably get by without using math in our personal finance, but if we understand the mathematics of our personal financial decisions, we might be able to have more money in the long run. Math is used with problems involving inflation. We can use mathematics to help us understand what our insurance plan will cover when we hae healthcare expenses. Mathematics is also used when calculating our income taxes. If we have to decide between an independent contractor position or a job as an employee, there's also a small calculation we should make to determine which one will leave us with more money in our pocket.

Math is used in healthcare. A patient's vitals when they are younger are often different than they are normal. How can we determine if vital signs are abnomal? We can calculate a z-score to dtermine if they are within a healthy range. We can do something similar when comparing athletic performance in two different events.

We use math in the real world when we make a decision on the purchase of a car or the decision to purchase a hybrid or a regular gas car. We can also use math in a real world setting when comparing different routes to a destination. Math is also a big part of calculating miles per gallon.

Advertisers use math against us! It's important to know what a good graphical display looks like. There's also math behind the scenes when gambling, such as "expected value". Understanding expected value can convince us that the gambling game isn't worth it!