What use does the average layman have for algebra?

Question

Its blowing my 9th grade son's mind. And...I just dont get it.
It just seems so abstract. Can you give me a scenario in which I could use and apply algebra?

Answer 1

EXAMPLE 1: I recently was trying to measure the height of a tree in my yard, but I had no way to measure it directly. BUT I did have a yard stick and a digital camera. I placed the yard stick at the base of the tree and walked several hundred feet away from the tree and took a picture of the tree and yard stick. I loaded the image onto my computer and used Photoshop to measure the yard stick and the tree height on the image and, using a simple proportion, I was able to determine that the tree is approximately 40ft tall...plus or minus a foot (I suppose this begs the question: why did I want to know the height of this tree?) From the data contained on the photograph I was also able to estimate the growth rate of the tree and estimate how tall the tree will be in ten years.

EXAMPLE 2: fuel economy. I regularly check my gas mileage in miles per gallon to check to see if my car is running properly. Knowing the efficiency also allows me to estimate how far I can drive on the intetrstate without needing to refuel. I can also estimate how much money I'll spend on gas during a trip.

EXAMPLE 3: I designed a concrete walkway (sidewalk) on my property and once the foundation was completed, I had to use algebra to calculate the volume of concrete I would have to order. You have to specify how much concrete they put in the truck so you have enough to do the job but not too much, in which case they still charge you for the unused concrete and you end up over-paying.

EXAMPLE 4: Finance. I create monthly, yearly, and bi-yearly personal finance plans to see how I can maximize my savings and see how much money I can spend on other items without negatively impacting my financial future. This kind of planning helps when investing as well. You can show him how you keep track of your finances.

EXAMPLE 5: time management and scheduling. If you are really busy, or if you want to be more efficient in general, then it really helps to work out an efficient schedule mathematically. This way you waste less time, you can get more accomplished and you have more free time.

as for motivation.....

In a practical bureaucratic sense....you won't do really well on college entrance exams such as the SAT if you don't understand basic algebra. You also won't be able to have a good GPA in high school. He's in 9th grade though...so he's probably not thinking about college. Graduation seems like an eternity in the future.

I ask the question: Do you want to be a layman worker when you grow up? Don't you think you can at least try to achieve something more than the average joe on the street or in a factory...or flipping burgers? If you can't understand basic algebra then you are shutting yourself off to a huge number of job opportunities that pay much better and don't require as much grunt work. You also have to depend on other people more if you don't understand basic algebra...you can't properly handle your own finances, taxes, investments, etc if you don't understand basic algebra. Understanding algebraic notation for logic is really a bare minimum for literacy. You're not fully literate now unless you can understand basic algebraic notation and understand how to use computers....and when it comes down to it, computers are entirely based on mathematics. Personally I didn't like mathematics in high school, but now I realize that if you don't understand basic mathematics then a huge part of the world is simply inaccessible to you.

This probably sounds completely silly until you've experienced it, but if you don't work on algebra skills then you can't begin to learn basic calculus! Learning calculus allows you to think in a new way and therefore you improve yourself and grow as a person. It's a great mental exercise.

So tell him not to let math teachers and dull math books discourage him....it really is rewarding to learn this stuff.

Sadly, few math teachers can really explain how the math they teach is beneficial in real life because most of them grew up liking math for it's own sake....and they use math all the time without realizing it, so it's difficult for them to explain why it's useful because it's too obvious.

Answer 2

I feel for you! But, I'm a firm believer that everyone should learn basic algebra as it does indeed have everyday uses. We use it all of the time, but probably don't even realize it. If for example, I have $10.00 to spend at the store and I want to buy 2 items, one of which costs $4.50, will I have enough money to buy the second item? It's really a simple subtraction problem with one unknown: the money left to buy the second item. In algebraic terms you could set up the problem like:
X = A + B, where X is total of all the money you have and A and B are the costs of the items. Substituting for the knowns you get the problem: $10.00 = $4.50 + B. Solving it, you would get B = $10.00 - $4.50 which equals $5.50. So you have $5.50 to buy the second item.

Advanced algebra can be a lot more difficult, but you can use simple algebra for a whole bunch of stuff. Relating it to something your son finds interesting might help with learning it.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Even though I'm a strong mathematics and science advocate, I've always actually enjoyed it even in school, I have to admit unless you plan on having a career in it you really don't need to know anything past algebra one, and low algebra one at that. But you never know when t could help and it doesn't hurt to have a little extra knowledge whether you use it or not.

Answer 4

You use algebra everyday and don't even know it. Every time you go in the store with $10 and figure out that you could buy 6 cans of soup, you're solving an Algebraic equation.

Answer 5

there are a few things I have always told my kids

1. there may be no jobs for average layman in the next generation, you may need to have skills like math skills even at low levels. at the factory where I work, the lowest level operators, whose jobs include sweeping the floor, have to pass a math test with some simle algebra, this is because we want them to work up into operator jobs where a little algebra can help them in things like this:

2. at our factory we mix up different kinds of plastics
a full batch might call for 1000 pounds of resin, 200 lbs of plasticizer, 8 pounds of color, 315 pounds of filler. sometimes the scheduler will tell the operators to charge a batch that will make 700 lbs total using the recipe above. this is pretty simple algebra but it is algebra and the guys that can do it cold are the ones that understand this and the next more complex level of algebra

3. and a simple personal example for very simple algebra. I was buying a car and they made me the offer of $5100 plus title and taxes. I offered them $5000 total, including title and taxes. I saw them in the next room using trial and error to find out how much I was offering for the car itself without title and taxes. without algebra it took them nearly 5 minutes and then they got it wrong

4. last of all I tell my kids, don't close doors. learn your algebra now because things may change, interests may change, you may decide that you want to be an architect or an engineer. if you work at your early level maths, you keep all that open

math gives you power, like reading
someone who can't read is blocked out of many many things
if you can't math, some things are closed to you

good luck to you and your son