Have you ever used algebra to solve a real life problem?

Question

Can anyone give me an example?
I am not a kid and I passed maths with a really good grade.

Answer 1

Absolutely! Recently I had a friend sleeping over and much to my dismay the fold-up bed I have had a broken leg. As luck would have it, the book "Algebra for Morons" was just the right size to put under the leg, which ensured that he had a wobble-free sleep. Or a + b = c where a = bed, b = algebra for morons, and c = wobble free sleep

Answer 2

We make decisions every day of our lives. For some of these we want a particular outcome and we will call that y. The outcome (y) depends on many other variables (we will call these x, z etc). These really are very very complex equations and somehow our brain is using algebra to solve them. I think the best example is the algebra going on in David Beckham's head when he curves a ball into the goal. OK, I know there will be a few jokes about that but it is true. I am sure you were looking for something far less complex. However, there is a moral here. If you can solve these very complex algebraic equations then a few simultaneous or quadratic equations in a maths exam should be a pushover!

Answer 3

Lots of people say they use it but can't give an example, I notice...
Algebra is really just analogy: you take one thing and refer to it as something else. It doesn't have to be a number or an "x". So if ever you "imagine a situation that..."- you're doing algebra.

So, if you were to ask 5 questions on Yahoo! Answers, and each question gained on average 15 responses, and each response took about 3 seconds to read, and only 10% of the responses were worth reading, how much time would you have wasted reading silly responses? (Approximately.)

Answer 4

Yes, all the time. Just a few weeks ago I built a new set of stairs for my roof terrace and had to align the top step with the edge of the roof and calculate the angle of the hand railing.

I used the Pythogorean theorem and the law of Sines & Cosines to calculate the various cuts I had to make so that the stairs were horizontal. Every time I tried to do it by eye, I screwed up so I ended up planning it all on paper using algebra and trigonometry. Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Work related, yes, daily.
Real life, no, I can't be arsed as I'm so bored with doing it all day.
Generally I can estimate close enough fo practical purposes.
I really think that it should be well within the abilities of even an average mind to work out such things as the amount of flooring tiles required etc without even a pen and paper.

Answer 6

*Everyone* uses algebra in real life. Most people just do it in an informal way, without even realizing that they're doing algebra. If you're solving a problem that involves numbers at all, chances are you're doing algebra of some sort.

Answer 7

Yes.

How many 3m rolls of draft excluder do I need to fit to 5 doors each 2m x 0.8m ?

It can be handy to answer questions like ....
How many tiles are needed to cover the floors of 3 rooms?
How many planks of wood to made my shed ?
How many square metres of turf to make the new lawn ?
Suppose you have a recipe designed for 4 people but want to make it for 10 - scale up all ingredients by 2.5
How far can I get on one tank of petrol?
How much are my utility bills going to be next year ?
How much free cash will I have per month after paying
all the bills, food, travel expenses ?
It can be very useful to estimate taxes.

Many of these things you can do in your head.
Or perhaps you might type them into a spreadsheet.
Terms are often simple, like A x B. But there could be several of them and you might want to think about alternative solutions.

Answer 8

Certainly.

Is it cheaper to buy one gallon of milk for $2.99 or one pint of milk for $1?

Four of us are at a restaurant, and they put us all on the same check by mistake. How should we split the bill, including the tax and gratuity (they gave us a total amount, not a percentage)? If I only have fives, what's the easiest way to pay now and reconcile things later?

I have a catapult that goes so far with such a counterweight, farther with a greater counterweight... how much weight should I put to get it to a certain distance? How close will I probably get?

Here's a map on a computer screen with no scale. I know it takes me about 10 minutes to walk from A to B, and the bus from C to D takes 5 minutes... is it quicker to walk from E to F, or to walk from E to C, take the bus, and walk from D to F?

Answer 9

Yes, I use cross-multiplication almost every day.

Ex:

Find how many degrees celsius correspond to 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

Since I know that 5° C = 41° F, I develop the following:

5 = 41
x = 54

Therefore:

41x = 5 * 54
41x = 270
x = 270 / 41
x = 6.6°

So, 54° F = 6.6° C

Answer 10

Algebra is used each and every of the time. RT=D, calculating mileage, and ratio and percentage issues are classic examples. i take advantage of factoring at the same time as calculating opportunities, or in basic terms to make lengthy branch a lot less complicated on those uncommon activities when I lack get entry to to the very nearly ubiquitous digital calculator. Factoring and algebraic manipulation also helps simplify equations on business enterprise spreadsheets. i in my opinion do not use linear equations very in many situations in my job, notwithstanding i visit claim that it is amazingly puzzling to apply something you do not comprehend. information is means, and the further you comprehend, the further ideas you've. understanding a thanks to sparkling up linear equations opens up new worlds of probability for you. no longer understanding a thanks to sparkling up them is like boxing with one arm in a sling. you would possibly want to win some rounds adversarial to weak warring parties, yet maximum folk on your weight type will smack you up solid.