POSSIBILITIES 10 Why Mathematics really does matter By: Karen Jacobsen

Ask a group of your friends, and you’ll get a lot of negative answers and hatred for mathematics.

In fact, even if you talk to a few adults, I bet at least one of them will tell you something like “I don’t know why I learnt Trigonometry at school; I’ve never had to use it”.

But here’s the thing you need to realize about mathematics…

It really DOES matter.

Why?

Because not only does it teach you critical skills you’ll need to survive in the world but NOT doing pure mathematics can also put serious brakes on your earning potential once you enter the world of work.

So if you’re struggling with the decision between taking mathematics or taking math literacy listen up. Today we’re sharing…

10 reasons why mathematics matters

1. mathematics helps develop essential problem-solving skills: Because you’re constantly dealing with tricky topics and problems, mathematics helps you develop better reasoning abilities than just about any other school subject you take. Having good reasoning skills means you have the ability to think logically about a situation – something the business world really values.

2. You can’t go anywhere without running into mathematics We live in a mathematically-driven world. Mathematics is all around you and knowing mathematics can help you understand the world better. Don’t believe me... Just look around you. You can’t go anywhere without running into some related to mathematics. Bees, for example, are masters of geometry. You only need to look at their beehives to see that. Or how about the fact that the Fibonacci sequence (look it up if you’re not sure what this is) lies at the very heart of the designs of seashells, pinecones, flowers, trees and more; while Pi is found

in the very fabric of life… From the way an embryo’s cells divide to a Zebra’s stripes, these seemingly random things are encoded by the constant of Pi.

3. It’s the one language everyone speaks Have you ever gone somewhere and not been able to understand what the people are saying? Or worse, not been able to read the road signs because not only are they written in another language, but they actually use a different alphabet as well? Confusing right? Well, this doesn’t happen with mathematics. Yes, even though its mostly numbers, equations and Greek letters, people understand mathematics the same way all over the world. This means that it doesn’t require anyone to translate it. That’s pretty cool. And it’s one of the things that make mathematics such a powerful tool and essential life skill.

4. mathematics makes you more interesting Love music? Great at sport? Want to be the next winner of MasterChef? Good news – mathematics can make you better at all of the things you love to do. Geometry and trigonometry, for example, can help you work out the best way to hit a ball, make the back of the net or run around the track; fractions and algebra, on the other hand, can help you bake and play a musical instrument better.

5. Every career needs mathematics It goes without says that mathematicians, scientists, engineers, IT experts and chartered accountants rely on mathematical principles to do the most basic aspects of their work. But they’re not the only people who need mathematics to do their job. From sales assistants who operate the cash register to people who work in a factory and even those who write for a living, all of us need must be able to do mathematics to keep track to keep track of things, solve problems and do their day-to-day work. 6. Studies show that it’s better for you to get 40% in mathematics than it is to get 100% in math literacy. Why? Because it’s harder to get into university if you take math lit. In fact, you’ll need an A or level 7 pass to enter most university programmes if pass Matric with math literacy.

7. Jobs in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are growing much faster than other careers. This means are more jobs available in STEM fields than in any other.

8. People who work in STEMs field such as engineering, accounting, medicine and others earn significantly more money (on average about 26% more) than people in other job types – regardless of your education level.

9. As a STEM university graduate, you’ll earn a higher first salary than a university graduate who isn’t in this field.

10. STEM fields have significantly lower unemployment rates. That means you’re more likely to keep your job if the economy is in trouble and companies are forced to make job cuts.

So there you have it. Yes, mathematics is hard. But it’s well worth it for all the benefit it’ll give you when you’re out of school.