Demystifying Maths

Did you know that Mathematics is the easiest subject to learn if you practice it regularly?

In my many years of teaching Mathematics, I have always asked my students what Mathematics is? Many would claim, “Mathematics is a game of numbers”, others would argue its addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Everyone defines Mathematics in their own way. However, ‘Mathematics is a way of life’ for me. This is so accurate that if you embrace and appreciate this definition of mathematics, you will suddenly enter a new realm of embracing and comprehending it. Look around you, whether indoors or outdoors. What do you notice? TVs, doors, refrigerators, tables, computer screens, mugs, thermos flasks, cars, buildings, and so on. The list goes on and on. What are some of the shapes you notice in the objects you viewed above? TVs, tables, and windows, for instance, have rectangular or square shapes. Cylinders, circular objects, triangular shapes, conical objects, frustums like glasses, and so on can be found in the kitchen. What is my point? Mathematics is right here with us.

By way of example, did you know that you use mathematics when making tea or any other form of food for yourself? You must determine how many tea spoons of sugar to use, whether it’s 2, 3 or 4 tea spoons, right? Math is what this is!

In a nutshell, according to me, Mathematics is a human attempt and effort to express the aesthetic beauty of the world through patterns and shapes. It goes beyond this; an effort to understand the world around us and make life better for all of us. We have no options, since it is a way of life, we have to embrace it.

So, my dear friend, next time you are confronted by a difficult sum, know that “It is just a way of life!”