Literature Review Essay, Why Math is a Necessity

Mathematics is the abstract science of numbers, quantity, and space. The definition of
math, as previously stated, is just as uninteresting as many students believe math is. With a heavy
disinterest in this certain subject, students often question why they need to learn math or if math
is even helpful in everyday life outside of academia. There are plenty of sources that can be
found that answer the three most asked questions about math: what are some jobs that require a
background in math, do we use math in everyday life or just during our academic lifetime, and
how much math do we really need to know?
Math surrounds every single person that is on the Earth, in one way or another. Numerous
people, though, do not see the way they use math on a day to day basis and are then confused as
to why they might have to have taken serval math classes during their schooling. Man Keung
Sius article, Mathematics: What has it to do with me?, talks about a time during the early
1990s that math was used in order to save money for a well-known company- General Motors
Corporation. It states that because of a design flaw in one of the companys car design, if the car
was hit from behind it could lead to an explosion. When such a case happened and was taken to
court, it was revealed the GMC knew that the explosion could happen if the car was ever hit
from behind but choose to refrain from doing a mass recall. They choose to do this because a
cost-benefit analysis showed that doing a recall and fixing the problem before this became a
public matter would cost roughly $9.00, but doing so after it was thrust into the publics eye
would cost around $3.00. The company decided that the money saved by not recalling the car
before it became a problem was more important than the life that would be affected. This case,
even though it is an example of how math does not take humans into the matter, showcases that
math is used in the life and jobs of those who were affected by this certain problem.

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Cryptography is the art of writing and solving codes and is commonly used in the military.
Cryptography is also used by banks and other financial institutions through electronic
transactions. This means that every time a person deposits their paycheck, buys food with a
credit card, or simply uses an ATM, they are using a form of math that made said transaction
possible. (Siu, p. 92)
According to an article written by a mathematics teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, CRPF
Amerigog, Guwahati (2015) for The Times of India, Mathematics is the cradle of all creations,
without which the world cannot move an inch. By saying this, the author brings attention to the
fact that without math the world would not function. The author states that people with jobs
ranging from a simple magician to a nuclear scientist use math in their lives. The author also
points out that humans are not the only living creatures on Earth to use math in everyday lives,
insects use math just as much as humans do. Snails use math to create their shells, spiders use
geometry to build their webs, and bees use hexagonal shapes to build their honeycombs. While
these insects might not know that they are use math to simply exist, humans are the same wayno one realizes that they are using math doing what they consider second nature. The most
common example of second nature math is telling time, without math a person would not be able
to read the numbers on a clock or detect a pattern in the suns rotation. If a person was asked
what time it is they would be able to answer as soon as they can see a clock, but they would not
think about how they were able to do so. Another example of this type of math is planning an
outing of anytime. People set a date, time, and where to meet, and when the day comes they
think about how long it is going to take to get from point A to point B, what route would be the
fastest, and how much money they might spend if money is involved. In cases like these, humans

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are similar to the insects because they do not think about why they know how to do these or what
is the reason they are able to do these tasks without a second thought.
Ralph T. Putnam writes about a teacher who teaches her students the importance of some
math concepts used outside the academic schooling in Teaching the hows of mathematics for
everyday life: a case study of a fifth-grade teacher. Valerie Taft (the teacher mentioned) focuses
on teaching her students the concept of average; a concept used in all most anything. The other
topic Taft emphasiss on is connecting math skills and procedures with practical situations. By
emphasizing on this, she shows her students how they might use math outside of school later in
life and how having at least some knowledge in math is beneficial. When asked why she wants
her students to succeed with math, Taft responded with I really feel that the purpose is to make
them prepared for the world of math in everyday life experiences. It should be used in that
context. They should be able to realize that this is something that you will need later on. Taft is
not the only teacher who started taking is approach to math or STEM classes in general. With
this now becoming a common occurrence, students are now becoming more aware in just how
much math is around them on a day to day basis.
Math can be used before a person leaves bed to get ready in the morning. By pressing the
snooze button on an alarm clock, the sleeping person automatically does math to figure out how
much more sleep they have and what time they would be getting up at. Say that this person then
makes pancakes for breakfast, they have to be able to use fractions to make the batter and if they
want to make a bigger or smaller batch of pancakes they have to do the conversions to make sure
they are using the correct amounts. Traveling by any sort of means includes math, the time it
takes to get to the destination, how much gas it would take, and have fast they are traveling to get
to their destination. The use of math does not stop there, people then use math either at school or

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work. During a school day, the student might use math in classes besides their math class. They
might try to figure out how to bring up the grade in there or they might do the calculations to
figure what the lowest possible score they can get on a test and still pass the class. At work, a
person might have to be able to read and interrupt graphs. If a person gets paid by the hour, they
might want to double check their paycheck to make sure that they are getting paid the correct
amount of money per pay period. After a long day of either schooling or work, some might go
shopping for necessities and use more math at the store, whether it is calculating how much they
are going to spend or how much they are going to save during this shopping trip. Even
professional sports use math in every single game that is played- players statistics, yards
gained/lost, penalty time, and how much a team is winning or losing by. (Linda Emma)
In this day and age, numerous people go to college in order to get a higher paying job
later in life. This means people are choosing to go into fields that normally pay higher than the
job they are passionate about. What people may not realize is that there are a lot of jobs that
require some form of math education. Duane Kouba, author of Why choose a mathematicsrelated profession? lists serval jobs that either needs an extensive math background or at least a
strong background in math. The list includes jobs ranging from design to different types of
engineers. Designers need to be able to use computer graphics and mathematical modeling in the
designing and construction of physical prototypes. Having this background in math is even
helpful for attorneys; this is done by helping the student get admitted into a law school and
assisting them in the understanding of complicated theoretical legal concepts. In cases where the
student does not want to go into a career with mathematical sciences, studying math is a good
way to keep career options open. Math is used in all engineering fields and almost all of the
science fields, making it important to have study math during schooling. Students in school for

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liberal arts, law, business, and medicine also gain more opportunities with a history of math
courses, especially in general mathematics and statistics. A history of math will help create a
better understanding of the ever changing world of science and technology and their impacts on
the world around us.
A study by Jonathan James (2013) states the following:
For those who obtain a high school diploma, the mathematics curriculum taken in high
school is strongly related to whether they will attend college. This is not surprising, given that
while most high schools do not have specific course requirements to graduate, most colleges do
have specific course requirements for admittance. (p. 2)
The quote mentioned above shows that while some high schools only require a student to
take Algebra 1, most colleges will only admit students with higher levels of math underneath
their belt. This means that just to get into college to hopefully get a high paying career in the
future, a student must have a successful math background. James (2013) found that the more
math one takes, the more one earns on average, and the more likely one is to have a job.
Discovering the truth behind that statement proves that the more math one takes their chances of
getting a job increases. Farther into the article, it states that in the past twenty-seven (27) years,
the percentage of high schoolers taking Algebra 2 has doubled, going from 39% to 75%. Getting
a job straight out of college might be difficult for many reasons, but with math becoming more
and more noticed, having a good math background might make the job hunt a little less terrible.
After learning about how important math is in everyday life and how many different
types of careers that open with math, the next biggest question is just how much math does one
need to take in order to thrive. Just a few years ago, high school students have to take up to

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Algebra 1 but Achieve, Inc. started a movement where all high school students must be
proficient in math at the bare minimum through Algebra 2. States that follow the lead Achieve
has set now make it a requirement for all students to take four years of math, including Algebra
1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and a data analysis or statistics class or an equivalent course. Hechinger
Report (2010) states:
Five years ago, only a few states mandated that students take Algebra II to graduate from
high school. Until recently, most states simply required high school students to complete two or
three years of math, but they didnt require specific courses. As a result, many students never
made it as far as Algebra II, although they satisfied state graduation requirements. Now, 20 states
and Washington, D.C. require Algebra II for high school graduation.
The statement above proves that until recently, math was thought of a less important
course compared to other courses high schoolers were made to take. By allowing students to take
any type of math they wanted, made it easier for those who took a higher level math course to be
admitted into their choice of college compared to those who took any three math courses. When
asked what he thought about Achieves standards, Joseph Rosenstein- a math professor at
Rutgers University stated:
That if a student isnt going on to calculus, concepts such as complex numbers, rational
exponents and cube roots have little value. If you think about it, Rosenstein says, a class in
statistics would be more important than Algebra II, in reading charts and determining
probability.
Rosensteins statement has been approved by many Americans who agree that because
more people use data analysis and statistics more than Algebra 2 during their lifetimes outside of

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academia, that the focus should be shifted on to more statistics classes than math people do not
use on a daily basis.
In the article, What kind of math matters, by Sean Cavanagh uses information gathered
from surveys to determine what types of math is used in jobs ranging from upper-white-collar
jobs to blue-collar and service employees. Cavanagh found the following information:
While 94 percent of workers across those occupations reported using some kind of math
on the job, just 22 percent said they used any math more advanced than adding, subtracting,
multiplying or dividing. Only 19 percent said they used math reaching the level of Algebra 1, and
9 percent used Algebra 2. Strong majorities of workers, by contrast, said they used more basic
math, such as fractions, multiplication, and division. Even among upper-white-collar employees,
such as managers, only 30 percent said they used Algebra 1 on the job, and only 14 percent said
they used Algebra 2.
The researcher who was in charge of this certain study made it clear that even though the
different types of workers may not use math higher than Algebra 2, that it is still important to
learn higher levels of math to get into college to later get said jobs. He suggests that educators try
to make math more appealing than it is in order to get kids more excited about learning higher
levels of math. In hindsight, the more advanced the world becomes the better it is to have a high
level of knowledge when it comes to math.
Math is the unsung hero when it comes to life. It is always there when the public needs it
and it helps the public in more ways than they realize. This being said makes it important that
math gets the recognition it deserves, whether it be by getting more kids interested in math or
simply noticing all the different types of math around the world. Without math writing this paper

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and finding all the sources would have been nearly impossible. That in itself is something that
should be celebrated or at least thought of.

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Resources:
Academic Database SourcesCavanagh, S. (2007). What Kind of Math Matters?. Education Week, 26(40), 21-23
James, J. (2013). The Surprising Impact of High School Math on Job Market Outcomes.
Economic Commentary, 2013(14), 1-4
Man Keung, S. (2015). Mathematics: What Has It To Do With Me?. Journal Of
Humanistic Mathematics, 5(2), 90-95. doi:10.5642/jhummath.201502.07
Putnam, R. T.. (1992). Teaching the "Hows" of Mathematics for Everyday Life: A Case
Study of a Fifth-Grade Teacher. The Elementary School Journal, 93(2), 163177. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001699
Non-academic Database SourcesN/A. "The Importance of Maths in Everyday Life." The Times of India. N.p., 3 Aug. 15.
Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
Hechinger Report. "How Much Math Do We Really Need?" The Hechinger Report. N.p.,
22 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
Kouba, Duane. "Why Choose a Mathematics-Related Profession ?" Why Choose a
Mathematics-Related Profession ? N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
Emma, Linda. "The Use of Mathematics in Everyday Life." The Use of Mathematics in
Everyday Life. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.