Definition of Mathematics
The Study of Math
I believe the study of math is very important in our world today. We use it more
than we think we do, because it is quite useful in everyday tasks. The study of
math has dated back for centuries. Just as simple as it is to use math in everyday
life, it is just as simple to break it down into its basic meaning. Math is the study
of five important things.
First of all, math studies numbers and the relationships between variables and
numbers. If I had a problem in which I knew all of the variables, I could easily solve
it. An example of this kind of problem is 31+22. The answer to this problem is
53. With some easy adding, I could figure this problem out. What makes some
problems a little more difficult is when I do not know all of the variables. For
example, in seventh grade Algebra, I had to deal many complex equations with
unknown variables. An example would be 56x+78 = 1310. In this case, I would
have to solve the problem for "x", which is the unknown variable. The answer is x
= 22.
Second of all, math studies certain properties. An example of a certain
property would be the Multiplicative Property of Zero. As I learned in seventh
grade Algebra, this property explains that any number multiplied by zero will have
the solution of zero. An example of this would be 3587249 (0) = 0. To repeat for
clarification, ANY number in the entire world multiplied by zero will have the
answer of "0".
In addition, math studies measurements. Common careers that use
measurements quite often would be an interior decorator or carpenter. They are
constantly measuring out different objects to complete their tasks. A basic
example of a measurement would be asking myself how tall I am. If I used a tape
measurer or ruler, I would figure out I am five feet and seven inches tall. A more
complex example, such as a job of an interior decorator, would be finding the
lengths and widths for windows and doorways. I performed this job in second
grade when first learning about more complex measurements. Of course in my
case, it was just for fun. In the case of an interior decorator, he or she would need
these measurements for window treatments and to buy enough paint for trims.
Fourth of all, patterns are a huge part of the study of math. Patterns are plans
or diagrams, which can be in the form of numbers that repeat. In history, they
have been used in war for codes and secrecy. Some people are geniuses with
patterns and can naturally detect them. Many of these people were hired during
World War II to figure out codes. When I first began school, patterns, or
sequences, were one of the first things I was taught for math. A more complicated
pattern I learned while studying Geometry was the Sierpinski's Triangle. It has a
unique pattern that repeats all the way through it, which makes different sizes of
triangles. If I should draw a line down the middle of this triangle, both sides of it
would be symmetrical. Both sides would be the exact same.
The final important thing of math is shape. Shape occurs in all aspects of life.
Everything we see has some form of shape whether it be definite or indefinite. In
kindergarten, I learned basic shapes such as a circle, square, or triangle. As I got
farther into the math world, shapes became very important in the specific math
studies of Geometry. In this particular class, I learned how to calculate different
formulas of shapes. For example, when all four angles of a shape are calculated
at ninety degrees and the all sides measure equally, then the shape is a square.
In conclusion, the study of math can be broken down into five important factors.
Most of us probably learned these five basic things in kindergarten. As we all
grow intellectually and become more advanced in the mathematic world, we will
use these five factors in more complex situations. They all become apart of us in
our daily lives, which makes mathematics such a very important topic to study and
become intelligent of.
Math is not only studied by its certain factors, but their are also different ways
of representing the data. One way of representing a set of data would be
completing a graph. In order to make a graph, there must be two or more ordered
pairs. Another way of representing data would be filling out a chart. A chart can
organize the data and make it clearer to read.
Works Cited
I used the replies on Moodle for my five things that math studies and I used www.dictionary.com for some clarification of some of the meanings of the words.
1st Body Paragraph: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=numbers
2nd Body Paragraph: http://www.aaamath.com/B/pro.htm
3rd Body Paragraph: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=measurement
4th Body Paragraph: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pattern
5th Body Paragraph: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=shape
Here is the Sierpinski's Triangle, which was my example for a pattern. This is an example of a pattern, because the different sizes of the triangles repeat over and over again in the same way.
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