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Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily Life in 100, 200, and 350 words.

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  • Dec 22, 2023

Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily Life

Mathematics is one of the core aspects of education. Without mathematics, several subjects would cease to exist. It’s applied in the science fields of physics, chemistry, and even biology as well. In commerce accountancy, business statistics and analytics all revolve around mathematics. But what we fail to see is that not only in the field of education but our lives also revolve around it. There is a major role that mathematics plays in our lives. Regardless of where we are, or what we are doing, mathematics is forever persistent. Let’s see how maths is there in our lives via our blog essay on importance of mathematics in our daily life. 

importance of mathematics essay writing

Table of Contents

  • 1 Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily life in 100 words 
  • 2 Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily life in 200 words
  • 3 Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily Life in 350 words

Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily life in 100 words 

Mathematics is a powerful aspect even in our day-to-day life. If you are a cook, the measurements of spices have mathematics in them. If you are a doctor, the composition of medicines that make you provide prescription is made by mathematics. Even if you are going out for just some groceries, the scale that is used for weighing them has maths, and the quantity like ‘dozen apples’ has maths in it. No matter the task, one way or another it revolves around mathematics. Everywhere we go, whatever we do, has maths in it. We just don’t realize that. Maybe from now on, we will, as mathematics is an important aspect of our daily life.

Also Read:- Importance of Internet

Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily life in 200 words

Mathematics, as a subject, is one of the most important subjects in our lives. Irrespective of the field, mathematics is essential in it. Be it physics, chemistry, accounts, etc. mathematics is there. The use of mathematics proceeds in our daily life to a major extent. It will be correct to say that it has become a vital part of us. Imagining our lives without it would be like a boat without a sail. It will be a shock to know that we constantly use mathematics even without realising the same. 

From making instalments to dialling basic phone numbers it all revolves around mathematics. 

Let’s take an example from our daily life. In the scenario of going out shopping, we take an estimate of hours. Even while buying just simple groceries, we take into account the weight of vegetables for scaling, weighing them on the scale and then counting the cash to give to the cashier. We don’t even realise it and we are already counting numbers and doing calculations. 

Without mathematics and numbers, none of this would be possible.

Hence we can say that mathematics helps us make better choices, more calculated ones throughout our day and hence make our lives simpler. 

Also Read:-   My Aim in Life

Essay on Importance of Mathematics in our Daily Life in 350 words

Mathematics is what we call a backbone, a backbone of science. Without it, human life would be extremely difficult to imagine. We cannot live even a single day without making use of mathematics in our daily lives. Without mathematics, human progress would come to a halt. 

Maths helps us with our finances. It helps us calculate our daily, monthly as well as yearly expenses. It teaches us how to divide and prioritise our expenses. Its knowledge is essential for investing money too. We can only invest money in property, bank schemes, the stock market, mutual funds, etc. only when we calculate the figures. Let’s take an example from the basic routine of a day. Let’s assume we have to make tea for ourselves. Without mathematics, we wouldn’t be able to calculate how many teaspoons of sugar we need, how many cups of milk and water we have to put in, etc. and if these mentioned calculations aren’t made, how would one be able to prepare tea? 

In such a way, mathematics is used to decide the portions of food, ingredients, etc. Mathematics teaches us logical reasoning and helps us develop problem-solving skills. It also improves our analytical thinking and reasoning ability. To stay in shape, mathematics helps by calculating the number of calories and keeping the account of the same. It helps us in deciding the portion of our meals. It will be impossible to think of sports without mathematics. For instance, in cricket, run economy, run rate, strike rate, overs bowled, overs left, number of wickets, bowling average, etc. are calculated. It also helps in predicting the result of the match. When we are on the road and driving, mathetics help us keep account of our speeds, the distance we have travelled, the amount of fuel left, when should we refuel our vehicles, etc. 

We can go on and on about how mathematics is involved in our daily lives. In conclusion, we can say that the universe revolves around mathematics. It encompasses everything and without it, we cannot imagine our lives. 

Also Read:- Essay on Pollution

Ans: Mathematics is a powerful aspect even in our day-to-day life. If you are a cook, the measurements of spices have mathematics in them. If you are a doctor, the composition of medicines that make you provide prescription is made by mathematics. Even if you are going out for just some groceries, the scale that is used for weighing them has maths, and the quantity like ‘dozen apples’ has maths in it. No matter the task, one way or another it revolves around mathematics. Everywhere we go, whatever we do, has maths in it. We just don’t realize that. Maybe from now on, we will, as mathematics is an important aspect of our daily life.

Ans: Mathematics, as a subject, is one of the most important subjects in our lives. Irrespective of the field, mathematics is essential in it. Be it physics, chemistry, accounts, etc. mathematics is there. The use of mathematics proceeds in our daily life to a major extent. It will be correct to say that it has become a vital part of us. Imagining our lives without it would be like a boat without a sail. It will be a shock to know that we constantly use mathematics even without realising the same.  From making instalments to dialling basic phone numbers it all revolves around mathematics. Let’s take an example from our daily life. In the scenario of going out shopping, we take an estimate of hours. Even while buying just simple groceries, we take into account the weight of vegetables for scaling, weighing them on the scale and then counting the cash to give to the cashier. We don’t even realise it and we are already counting numbers and doing calculations. Without mathematics and numbers, none of this would be possible. Hence we can say that mathematics helps us make better choices, more calculated ones throughout our day and hence make our lives simpler.  

Ans: Archimedes is considered the father of mathematics.

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Essay on Importance of Mathematics in Our Daily Life

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Mathematics in Our Daily Life in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Mathematics in Our Daily Life

Introduction.

Mathematics is a crucial part of everyday life. It helps us make sense of the world around us and solve practical problems.

Mathematics in Daily Tasks

From shopping to cooking, we use math. It helps us calculate costs, quantities, and time.

Mathematics in Professions

In professions like engineering, computer science, and finance, math is indispensable.

Mathematics in Decision Making

Math helps us make informed decisions by analyzing data and predicting outcomes.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Mathematics in Our Daily Life

The pervasive presence of mathematics.

Mathematics, often perceived as a complex and abstract discipline, is in fact an integral part of our everyday lives. It forms the foundation for many of the decisions we make and the actions we perform daily, from managing finances to navigating directions.

A Tool for Logical Reasoning

Mathematics fosters logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. It cultivates an analytical mindset, enabling us to break down complex problems into simpler, manageable parts. This approach is not just confined to mathematical problems but extends to various real-life situations, thereby honing our decision-making abilities.

Mathematics in Technological Advancements

The rapid progress in technology, which has become an inseparable part of our lives, is deeply rooted in mathematical principles. Algorithms, which form the basis of computing, are mathematical models. The internet, smartphones, GPS, and even AI owe their existence to mathematical concepts.

Financial Management and Mathematics

Managing personal finances, a critical life skill, is essentially a mathematical exercise. Budgeting, calculating interest, understanding the implications of loans and mortgages, or even evaluating investment options, all require a good grasp of mathematics.

Mathematics and Scientific Understanding

Mathematics is the language of science. It helps us quantitatively understand and describe the physical world around us, from the trajectory of planets to the behavior of subatomic particles.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Mathematics in Our Daily Life

Mathematics, often perceived as a complex and abstract subject, is in fact deeply intertwined with our daily lives. It is the foundation of numerous activities we engage in, from basic tasks such as shopping and cooking to more complex ones like planning finances or solving problems.

The Ubiquity of Mathematics

Mathematics is everywhere. It is used in our everyday activities, often without our conscious realization. When we shop, we use mathematics to calculate prices, discounts, and taxes. When we cook, we use it to measure ingredients. When we travel, we use it to calculate distances, time, and fuel consumption. Even in our leisure activities such as playing games or music, mathematics plays a crucial role in understanding patterns, probabilities, and rhythms.

Mathematics in the Professional Sphere

Mathematics and problem-solving.

Mathematics also enhances our problem-solving skills. It teaches us to approach problems logically and systematically. It encourages us to break down complex problems into simpler parts, solve them individually, and combine the solutions to solve the original problem. This skill is not just applicable to mathematical problems but to any problem we encounter in life.

Mathematics and Critical Thinking

Furthermore, mathematics fosters critical thinking. It trains us to question assumptions, identify patterns, and draw conclusions based on evidence. It also teaches us to understand the limitations of our solutions and consider alternative approaches. These are valuable skills that can be applied in various aspects of life, from making informed decisions to evaluating the credibility of information.

Mathematics and the Digital Age

In conclusion, mathematics is not just a subject we learn in school. It is a powerful tool that helps us understand and navigate the world around us. It enhances our problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and it opens up a world of opportunities in the professional sphere. Therefore, it is essential that we appreciate the importance of mathematics in our daily lives, and strive to improve our mathematical literacy.

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importance of mathematics essay writing

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Essays About Math: Top 10 Examples and Writing Prompts 

Love it or hate it, an understanding of math is said to be crucial to success. So, if you are writing essays about math , read our top essay examples .  

Mathematics is the study of numbers, shapes, and space using reason and usually a special system of symbols and rules for organizing them . It can be used for a variety of purposes, from calculating a business’s profit to estimating the mass of a black hole. However, it can be considered “controversial” to an extent.

Most students adore math or regard it as their least favorite. No other core subject has the same infamy as math for generating passionate reactions both for and against it. It has applications in every field, whether basic operations or complex calculus problems. Knowing the basics of math is necessary to do any work properly. 

If you are writing essays about Math , we have compiled some essay examples for you to get started. 

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1. Mathematics: Problem Solving and Ideal Math Classroom by Darlene Gregory 

2. math essay by prasanna, 3. short essay on the importance of mathematics by jay prakash.

  • 4.  Math Anxiety by Elias Wong

5. Why Math Isn’t as Useless as We Think by Murtaza Ali

1. mathematics – do you love or hate it, 2. why do many people despise math, 3. how does math prepare you for the future, 4. is mathematics an essential skill, 5. mathematics in the modern world.

“The trait of the teacher that is being strict is we know that will really help the students to change. But it will give a stress and pressure to students and that is one of the causes why students begin to dislike math. As a student I want a teacher that is not so much strict and giving considerations to his students. A teacher that is not giving loads of things to do and must know how to understand the reasons of his students.”

Gregory discusses the reasons for most students’ hatred of math and how teachers handle the subject in class. She says that math teachers do not explain the topics well, give too much work, and demand nothing less than perfection. To her, the ideal math class would involve teachers being more considerate and giving less work. 

You might also be interested in our ordinal number explainer.

“ Math is complicated to learn, and one needs to focus and concentrate more. Math is logical sometimes, and the logic needs to be derived out. Maths make our life easier and more straightforward. Math is considered to be challenging because it consists of many formulas that have to be learned, and many symbols and each symbol generally has its significance.”

In her essay , Prasanna gives readers a basic idea of what math is and its importance. She additionally lists down some of the many uses of mathematics in different career paths, namely managing finances, cooking, home modeling and construction, and traveling. Math may seem “useless” and “annoying” to many, but the essay gives readers a clear message: we need math to succeed. 

“In this modern age of Science and Technology, emphasis is given on Science such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and Engineering. Mathematics , which is a Science by any criterion, also is an efficient and necessary tool being employed by all these Sciences. As a matter of fact, all these Sciences progress only with the aid of Mathematics . So it is aptly remarked, ‘ Mathematics is a Science of all Sciences and art of all arts.’”

As its title suggests, Prakash’s essay briefly explains why math is vital to human nature. As the world continues to advance and modernize, society emphasizes sciences such as medicine, chemistry, and physics. All sciences employ math; it cannot be studied without math. It also helps us better our reasoning skills and maximizes the human mind. It is not only necessary but beneficial to our everyday lives. 

4.   Math Anxiety by Elias Wong

“ Math anxiety affects different not only students but also people in different ways. It’s important to be familiar with the thoughts you have about yourself and the situation when you encounter math. If you are aware of unrealistic or irrational thoughts you can work to replace those thoughts with more positive and realistic ones.”

Wong writes about the phenomenon known as “math anxiety.” This term is used to describe many people’s hatred or fear of math- they feel that they are incapable of doing it. This anxiety is caused mainly by students’ negative experiences in math class, which makes them believe they cannot do well. Wong explains that some people have brains geared towards math and others do not, but this should not stop people from trying to overcome their math anxiety. Through review and practice of basic mathematical skills , students can overcome them and even excel at math. 

“We see that math is not an obscure subject reserved for some pretentious intellectual nobility. Though we may not be aware of it, mathematics is embedded into many different aspects of our lives and our world — and by understanding it deeply, we may just gain a greater understanding of ourselves.”

Similar to some of the previous essays, Ali’s essay explains the importance of math. Interestingly, he tells a story of the life of a person name Kyle. He goes through the typical stages of life and enjoys typical human hobbies, including Rubik’s cube solving. Throughout this “Kyle’s” entire life, he performed the role of a mathematician in various ways. Ali explains that math is much more prevalent in our lives than we think, and by understanding it, we can better understand ourselves. 

Writing Prompts on Essays about Math

Math is a controversial subject that many people either passionately adore or despise. In this essay , reflect on your feelings towards math, and state your position on the topic. Then, give insights and reasons as to why you feel this way. Perhaps this subject comes easily to you, or perhaps it’s a subject that you find pretty challenging. For an insightful and compelling essay , you can include personal anecdotes to relate to your argument. 

Essays about Math: Why do many people despise math?

It is well-known that many people despise math. In this essay , discuss why so many people do not enjoy maths and struggle with this subject in school. For a compelling essay , gather interview data and statistics to support your arguments. You could include different sections correlating to why people do not enjoy this subject .

In this essay , begin by reading articles and essays about the importance of studying math. Then, write about the different ways that having proficient math skills can help you later in life. Next, use real-life examples of where maths is necessary, such as banking, shopping, planning holidays, and more! For an engaging essay , use some anecdotes from your experiences of using math in your daily life.

Many people have said that math is essential for the future and that you shouldn’t take a math class for granted. However, many also say that only a basic understanding of math is essential; the rest depends on one’s career. Is it essential to learn calculus and trigonometry? Choose your position and back up your claim with evidence. 

Prasanna’s essay lists down just a few applications math has in our daily lives. For this essay , you can choose any activity, whether running, painting, or playing video games, and explain how math is used there. Then, write about mathematical concepts related to your chosen activity and explain how they are used. Finally, be sure to link it back to the importance of math, as this is essentially the topic around which your essay is based. 

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

Math Essay Ideas for Students: Exploring Mathematical Concepts

Are you a student who's been tasked with writing a math essay? Don't fret! While math may seem like an abstract and daunting subject, it's actually full of fascinating concepts waiting to be explored. In this article, we'll delve into some exciting math essay ideas that will not only pique your interest but also impress your teachers. So grab your pens and calculators, and let's dive into the world of mathematics!

  • The Beauty of Fibonacci Sequence

Have you ever wondered why sunflowers, pinecones, and even galaxies exhibit a mesmerizing spiral pattern? It's all thanks to the Fibonacci sequence! Explore the origin, properties, and real-world applications of this remarkable mathematical sequence. Discuss how it manifests in nature, art, and even financial markets. Unveil the hidden beauty behind these numbers and show how they shape the world around us.

  • The Mathematics of Music

Did you know that music and mathematics go hand in hand? Dive into the relationship between these two seemingly unrelated fields and develop your writing skills . Explore the connection between harmonics, frequencies, and mathematical ratios. Analyze how musical scales are constructed and why certain combinations of notes create pleasant melodies while others may sound dissonant. Explore the fascinating world where numbers and melodies intertwine.

  • The Geometry of Architecture

Architects have been using mathematical principles for centuries to create awe-inspiring structures. Explore the geometric concepts that underpin iconic architectural designs. From the symmetry of the Parthenon to the intricate tessellations in Islamic art, mathematics plays a crucial role in creating visually stunning buildings. Discuss the mathematical principles architects employ and how they enhance the functionality and aesthetics of their designs.

  • Fractals: Nature's Infinite Complexity

Step into the mesmerizing world of fractals, where infinite complexity arises from simple patterns. Did you know that the famous Mandelbrot set , a classic example of a fractal, has been studied extensively and generated using computers? In fact, it is estimated that the Mandelbrot set requires billions of calculations to generate just a single image! This showcases the computational power and mathematical precision involved in exploring the beauty of fractal geometry.

Explore the beauty and intricacy of fractal geometry, from the famous Mandelbrot set to the Sierpinski triangle. Discuss the self-similarity and infinite iteration that define fractals and how they can be found in natural phenomena such as coastlines, clouds, and even in the structure of our lungs. Examine how fractal mathematics is applied in computer graphics, art, and the study of chaotic systems. Let the captivating world of fractals unfold before your eyes.

  • The Game Theory Revolution

Game theory isn't just about playing games; it's a powerful tool used in various fields, from economics to biology. Dive into the world of strategic decision-making and explore how game theory helps us understand human behavior and predict outcomes. Discuss in your essay classic games like The Prisoner's Dilemma and examine how mathematical models can shed light on complex social interactions. Explore the cutting-edge applications of game theory in diverse fields, such as cybersecurity and evolutionary biology. If you still have difficulties choosing an idea for a math essay, find a reliable expert online. Ask them to write me an essay or provide any other academic assistance with your math assignments.

  • Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect

While writing an essay, explore the fascinating world of chaos theory and how small changes can lead to big consequences. Discuss the famous Butterfly Effect and how it exemplifies the sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Delve into the mathematical principles behind chaotic systems and their applications in weather forecasting, population dynamics, and cryptography. Unravel the hidden order within apparent randomness and showcase the far-reaching implications of chaos theory.

  • The Mathematics Behind Cryptography

In an increasingly digital world, cryptography plays a vital role in ensuring secure communication and data protection. Did you know that the global cybersecurity market is projected to reach a staggering $248.26 billion by 2023? This statistic emphasizes the growing importance of cryptography in safeguarding sensitive information.

Explore the mathematical foundations of cryptography and how it allows for the creation of unbreakable codes and encryption algorithms. Discuss the concepts of prime numbers, modular arithmetic, and public-key cryptography. Delve into the fascinating history of cryptography, from ancient times to modern-day encryption methods. In your essay, highlight the importance of mathematics in safeguarding sensitive information and the ongoing challenges faced by cryptographers.

General Education

Writing a math essay doesn't have to be a daunting task. By choosing a captivating topic and exploring the various mathematical concepts, you can turn your essay into a fascinating journey of discovery. Whether you're uncovering the beauty of the Fibonacci sequence, exploring the mathematical underpinnings of music, or delving into the game theory revolution, there's a world of possibilities waiting to be explored. So embrace the power of mathematics and let your creativity shine through your words!

Remember, these are just a few math essay ideas to get you started. Feel free to explore other mathematical concepts that ignite your curiosity. The world of mathematics is vast, and each concept has its own unique story to tell. So go ahead, unleash your inner mathematician, and embark on an exciting journey through the captivating realm of mathematical ideas!

Tobi Columb, a math expert, is a dedicated educator and explorer. He is deeply fascinated by the infinite possibilities of mathematics. Tobi's mission is to equip his students with the tools needed to excel in the realm of numbers. He also advocates for the benefits of a gluten-free lifestyle for students and people of all ages. Join Tobi on his transformative journey of mathematical mastery and holistic well-being.

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How mathematical practices can improve your writing

Writing is similar to three specific mathematical practices: modelling, problem-solving and proving, writes Caroline Yoon. Here, she gives some tips on how to use these to improve academic writing

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I feel for my students when I hand them their first essay assignment. Many are mathematicians, students and teachers who chose to study mathematics partly to avoid writing. But in my mathematics education courses, and in the discipline more generally, academic writing is part of our routine practice.

Mathematicians face some challenging stereotypes when it comes to writing. Writing is seen as ephemeral, subjective and context-dependent, whereas mathematics is seen as enduring, universal and context-free. Writing reflects self, but mathematics transcends it: they are distinct from each other.

This is a false dichotomy that can discourage mathematicians from writing. It suggests writing is outside the natural skill set of the mathematician, and that one’s mathematics training not only neglects one’s development as a writer but actively prevents it. Rather than capitulate to this false dichotomy, I propose we turn it around to examine how writing is similar to three specific mathematical practices: modelling, problem-solving and proving.

Three mathematical practices that can improve your writing

Mathematical modelling.

Let us consider a hypothetical mathematics education student who has spent weeks thinking, reading and talking about her essay topic, but only starts writing it the night before it is due. She writes one draft only – the one she hands in – and is disappointed with the low grade her essay receives.

She wishes she had started earlier but she was still trying to figure out what she wanted to say up until the moment she started writing. It was only the pressure of the deadline that forced her to start; without it, she would have spent even more time thinking and reading to develop her ideas. After all, she reasons, there is no point writing when you do not know what to write about!

This “think first, write after” approach, sometimes known as the “writing up” model is a dangerous trap many students fall into, and is at odds with the way writing works. The approach allows no room for imperfect drafts that are a necessary part of the writing process . Writing experts trade on the generative power of imperfect writing; they encourage writers to turn off their internal critics and allow themselves to write badly as a way of overcoming writing inertia and discovering new ideas. The “shitty first draft” is an ideal (and achievable) first goal in the writing process. Anyone can produce a sketchy first draft that generates material that can be worked on, improved and eventually rewritten into a more sharable form.

Mathematical modelling offers a compelling metaphor for the generative power of imperfect writing. Like polished writing, polished mathematical models are seldom produced in the first attempt. A modeller typically begins with some understanding of the real situation to be modelled. The modeller considers variables and relationships from his or her understanding of the real situation and writes them into an initial mathematical model.

The model is his or her mathematical description of the situation, written in mathematical notation, and the modeller who publishes a mathematical model has typically created and discarded multiple drafts along the way, just as the writer who publishes a piece of writing has typically written and discarded multiple drafts along the way.

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Problem-solving

Writing an original essay is like trying to solve a mathematics problem. There is no script to follow; it must be created by simultaneously determining one’s goals and figuring out how to achieve them. In both essay writing and mathematical problem-solving, getting stuck is natural and expected. It is even a special kind of thrill.

This observation might come as a surprise to mathematicians who do not think of their problem-solving activity as writing. But doing mathematics, the ordinary everyday act of manipulating mathematical relationships and objects to notice new levels of structure and pattern, involves scratching out symbols and marks, and moving ideas around the page or board.

Why do I care that mathematicians acknowledge their natural language of symbols and signs as writing? Quite frankly because they are good at it. They have spent years honing their ability to use writing to restructure their thoughts, to dissect their ideas, identify new arguments. They possess an analytic discipline that most writers struggle with.

Yet few of my mathematics education students take advantage of this in their academic writing. They want their writing to come out in consecutive, polished sentences and become discouraged when it does not. They do not use their writing to analyse and probe their arguments as they do when they are stuck on mathematical problems. By viewing writing only as a medium for communicating perfectly formed thoughts, they deny themselves their own laboratories, their own thinking tools.

I am not suggesting that one’s success in solving mathematical problems automatically translates into successful essay writing. But the metaphor of writing as problem-solving might encourage a mathematics education student not to give up too easily when she finds herself stuck in her writing.

Our hypothetical student now has a good draft that she is happy with. She is satisfied it represents her knowledge of the subject matter and has read extensively to check the accuracy of its content. A friend reads the draft and remarks that it is difficult to understand. Our student is unperturbed. She puts it down to her friend’s limited knowledge of the subject and is confident her more knowledgeable teacher will understand her essay.

But the essay is not an inert record judged on the number of correct facts it contains. It is also a rhetorical act that seeks to engage the public. It addresses an audience, it tries to persuade, to inspire some response or action.

Mathematical proofs are like expository essays in this regard; they must convince an audience. When undergraduate mathematics students learn to construct proofs of their own, a common piece of advice is to test them on different audiences. The phrase “Convince yourself, convince a friend, convince an enemy” becomes relevant in this respect.

Mathematicians do not have to see themselves as starting from nothing when they engage in academic writing. Rather, they can use mathematical principles they have already honed in their training, but which they might not have formerly recognised as tools for improving their academic writing.

Practical tips for productive writing beliefs and behaviours

  • Writing can generate ideas. Free writing is a good way to start. Set a timer and write continuously for 10 minutes without editing. These early drafts will be clumsy, but there will also be some gold that can be mined and developed.
  • Writing can be used to analyse and organise ideas. When stuck, try to restructure your ideas. Identify the main point in each paragraph and play around with organising their flow. 
  • Writing is a dialogue with the public. Seek out readers’ interpretations of your writing and listen to their impressions. Read your writing out loud to yourself: you will hear it differently!

Caroline Yoon is an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Auckland.

This is an edited version of the journal article “The writing mathematician” by Caroline Yoon, published in For the Learning of Mathematics  and collected in The Best Writing on Mathematics , edited by  Mircea Pitici  (Princeton University Press).

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the Campus newsletter .

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What Students Are Saying About the Value of Math

We asked teenagers: Do you see the point in learning math? The answer from many was “yes.”

importance of mathematics essay writing

By The Learning Network

“Mathematics, I now see, is important because it expands the world,” Alec Wilkinson writes in a recent guest essay . “It is a point of entry into larger concerns. It teaches reverence. It insists one be receptive to wonder. It requires that a person pay close attention.”

In our writing prompt “ Do You See the Point in Learning Math? ” we wanted to know if students agreed. Basic arithmetic, sure, but is there value in learning higher-level math, such as algebra, geometry and calculus? Do we appreciate math enough?

The answer from many students — those who love and those who “detest” the subject alike — was yes. Of course math helps us balance checkbooks and work up budgets, they said, but it also helps us learn how to follow a formula, appreciate music, draw, shoot three-pointers and even skateboard. It gives us different perspectives, helps us organize our chaotic thoughts, makes us more creative, and shows us how to think rationally.

Not all were convinced that young people should have to take higher-level math classes all through high school, but, as one student said, “I can see myself understanding even more how important it is and appreciating it more as I get older.”

Thank you to all the teenagers who joined the conversation on our writing prompts this week, including students from Bentonville West High School in Centerton, Ark, ; Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles ; and North High School in North St. Paul, Minn.

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

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What is the importance of mathematics in our daily lives?

Mathematics is a powerful tool for global understanding and communication that organizes our lives and prevents chaos. Mathematics helps us understand the world and provides an effective way of building mental discipline.

Math encourages logical reasoning, critical thinking, creative thinking, abstract or spatial thinking, problem-solving ability, and even effective communication skills. Let's understand the importance of mathematics in our daily life.

Importance of mathematics

The Importance of Mathematics in Our Daily Lives

Mathematics : introduction.

  • Mathematics helps to develop the ability to think.
  • It helps explain how things work.
  • It helps to develop wisdom.
  • It increases the speed of intuition.
  • It helps to make the child smarter.
  • Money can be collected in mathematics when used as a profession.
  • It is important in a constantly evolving world.
  • It provides the child with an opportunity to get to the world.

Mathematics in Our Everyday Life

Although the importance of Mathematics can never be denied, a general fear of dealing with math exists in students across the world.

Having said that, most people, nowadays grapple with the calculations, as they find them too tough to handle. 

To ease their life, there exists a comprehensive platform like Khanacademy and mathisfun. Moving from specific to general, it has a host of calculators dealing with physics, chemistry, general arithmetic’s, and many more.

 So, students of various disciplines can use this website to solve their math’s-related problems without any hassle.

The Most Important Uses of Mathematics 

Practical uses of mathematics in everyday life, the importance of mathematics to individuals, the importance of mathematics to society, contact form.

Home — Essay Samples — Science — Mathematics in Everyday Life — Mathematics In Everyday Life: Most Vital Discipline

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Mathematics in Everyday Life: Most Vital Discipline

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Published: Mar 14, 2019

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Works Cited

  • Benacerraf, P. (1991). Mathematics as an object of knowledge. In P. Benacerraf & H. Putnam (Eds.), Philosophy of mathematics: Selected readings (pp. 1-13). Cambridge University Press.
  • EdReady. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.edready.org/
  • Puttaswamy, T. K. (2012). Engineering mathematics. Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd.
  • Steen, L. A. (Ed.). (2001). Mathematics today: Twelve informal essays. Springer Science & Business Media.
  • Suter, B. W. (2012). Mathematics education: A critical introduction. Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Tucker, A. W. (2006). Applied combinatorics. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Vakil, R. (2017). A mathematical mosaic: Patterns & problem solving. Princeton University Press.
  • Wolfram MathWorld. (n.d.). MathWorld--The web's most extensive mathematics resource. Retrieved from http://mathworld.wolfram.com/
  • Wu, H. H. (2011). The mis-education of mathematics teachers. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 77(1), 1-20.
  • Ziegler, G. M., & Aigner, M. (2012). Proofs from THE BOOK. Springer Science & Business Media.

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Essay on Importance of Mathematics for Students

Importance of Mathematics

Mathematics is the queen of science. We cannot imagine our life without mathematics. Mathematics makes human life more Organized. The knowledge of numbers and their basic operation is very important to survive in today’s world.

Essay on Importance of Mathematics in Daily Life for Students

Importance of Mathematics

Mathematics has its application in daily life such as Time -management, Finance management, Profit and loss in business, Cooking, Purchasing and selling, Consumption of electricity, and patrol. There is hardly any field of science, which does not use mathematics as a tool to arrive at the desired result.

Engineering , Medical , Pharmacy, Geography, Economics, Accountancy and all field related to science uses mathematical methods to study the subjects.

Definition of Mathematics:

How we can define mathematics “Mathematics is the body of knowledge based on numbers and figures”.

Importance of Mathematics in Daily Life:

Math has multiple advantages in day-to-day life. Let’s discuss the importance of Math in day-to-day life.

The most important thing about Maths is that it helps to develop your brain. We know that we can strengthen our muscles by exercise in the same way we can strengthen neurons in our brain by doing Maths. Our brain is made of neuron’s when we do Math neurons in our brain are stimulated.

Research work done by Dr. Tanya Evans of Stanford University proves that the student who performs well in Math can recruit certain brain regions more reliably and have more gray matter in those regions, as compared to those who perform poorly in math.

If you want to succeed in life then you must learn the art of time management math helps you to read the time and manage it. If you understand fractions in math in a better way you can understand time in a better way. Learning to read the analog clock is the first step of time management and it is possible only because of math. In school children are taught to read both times of watching the 12-hour clock and 24-hour clock.

Math helps you with your finances it is said that you should never spend more than your income. Math helps you to calculate your monthly expenditure and helps you keep your monthly expenses as low as possible. Math helps you to calculate what part of your monthly income you are spending on different services and goods. Math helps you to keep your monthly expenditure below your monthly income.

It also helps to calculate your saving according to your future needs. Knowledge of math is also required in investing money in property, bank schemes Mutual funds, or the stock market. This thing required sound knowledge of math and economics.

Math and knowledge of proportion can make you an excellent cook. Let’s take an example if you are making tea. Then to make one cup of tea you will need half a cup of milk, half a cup of water, 1 spoon of tea powder, and 2 spoons of sugar. Now if you have to make two cups of tea you have two take the above ingredients in twice the quantity i.e. 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of water, 2 spoons of tea, and 4 spoons of sugar.

In this way, math helps you to decide the proportion of food ingredients according to their consumers. All this is possible because of math. It is observed that people who are good at math are also having very good problem-solving skills.

Math teaches us to think logically and creatively. Math improves our thinking and improves our Analytical thinking and reasoning ability.

We all face problems in our life our ability to solve problems depends on the way we think. All of us can think but very few think rationally. math develops rational thinking in man and hence improves his problem-solving skills.

Math also helps you to stay fit and healthy. To keep your body in shape you should know which exercise and the number of repetitions you must perform. The counting repetitions during exercise are based on math. You also need a healthy diet to stay fit. We already discussed that knowledge of math plays a vital role in deciding the proportion of ingredients in the diet.

Math helps you to understand sports in a better way. Take the example of cricket knowledge of math helps us to understand cricket scores in a better way. Batting average, bowling average, run rate, strike rate all these cricket terminologies are based on math. Using math sometimes you can also predict the winning team before the match.

Math also helps us while we drive our 2-wheeler or 4-wheeler. It helps us to keep track of the distance covered and the distance to be covered. How much petrol is left inside the tank? What should be the speed of the vehicle to reach the destination in time? All these calculations are based on math.

Conclusion:

Math is the backbone of all science we cannot imagine human life without science. To survive in this world you will need the math you cannot live for a single day without the use of math. The importance of math is like oxygen in the air without which no human progress is possible.

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Issue Cover

Article Contents

1 background to the study, 2 theoretical perspectives, 3 methodology, 5 discussion, 6 conclusion, a. a. sample tasks from the writing intervention, b b. student questionnaire, students’ perceptions of mathematics writing and its impact on their enjoyment and self-confidence.

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Tandeep Kaur, Mark Prendergast, Students’ perceptions of mathematics writing and its impact on their enjoyment and self-confidence, Teaching Mathematics and its Applications: An International Journal of the IMA , Volume 41, Issue 1, March 2022, Pages 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab008

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There have been universal endorsements of the benefits of writing as an effective medium of communicating mathematically. Writing and learning are seen as isomorphic to each other and writing can facilitate the comprehension of mathematical thinking through intrapersonal communication. Through a short writing intervention, this study investigates students’ perceptions on the use of writing in the mathematics classroom and explores the impact of writing on students’ affective domains of self-confidence and enjoyment levels in mathematics. A mixed-methods approach was employed using a pre-test, intervention, post-test design for the study. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire adapted from the Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory ( Tapia & Marsh, 2004 ), which was administered before and after the intervention. An analysis of the quantitative data revealed a significant increase in students’ mean scores for both enjoyment and self-confidence. Qualitative data collected in the form of students’ reflections of the writing intervention indicated that, overall, students had a positive perception of writing as a means of communicating in the mathematics classroom.

In India, the National Curriculum Framework (2005) describes mathematical communication as an important feature of any mathematical undertaking. It is recommended that mathematical communication which uses unambiguous and precise language is crucial for developing an appreciation of the subject. Matsuura et al. (2013) determined that such endeavours can be effective in the development of mathematical thinking and habits of mind. ‘These habits are not about particular definitions, theorems, or algorithms that one might find in a textbook; instead, they are about the thinking, mental habits, and research techniques that mathematicians employ to develop such definitions, theorems, or algorithms’ ( Matsuura et al. , 2013 , p. 736). Despite such recognized importance, there has been no research to date investigating the issue of mathematical writing in India. This present study is the first of its kind to be carried out in the Indian context.

Mathematics has evolved significantly over the past number of decades and so have the teaching practices associated with it. Various reforms have been implemented worldwide from time to time, with a focus on differing strategies to enhance deeper mathematical understanding and engagement among students. One feature of mathematical reform that has been under continuous scrutiny is ‘mathematical communication’. It has been suggested by the educational policies of almost all countries that it is necessary for students to be able to communicate mathematically and that mathematical communication should be at the heart of mathematical teaching. For example, in the USA, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989 , 2000) called for mathematical literacy for all, stressing the need for mathematical communication. Similarly, India’s National Curriculum Framework (2005) states that ‘Children see mathematics as something to talk about, to communicate through’ (p. 43). In Ireland, a recent reform of lower secondary level education has identified communication as one of the key skills of the entire curriculum. More specifically, communication also underpins a unifying strand across the Irish mathematics syllabus. The syllabus states that ‘Students should be able to communicate mathematics effectively in verbal and written form’ ( NCCA, 2018 , p. 9).

With specific reference to writing as the mode of communication, there has been increasing interest in recent years towards its role in mathematics classrooms. While participation in discourses and debates of mathematics for improved mathematical learning has been frequently emphasized ( Burton & Morgan, 2000 ), formal recommendations for mathematical writing are less explicitly available ( Casa et al. , 2016 ). Despite this, studies and interventions have consistently reported the benefits of writing in learning mathematics ( Fry & Villagomez, 2012 ; Knox, 2017 ; Kostos & Shin, 2010 ; Kuzle, 2013 ; Pugalee, 2001 ).

1.1 Mathematical writing—the perceived benefits

Bangert-Drowns et al. (2004) determine that writing and learning are isomorphic to each other. In all aspects of life, writing serves as a psychologically powerful instrument, providing a vent for thoughts through deep reflection and understanding ( Hacker et al. , 2009 ). In the classroom, writing assists students in constructing new knowledge through activities such as exploration, representation, investigation and justification ( Countryman, 1992 ). Being a planned and conscious process, it strengthens current knowledge while building new connections at the same time ( Kenney et al. , 2013 ; Kuzle, 2013 ). Pugalee (2001 ) notes that in order to express one’s thoughts through writing, inner speech has to be compressed maximally by connecting current knowledge to the new knowledge gained. With specific reference to mathematics, various studies have focused on the effects of mathematical writing in the mathematics classroom. Such research has revealed enhanced metacognitive thinking, self-confidence and enjoyment levels, which leads to increased mathematical achievement ( Knox, 2017 ; Kostos & Shin, 2010 ; Kuzle, 2013 ; Pugalee, 2001 ).

1.2 Writing and the affective domains

Emotions are fundamental to learning and can affect students’ thought processes as well as memory ( Hinton et al. , 2008 ; Westen, 1999 ). For example, threatening situations, such as peer competition, parental pressure, exam stress, image in front of teacher, etc., can affect learning in a negative way ( Wolfe & Brandt, 1998 ). Writing aids in dealing with such issues and may help bring positive changes in the affective constructs such as self-confidence and enjoyment ( Countryman, 1992 ).

Several studies have revealed that mathematics learning is highly influenced by learners’ mathematics-related beliefs, especially self-confidence ( Hannula & Malmivuori, 1997 ; Hannula et al. , 2004 ). In fact, self-confidence has been observed as the greatest non-cognitive predictor for academic achievement among other self-belief measures such as self-efficacy and self-concept ( Stankov et al. , 2014 ). On the other hand, a lack of self-confidence may negatively impact students’ motivation to learn ( Boekaerts & Rozendaal, 2010 ). Engaging students to communicate their mathematical ideas through writing may instil in them a higher level of self-confidence and critical thinking skills ( Quitadamo & Kurtz, 2007 ).

Another important construct is students’ enjoyment while learning. Many studies have evidenced a positive relationship between the level of enjoyment while performing a task and students’ attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs ( Ahmed et al. , 2010 ; Lorsbach & Jinks, 1999 ; Sakiz et al. , 2012 ). These effects are greatly enhanced if students enjoy the tasks they are working on ( Bramlett & Herron, 2009 ). Mathematical writing is one such task that may prove to be an enjoyable class activity, while also adhering to formal curricular demands.

However, little research has been conducted to examine the role of writing in relation to these affective domains ( Miller & Meece, 1997 ). With such a dearth of research in mind, this paper investigates students’ attitudes towards mathematics with regards to their enjoyment and self-confidence after a short writing intervention.

This study also aimed to capture students’ experiences of the writing intervention. It has been argued in the literature that learners’ perceptions of classroom events strongly influence their classroom behaviour and response to teaching approaches ( Marx, 1983 ; Roese & Sherman, 2007 ; Struyven et al. , 2005 ). Therefore, capturing students’ perceptions may provide useful insights for successful reform efforts. However, at the moment, such insights are not given due consideration ( Levin, 2000 ). This paper thus explores participants’ written reflections of the intervention and investigates their perceptions of it.

Keeping up with the goal of promoting mathematical communication, the Elementary Writing Mathematical Task Force from the University of Connecticut in the USA proposed the following four types of mathematical writing, with their purposes described as follows:

Exploratory (to personally make sense of a problem, situation or one’s own ideas)

Explanatory/informative (to describe, to explain)

Argumentative (to construct or critique an argument)

Mathematically creative (to document original ideas, problems and/or solutions, to convey fluency and flexibility in thinking, to elaborate on ideas)

( Casa et al. , 2016 , p. 4)

It has been suggested by the Task Force that all students should have exposure to all types of writing. However, there is an ambiguity in comprehending the context of writing in relation to mathematics ( Bossé & Faulconer, 2008 ). The Task Force highlighted two categories of writing that take place in mathematics classrooms—‘writing about mathematics’ and ‘mathematical writing’. Writing about mathematics stresses on the learning of literacy skills e.g. a mathematics autobiography, while mathematical writing emphasizes the use of mathematical symbols and vocabulary with an aim to develop mathematical reasoning.

The present study focused on the ‘explanatory’ type of mathematical writing where the purpose is to describe or explain ideas for mathematical reasoning. The study also explored the perceptions of participants for its use in mathematics class. The study aims to address the following research questions:

(1) What effect, if any, does a short mathematical writing intervention have on students’ self-confidence and enjoyment levels in mathematics?

(2) What are students’ perceptions about the use of mathematical writing in the classroom?

The study used a pre-test, intervention, post-test design to explore students’ perceptions and investigated the impact of a short writing intervention on students’ enjoyment and self-confidence in mathematics. A convergent mixed-methods approach was employed to look into the research phenomena from different viewpoints ( Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011 ), with both quantitative and qualitative data being collected. The instruments used for addressing the research questions were questionnaires and participants’ reflections. The analysis and triangulation of this data enabled a ‘complete, holistic and contextual portrayal’ of the research ( Clark & Creswell, 2008 , p. 109).

3.1 Study sample

The study was conducted in a secondary co-educational school in New Delhi, India, which is affiliated with the country’s Central Board of Secondary Education. This school caters for approximately 1000 students from Kindergarten to Grade 10. It was selected through a purposive sampling method as its location was in close proximity to one of the researchers and they had existing contacts in the school. Students from a Grade 7 and Grade 8 (aged 12–15 years old) class group were invited to partake in the study and 55 students agreed to participate. The sample was made up of 38 males (69%) and 17 females (31%), with a mean age of 13 years. For all the students, Hindi was their first language and English was their second language. However, the language of instruction for all students in the school was English.

3.2 The intervention

Realizing that students are the primary stakeholders in the field of education and that any educational reform affects them foremost, an intervention was designed to measure the impact of writing on students’ attitudes, especially the affective domains of enjoyment and self-confidence. Six sessions were administered for the intervention, in addition to an introductory session which detailed the purpose of the study. The methodology of the study was also shared at this opening session, ensuring that each student understood the research instruments that would be used. Each session was conducted for a duration of 40 min. These sessions took place during regular school study hours and in the periods allocated for extra-curricular activities. This meant that participants’ formal studies were not interrupted by any activities related to this research.

Tasks for the intervention were selected from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 grade 8 mathematics assessment items. These items manifest various ways of measuring students’ understanding in several content and cognitive domains (see Appendix A for sample tasks). Six tasks were selected, one for each session of the intervention. As this study focused particularly on the ‘explanatory’ genre of mathematical writing, tasks based on cognitive domains of reasoning were specifically selected. The criteria for selection of tasks were based on students’ previous knowledge and their current class group curriculum. Two tasks were based on identification of patterns, one was a geometry problem and the remaining three tasks were multiple choice based (see Appendix A). Each session started with class discussion of a specific task wherein students came up with different ways of solving the problem at hand. This was then followed by students’ explanation of their understanding and thought processes through writing. The researcher was present throughout each session to offer any assistance if required. No formal assessment was done for the submitted writings. Oral feedback was provided, and suggestions given to improve their writing for the subsequent sessions. One of the tasks from the intervention is specified in Fig. 1 .

Here is a pattern:

What will the next line in the pattern be? (Item number M042186, Cognitive Domain—Reasoning).

Example of a multiple choice-based task (SOURCE: TIMSS 2011 Assessment. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Publisher: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), IEA Secretariat, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.)

Example of a multiple choice-based task (SOURCE: TIMSS 2011 Assessment. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Publisher: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), IEA Secretariat, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.)

3.3 Data collection

Quantitative data were collected in the form of questionnaires which were administered both before and after the intervention. The questionnaires were adopted from the Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI; Tapia & Marsh, 2004 ). The subscales of enjoyment and self-confidence were selected for the present study. The enjoyment subscale consisted of a total of 10 statements and the self-confidence subscale comprised of 15 statements (see Appendix B). Each statement had alternative response options which were based on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Every positive statement in the questionnaires was scored from 5 to 1, ranging from 5 = ‘strongly agree’ to 1 = ‘strongly disagree’. Negatively worded items were scored in the reverse direction ranging from 1 = ‘strongly agree’ to 5 = ‘strongly disagree’. The maximum score for enjoyment subscale was 50 and for the self-confidence subscale was 75, giving an overall total score of 125.

After the final session of the intervention, qualitative data were collected in the form of participants’ written reflections. This enabled participants to share their experience regarding the use of mathematical writing as a tool for learning. Participants were prompted to reflect and write about whether they liked the intervention and to include their reasoning. Varied opinions emerged as they expressed their perceptions about the use of writing in the mathematics classroom.

3.4 Data analysis

The quantitative data for the study were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. Mean scores for the pre- and post-intervention tests were compared by descriptive analysis. In addition, t -tests were conducted to determine the statistical significance of the findings.

In order to ensure the internal consistency of the quantitative scales, Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated. The Cronbach alpha coefficients were recorded as 0.83 for the self-confidence subscale and 0.84 for the enjoyment subscale. The alpha coefficient for the overall scale was 0.95. High values of Cronbach alpha coefficients (suggested values greater than 0.70— Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994 ) indicate good internal consistency and ensure content validity for the data.

The qualitative data were analysed thematically by one of the authors. Following this, a convergence model of triangulation design ( Creswell et al. , 2007 ) was used to interpret the results from both sets (qualitative and quantitative) of analysis. This enabled the authors to examine the convergence, consistency or inconsistency of the overall data ( Ary et al. , 2010 ). Findings for both types of data are detailed in subsequent sections.

As discussed previously, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in order to address the research questions. Findings from the quantitative data will be presented first followed by those from the qualitative data.

4.1 Quantitative findings

Descriptive statistics revealed an increase in the mean scores for both the enjoyment and self-confidence scales, from ‘pre-intervention’ to ‘post-intervention’. Figure 2 illustrates a comparison of mean scores on the enjoyment (EN) and self-confidence (SC) subscales.

The results of a long jump competition were reported as follows:

Average length

Team A 3.6 m

Team B 4.8 m

There was the same number of students in each team. Which statement about the competition MUST be true?

Comparison of mean scores on enjoyment and self-confidence.

Comparison of mean scores on enjoyment and self-confidence.

As illustrated from Fig. 2 , the mean enjoyment scores increased from 35 (before the intervention) to 40 (after the intervention) from a total score of 50. The mean self-confidence scores rose from 49 (before the intervention) to 54 (after the intervention) from a total score of 75.

In addition, a paired-samples t -test was conducted to assess the statistical significance of the findings. The differences in enjoyment scores from pre-intervention ( M  = 35, SD = 7) to post-intervention ( M  = 40, SD = 5), with t (54) = −10.8, p  < 0.05 (two-tailed), were statistically significant. The mean increase in enjoyment scores was recorded as 5 with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 5.9 to 4.1. For the effect size, eta square was calculated and found to be 0.6. As suggested by Cohen (1988) , values greater than 0.1 indicate a large effect size. Therefore, it can be concluded that there was a large effect size with a significant increase in enjoyment mean scores recorded from before and after the intervention.

Similarly, for self-confidence, the increase in mean scores from the pre-intervention test ( M  = 49, SD = 9) to the post-intervention test ( M  = 54, SD = 9), with t (54) = −9.4, p  < 0.05 (two-tailed), was statistically significant. The 95% confidence interval ranged from 5.9 to 3.8 with an increase of 5 in the self-confidence mean scores. The eta square statistic (0.6) also indicated a large effect size, implying that participants felt greater levels of self-confidence in learning mathematics aided by the writing intervention.

4.1.1 Further analysis

A statement-wise analysis of the two subscales for both the pre- and post-intervention revealed some noteworthy findings. Six out of 10 statements on the enjoyment subscale showed noticeable changes in the responses marked by the participants at both testing points. As an example, for the statement ‘I really like mathematics’, 20 out of 55 students (36% of the participants) recorded their response as ‘strongly agree’ in the post-test as compared to 8 students (14%) in the pre-test.

In the self-confidence questionnaire analysis, 5 out of 15 statements showed clear changes in terms of responses obtained from participants. For example, for the statement ‘I am always under a terrible strain in a mathematics class’, 23 students (42% of the participants) recorded the response ‘strongly disagree’ in the post-test as compared to 9 participants (16%) in the pre-test. Interestingly, for the statement ‘When I hear the word mathematics, I have a feeling of dislike’, there were no responses in favour of ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ in the post-test questionnaire as compared to 9 responses (2 for ‘strongly agree’ and 7 for ‘agree’) in the pre-test.

4.1.2 Gender-based findings

A descriptive analysis was performed to explore for any gender-based differences in the mean scores. Table 1 compares the mean scores of male and female participants in both the pre- and post-intervention tests and these are further illustrated by the line graph in Fig. 3 .

Comparison of mean scores gender-wise

GenderTotal EN preTotal EN postTotal Sc preTotal Sc post
Male34404954
Female36405155
GenderTotal EN preTotal EN postTotal Sc preTotal Sc post
Male34404954
Female36405155

Gender-based differences.

Gender-based differences.

A general look at the line graph determines that females scored slightly higher on both the EN and SC subscales for the pre-intervention tests. While this trend continued in the post-intervention tests, the scores between both groups were closer.

To test the statistical significance of these gender-based differences, an independent-samples t -test was conducted on the mean scores of both males and females for each of the subscales, both before and after the intervention.

Regarding the enjoyment subscale, the tests recorded t (53) = −0.5, p  > 0.05 (two-tailed) for the pre-intervention and t (53) = −0.3, p  > 0.05 (two-tailed) for the post-intervention. For the self-confidence subscale, the tests showed the values as t (53) = −0.9, p  > 0.05 (two-tailed) for pre-intervention and t (53) = −0.4, p  > 0.05 (two-tailed) for the post-intervention. These findings revealed that differences between the scores obtained by the two gender groups were not statistically significant.

4.2 Qualitative findings

An analysis of participants’ reflections provided an interesting glimpse of their thoughts and opinions about writing. Based on responses that emerged from the qualitative data, participants’ reflections were coded into the six themes which are outlined in Table 2 . This table also shows the percentage of responses under each theme in the data sample.

% Distribution of themes for feedback responses

ThemePercentage of responses
Increase in content knowledge/understanding29%
Support for non-gradation of the writing assignments20%
Ease of written explanation as opposed to oral15%
Improved efficiency in writing11%
More time consuming16%
Linguistic barriers9%
ThemePercentage of responses
Increase in content knowledge/understanding29%
Support for non-gradation of the writing assignments20%
Ease of written explanation as opposed to oral15%
Improved efficiency in writing11%
More time consuming16%
Linguistic barriers9%

As evident from Table 2 , 29% of the participants related the writing activity to increased content knowledge and a greater understanding of the mathematics (either directly or indirectly). Many of these responses signalled the importance of connections to prior knowledge using phrases such as ‘ I need to know first what is average ’ and ‘ you have to remember what you have done before ’ e.g. a student wrote the following: ‘ for solving, I just need to remember the formula but for writing I have to remember the work of [the] previous class also and how it comes ’.

Support for non-gradation of the writing assignments ranked second in the list of themes that emerged from the data and was noted in 20% of the respondents’ reflections. Furthermore, 15% of participants expressed that it was easier to explain through writing as opposed to an oral explanation. For example, one student expressed ‘ I like it. I know all [the] answers, but I am shy to speak it to all my class. When [the] teacher tells me to explain it, I cannot do it. But by writing, I can explain. So, I like it ’. Moreover, 11% of participants also noted an ‘ improved efficiency in writing ’ in general.

However, the lengthy nature of writing activities was a cause of concern for 16% of participants, as could be found in their responses for feedback which included phrases like ‘ lengthy activity ’, ‘ It takes a long time to write ’ and ‘solving is quicker than writing ’.

Finally, 9% of the participants found the task of writing challenging due to a lack of vocabulary to express themselves. They mentioned that they were more comfortable in solving questions mathematically as opposed to writing explanations using the English language.

Sample responses from participants’ reflections under the above-mentioned themes are presented in Table 3 .

Sample responses for participants’ attitude towards writing

Theme  = 55Sample responses
Increase in content knowledge/understanding16

Support for non-gradation of the writing assignments11


Ease of written explanation as opposed to oral8

Improved efficiency in writing6


More time consuming9

Linguistic barriers5

Theme  = 55Sample responses
Increase in content knowledge/understanding16

Support for non-gradation of the writing assignments11


Ease of written explanation as opposed to oral8

Improved efficiency in writing6


More time consuming9

Linguistic barriers5

There were also some responses where the participants liked the activity provided some conditions were met. Their responses marked the presence of ‘If’, ‘but’, etc. For example,

‘…. if teacher is there to guide me how to write and explain’

‘… but not for big questions. You have to write a lot’

‘……only when it is for activity, not for exam’

A full excerpt from a student’s similar response is cited here for reference:

‘I think writing helps to understand more by explaining and also it is a good brain exercise when we have to remember what we done before in the previous class. But in the [examination] paper, we have to solve only and then we get full marks. So, we should not waste time in writing because in this time we can solve many questions if we remember the formula’.

Although this student acknowledged the benefit of writing in terms of understanding more, they preferred giving a procedural solution or stating the answer directly. This student recognized that memorizing formulae is enough for getting good marks in an examination (owing to the particular marking scheme adopted). This raises the question of whether current assessment systems and education policies are really in favour of developing students’ understanding or are merely ranking procedures that reward rote learning.

A detailed discussion of these findings with illustrative examples and links to the research questions and relevant literature is included in the next section.

In this section, each research question is addressed, and findings discussed with relevant supporting references from the literature.

5.1 Research question 1: what effects, if any, does a short mathematical writing intervention have on students’ self-confidence and enjoyment levels in mathematics?

5.1.1 impact of the intervention on students’ enjoyment.

The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that participants’ mean enjoyment scores increased from 34.79 (prior to the intervention) to 39.82 (after the intervention). Results of a paired-samples t -test confirmed the statistical significance of this increase. In addition, these findings were supported through participants’ reflections of their perceptions of the writing intervention. Responses such as ‘ I like it ’, ‘ It was enjoyable ’, ‘… I like my maths class as this ’ indicate participants’ perceived enjoyment and positive attitude towards the writing intervention. A few students even expressed a desire for writing to be a regular feature of their mathematics lessons. For instance,

‘...Can we have it in our daily class also?’

‘…I think it should be weekly or on alternate days’

‘…We should have it in our daily class also’

This enjoyment was facilitated in a number of ways. For example, the role of a comfortable and interactive classroom environment was emphasized in the literature ( Firmender et al. , 2017 ; Hidi, 2000 ) and this was given due consideration throughout this study. The aim was to make students feel stress-free while writing their solution strategies.

5.1.2 Impact of the intervention on students’ self-confidence

Writing can develop greater confidence in mathematics by providing students with opportunities to grapple with mathematical ideas ( Powell, 1997 ). This assertion is particularly relevant to the present study, given the results of the self-confidence questionnaire. The increase in participants’ mean scores for self-confidence from 49.48 (pre-test) to 54.40 (post-test) is statistically significant as confirmed by the paired-samples t -test. The results are also supported by participants’ reflections of the writing intervention.

Participants felt an increase in confidence for a variety of reasons, for example, a greater understanding, improved efficiency in writing, clarity of thoughts, etc. Some excerpts from participants’ reflections are provided in Fig. 4 to highlight the findings specifically in relation to confidence.

Sample examples relating to confidence.

Sample examples relating to confidence.

Sample of participants’ work.

Sample of participants’ work.

Sample examples relating to non-gradation.

Sample examples relating to non-gradation.

The use of phrases such as ‘ was sure’ , ‘ understood more’ and ‘ can improve’ in these excerpts are indicative of students’ increased confidence through writing and help to reaffirm the quantitative findings.

The reflection process which occurs during writing provides learners with an opportunity to look at their own thoughts and refine them in accordance with the information to be conveyed. ‘ Such acquisition of control and monitoring capabilities engenders in students’ feelings of accomplishment...students develop faith in themselves as learners who are capable of doing and understanding mathematics ’ ( Powell, 1997 , p. 23). According to Bandura (1977 ), performance accomplishments are the most powerful contributors to one’s self-efficacy beliefs. The confidence gained through these small accomplishments leads to motivation which brings further enjoyment for the task at hand.

5.2 Research question 2: what are students’ perceptions about the use of mathematical writing in the classroom?

A variety of student perceptions about the use of mathematical writing emerged from participants’ reflections. As detailed in Section 4.2, these responses were categorized into themes which will now be discussed considering similar studies from the literature.

5.2.1 Increase in content knowledge/understanding

As mentioned previously, 29% of participants noted an increase in their content knowledge and/or understanding. One participant wrote the following:

‘I don’t want to do maths for marks. This activity I enjoyed because you are doing it for your understanding, not as a paper (exam). I understood more when I solved my answers by writing’.

Participants’ feedback included statements such as ‘able to understand more by writing’, ‘writing helps to understand in a good way’, ‘by writing, there is less confusion for the answer’ and that ‘it will also clear any doubts that you had since you have to provide reasons on why your answer is correct’. Figure 5 presents a students’ work from the six sessions of the intervention, along with the feedback for how the student felt about the writing intervention.

These findings resonate with the results from many other studies which have reported the instrumental role of writing in a greater acquisition of content knowledge through a deeper engagement with the subject (for example, Borasi & Rose, 1989 ; Craig, 2016 ; Porter & Masingila, 2000 ; Pugalee, 2004 ).

A noteworthy observation was the reflection of thoughts through writing, as shown by the following response.

‘ When we write, we can revise it many times and we can know if we get a right or wrong answer. If I see that I am thinking wrong, I can start again with some other method but if we are just explaining orally, you have said all [the] words, and you cannot go back and change your answer. So, I like this part of writing that you can see what you are thinking and change it any time before submitting [the] final answer ’.

This excerpt is indicative of the importance of the reflection process that occurs while writing. Even though students may not recognize this on-going process, it is one of the many potential benefits of writing ( Craig, 2011 ; Ray Parsons, 2011 ). Effective learning occurs while resolving the cognitive conflicts in writers’ minds and results in metacognitive development ( Kuzle, 2013 ; Pugalee, 2004 ).

Sample examples relating to preference over oral explanations.

Sample examples relating to preference over oral explanations.

Sample examples relating to written efficiency.

Sample examples relating to written efficiency.

5.2.2 Support for non-gradation of the writing assignments

In the qualitative data, many participants (20%) attributed the non-grading criterion of the written tasks as one of the reasons that they were comfortable with writing. They commented that while writing, they did not experience fear or anxiety of mathematics and enjoyed the activity without any stress as ‘it was not an exam’. Some participants’ reflections relevant to this are provided in Fig. 6 .

The literature provides evidence that anxiety regarding grading and assessment not only disrupts students’ capability to reason and understand but also causes a disliking for the subject ( Wells, 1994 ). In other words, the fear of being assessed may obstruct learning from taking place naturally and may hold back students from even attempting various mathematical tasks. This raises concerns regarding the adequacy of current assessment systems which often fail to assess the process and are more focused on the product of learning ( Little et al. , 2017 ). Another point of importance here is that participants were more comfortable because their wrong answers or mistakes were not highlighted. This is noteworthy, especially in the domain of mathematics where making mistakes can be an integral part of the learning experience. The fear of making mistakes may inhibit the brain’s growth and capacity to learn and understand ( Boaler & Dweck, 2016 ).

5.2.3 Ease of written explanation as opposed to oral

Among the various benefits of writing is its efficacy to reach out to diverse learners ( Bakewell, 2008 ). This assertion proved to be particularly true for the current study where approximately 15% of participants expressed being more comfortable with written explanations as opposed to oral. There were varied reasons for this response with many signalling a lack of confidence for class interactions. Some excerpts are provided in Fig. 7 to illustrate this.

These findings, as well as others from the literature, highlight that writing is a useful medium for empowering students who feel too shy to take part in class discussions. For example, a year-long study by Fry and Villagomez (2012) in the USA showed that writing helped introverts who seldom took part in class interactions. Students who participated in the writing-to-learn activities of that study showed an increased engagement with the course content. Furthermore, other research (for example, Pugalee, 2004 ) also notes the benefits of written explanations over oral, thus providing a rationale for writing to be an important vehicle for learning.

5.2.4 Improved efficiency in writing

Another feature perceived by participants in favour of writing was improved competence in their writing skills. Some students (11%) commented that they felt an improvement as they learned new words and gained confidence for writing. A few participants also expressed that they expect to improve further if they keep practicing. Figure 8 provides some of the participants’ reflections under this theme.

These findings are supported by existing literature in the field. It has been reported that an improved use of vocabulary (both in terms of formal mathematical vocabulary as well as the usage of complete sentences and linking words) is an associated advantage of providing reasoning in mathematical writing ( Cohen et al. , 2015 ). Rubenstein (2007 ) contends that in order to communicate mathematically, students must learn how to use correct mathematical language and this learning is supported through writing. Although participants in this study did not report an improvement in mathematics vocabulary, in particular, it could be expected that enjoyment and confidence gained through an improved comprehension in general may enthuse them with a liking for mastering discipline-specific language.

5.2.5 More time consuming

There were mixed responses from respondents in relation to the time-factor. Nine out of 55 students commented that writing takes a longer time and that they preferred giving a direct answer to the problem. Some of these contended that the aim of solving a mathematical task is getting the correct answer and thus viewed writing as a ‘waste of time’. A smaller number also felt that even though writing results in improved learning and is a good brain exercise, the lengthy nature of this activity trumps its benefits and thus, it may be ‘good for some problems but not for all’. Excerpts from some participants’ responses that fall into this category are presented in Fig. 9 .

The time-consuming nature of writing, as reported by the participants of this study, has also been reported by many others. In fact, the constraint of time acts as a potential drawback to the implementation of writing in regular teaching ( Baxter et al., 2005 ; McIntosh & Draper, 2001 ). On the contrary, Porter and Masingila (2000 ) assert that the success of writing in promoting a deeper mathematical understating might be primarily due to the increased time that is spent on writing for a given task. In fact, they consider whether the primary contributor in the process is the time spent on the task or the writing itself.

Sample examples relating to time consumption.

Sample examples relating to time consumption.

Sample example related to language.

Sample example related to language.

5.2.6 Linguistic barriers

Although English was the language of instruction in the school where this study was carried out, 5 out of 55 students manifested a difficulty in using the English language for their explanations. For these students, a lack of language proficiency hindered their ability to explain their reasoning. For example, one student wrote the following: ‘… I know the maths of answer but not English words ’. Findings from other studies (for example, Craig, 2011 ; Porter & Masingila, 2000 ) confirm the prevalence of such linguistic difficulties for students.

The following reflection ( Fig. 10 ) is noteworthy and is worth mentioning with respect to this theme.

In this instance, although there were no rewards or incentives for the participants, this child wanted to be a good writer. She started learning new words to be more able to express herself. This one excerpt sets an example of how writing may instil a desire to learn more and implies that writing is a beneficial medium for inter-disciplinary learning.

This study sought to examine students’ perceptions and explore the impact of mathematical writing on students’ affective constructs of enjoyment and self-confidence. An analysis of the quantitative data revealed an increase in the mean scores for both enjoyment and self-confidence. Results of t -tests confirmed that these increases were statistically significant. A further analysis revealed there to be no gender-related differences.

A thematic analysis of participants’ reflections of the writing intervention also signalled a positive perception towards such activities. Overall, participants gave a positive response towards the intervention and reported an increase in content knowledge/understanding as the main reason. As well as supporting the non-grading of the tasks, some students also noted the ease of written explanations as opposed to oral and an improved efficiency in writing. At the same time, the time-consuming nature of the activity and a lack of proficiency in English language emerged as the factors of concern for a few participants.

In conclusion, findings from this study indicated a progressive shift in students’ attitude post-intervention. Hence, although this was a short intervention with a relatively small cohort, it can be inferred that mathematical writing has the potential to increase students’ enjoyment and self-confidence in mathematics and has a positive impact on their learning. In contrast with the traditional methods of teaching, writing activities in mathematics may serve as an effective medium for transforming students’ mindsets and fostering positive attitudes towards the subject.

However, the benefits of writing are contingent on a host of factors such as the nature of the writing tasks allotted to students, the intensity of intervention by instructors, the students’ ability to exploit its benefits, etc. It is necessary to keep these factors in mind as these may neutralize the positives that can be gained from writing. Furthermore, students and teachers may hold different views about mathematical writing which may affect the quality and nature of writing in a mathematics classroom. In addition, time-bound learning also constrains the integration of writing into classrooms. Future research might gauge the effect of other contextual factors, for example, classroom environment, motivational and constructive feedback, etc. that may aid in bringing out positive changes in students’ affective domains while learning. Additional research is also required to investigate how writing, if incorporated into the regular curriculum, may change learners’ as well as teachers’ beliefs about the nature of mathematics.

It is important to keep in mind that the absence of a comparison or control group may affect the generalizability of the results of this study and that the positive results may not be solely due to the intervention. Several other factors such as the non-routine nature of the mathematics tasks, the activity-based sessions, non-grading of work, absence of teacher, etc., could have contributed to the findings. Nonetheless, the results of the study point to the potential of mathematical writing to be used as an effective scaffolding tool for students’ mathematics learning.

Additionally, the effect of various other contextual factors cannot be ignored. There is a chance that participants’ enhanced enjoyment and self-confidence in this study could have been affected by the nature of the research context itself. For example, participants may be keen to impress and please the researcher which might also have acted as a restraining factor affecting the results of the study in a positive or negative manner. Activity-based intervention with no assessment involved may also have contributed to the heightened enjoyment and reduced levels of anxiety in participants.

Finally, the study has emphasized a domain of mathematics education where there is a dearth of research. It has thus added value to the existing body of research and is particularly enriching from an Indian context. In terms of future educational policy, it may prove to be helpful and act as a starting point for further research in India and indeed in other education systems around the world.

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Tandeep Kaur is a research associate and a doctoral student at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. She has extensive experience in teaching mathematics at the secondary and senior secondary level. Her research interests lie in exploration of best practices in mathematics education, initial teacher education and students’ mental health and well-being. E-mail: [email protected]

Mark Prendergast is a senior lecturer in Education in the School of Education at University College Cork. His teaching and research interests include mathematics education, teacher education and working with non-traditional students. E-mail: [email protected]

(All tasks were selected from TIMSS (2011) 8th-Grade Mathematics Concepts and Mathematics Items SOURCE: TIMSS 2011 Assessment. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Publisher: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), IEA Secretariat, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.)

Each student in team B jumped farther than any student in team A.

After every student in team A jumped, there was a student in team B who jumped farther.

As a group, team B jumped farther than team A.

Some students in team A jumped farther than some students in team B.

(Item number M042269, Cognitive Domain—Reasoning)

EN1. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of solving a mathematics problem.

EN2. I have usually enjoyed studying mathematics in school.

EN3. Mathematics is dull and boring.

EN4. I like to solve new problems in mathematics.

EN5. I would prefer to do an assignment in mathematics than to write an essay.

EN6. I really like mathematics.

EN7. I am happier in a mathematics class than in any other class.

EN8. Mathematics is a very interesting subject.

EN9. I am comfortable expressing my own ideas on how to look for solutions to a difficult problem in mathematics.

EN10. I am comfortable answering questions in mathematics class.

SC1. Mathematics is one of my most dreaded subjects.

SC2. My mind goes blank and I am unable to think clearly when working with mathematics.

SC3. Studying mathematics makes me feel nervous.

SC4. Mathematics makes me feel uncomfortable.

SC5. I am always under a terrible strain in a mathematics class.

SC6. When I hear the word mathematics, I have a feeling of dislike.

SC7. It makes me nervous to even think about having to do a mathematics problem.

SC8. Mathematics does not scare me at all.

SC9. I expect to do fairly well in any mathematics class I take.

SC10. I am always confused in my mathematics class.

SC11. I have a lot of self-confidence when it comes to mathematics.

SC12. I am able to solve mathematics problems without too much difficulty.

SC13. I feel a sense of insecurity when attempting mathematics.

SC14. I learn mathematics easily.

SC15. I believe I am good at solving mathematics problems.

(ATMI; Tapia & Marsh, 2004 ).

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Use of Mathematics in Daily Life Essay | Essay on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Use of Mathematics in Daily Life Essay:  Math has become an inseparable piece of our lives. Whether we work in an office or invest the majority of our energy at home, every last one of us utilizes math as a piece of our regular day to day existence.

Regardless of where we are, just as we are doing, math is consistently there if you notice it. For those of you who feel restless about utilizing mathematics, here is a rundown of the day by day exercises that include utilizing this general subject. So kick back and investigate how we use math in our regular day to day existence.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life for Students and Kids in English

We provide the student with essay samples on an extended essay of 500 words and a short piece of 150 words on the Use Of Mathematics In Daily Life.

Long Essay on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Mathematics is a deliberate utilization of issue. Moreover, the subject of Mathematics is one of the main subjects of our life. Regardless of which field or calling you to have a place with, its utilization is all over. That is the reason it is essential to have a decent comprehension of the subject. Even though the essentials of mathematics start from school; however, its use proceeds till we become grown-ups, and in this manner, it very well may be said that maths has become a vital part. Envisioning our lives without it resembles a boat without a sail. You may be shocked to realize that we use mathematics consistently, even without knowing it. From dialing numbers on the telephone to giving cash for making the installments, our reality is encircled by mathematics. So let us see what sway this subject has made on our lives.

While planning food, we generally measure the various fixings to cook the ideal amount as it were. This is conceivable only because of mathematics. On the off chance that we didn’t know about the numbers, it would not have been reasonable to quantify, make changes, and cook delicious food. So you can say that our day starts with the idea of maths.

While going shopping, we set up a rundown of things we require, compute the necessary measure of cash for it, and so forth. This count depends on numbers which come from mathematics. Without the numbers, you can’t choose the amount you have to pay to the merchant and the amount you have spared. So on account of shopping as well, you are encircled by the universe of mathematics.

This is where various mathematics ideas are applied, and accordingly, the specialists need to have a decent agreement and order of the subject. Taking care of the bank’s exchanges isn’t straightforward, and you have to have some information on mathematics to keep up your record, store and pull out cash, and so forth. On the off chance you wish to advance, you have to consider the interest you should pay and the month to month premium you would need to pay. The financial area is identified with maths; thus, even the clients should be acquainted with it.

Everybody loves to travel, yet there is much more to it than the delight. While arranging your excursion, you do not just need to choose where you wish to go yet book your inn, tickets, and so forth. This requires spending arranging and a feeling of comprehension of mathematics with the goal that you can achieve the various assignments effectively. From making a trip separation to its cost, transport tickets, employing taxis, and so forth all require maths.

Subsequently, from the above models, you may have a reasonable thought that there is no such region where the idea of mathematics isn’t utilized. You can’t manage without this subject, and that is why it is essential to keep your rudiments option to play out the regular exercises of life. So mess around with the number and appreciate.

Short Essay on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Mathematics is helpful in our everyday life. The utilization of mathematics causes us to play out various assignments without breaking a sweat. In this article, we will find out about a couple of employments of mathematics today by day life. One of the regular employments of mathematics is cash the executives. These abilities will assist you in overseeing money. With the assistance of mathematics abilities, they can ascertain straightforward and accruing funds without much of a stretch.

Moreover, you can now access more Essay Writing on this topic and many more. These aptitudes are significant in overseeing cash and developing it up. Mathematics helps individuals to figure which bank is giving better revenue on their venture for a particular period. It will help with choosing which Mastercard and credits charge a low pace of interest. These are a portion of the significant territories in the day by day life that requires numerical aptitudes. Information on math helps you make better choices throughout everyday life, which helps make life simpler.

10 Lines on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life in English

  • Mathematics is helpful in our everyday life.
  • Mathematics is a deliberate utilization of issue.
  • Mathematics is one of the main subjects of our life.
  • Information on math helps you make better choices throughout everyday life, which helps make life simpler.
  • The financial area is identified with maths; thus, even the clients should be acquainted with it.
  • Mathematics helps individuals to figure which bank is giving better revenue on their venture for a particular period.
  • Math has become an inseparable piece of our lives. Whether we work in an office or invest the majority of our energy at home, every last one of us utilizes math as a piece of our regular day to day existence.
  • With the assistance of mathematics abilities, they can ascertain straightforward and accruing funds without much of a stretch.
  • From dialing numbers on the telephone to giving cash for making the installments, our reality is encircled by mathematics.
  • The universe of mathematics encompasses you.

FAQ’s on Use of Mathematics in Daily Life Essay

Question 1. What are the employments of maths?

Answer: Mathematics makes our life deliberate and forestalls tumult. Specific characteristics supported by mathematics are the intensity of thinking, innovativeness, theoretical or spatial reasoning, basic reasoning, critical thinking capacity, and even viable relational abilities.

Question 2. How would we use math in shopping?

Answer: Math utilized when purchasing something. To start with, you use including and expansion used to tell how much cash you have. Rates and development are being used to figure the price tag. At that point, the deduction is used to sort out how much change is expected.

Question 3. How would you use math when voyaging?

Answer: Math proves to be useful when voyaging. Consider it: When you travel, math tags along – from assessing the fuel measure, you’ll have to arrange out an excursion dependent on miles every hour and separation voyaged. Computing fuel use is pivotal to significant distance travel.

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What is the importance of reading and writing in the math curriculum?

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• IDRA Newsletter • March 2003

Research and Best Practice

Reading, writing, and mathematics are, or should be, inseparable. Hands-on mathematics can stimulate curiosity, engage student interest and build important prior knowledge before students read or write about the topic. The more students know about a topic, the better they comprehend and learn from text on the topic. Prior knowledge is the strongest predictor of student ability to make inferences from text.

Hands-on mathematics, though, must be combined with minds-on activities. Reading and writing activities can help students analyze, interpret and communicate mathematical ideas. These are skills needed to evaluate sources of information and the validity of the information itself, a key competency for mathematically literate citizens.

Many of the process skills needed for mathematics are similar to reading skills and, when taught together, would reinforce each other. Examples of common skills are predicting, inferring, communicating, comparing and contrasting, and recognizing cause and effect relationships. Teachers who recognize the interrelatedness of mathematics and literacy processes can design instruction that reflects these similarities. Becoming a Nation of Readers suggests that the most logical place for instruction in most reading and thinking strategies is in the content areas rather than in separate lessons about reading.

The importance of writing in the mathematics classroom cannot be overemphasized. In the process of writing, students clarify their own understanding of mathematics and hone their communication skills. They must organize their ideas and thoughts more logically and structure their conclusions in a more coherent way. Competency in writing can only be accomplished through active practice; solving mathematics problems is a natural vehicle for increasing students’ writing competence.

Classroom Implications

Motivating and engaging students to speak, ask questions, learn new vocabulary and write their thoughts comes easily when they are curious, exploring and engaged in their own mathematics inquiry. Teachers can take advantage of students’ innate wonder and inquisitiveness to develop language skills while learning mathematics concepts. Integrating literacy activities into mathematics classes helps clarify concepts and can make mathematics more meaningful and interesting. Teachers can use a wide variety of literature, including trade books, texts and fiction. Selecting a fiction book with a mathematical theme both provides information and captivates student interest. Fiction works successfully with young learners by embedding cognitive learning in imaginative stories.

Asking students to write mathematics journals about their problem-solving experiences or to articulate and defend their views about mathematics-related issues provides opportunities to clarify their thinking and develop communications skills. Other ways to integrate writing in mathematics are recording and describing situations that involve mathematics, and writing persuasive letters on social issues like the use of sampling by the Census Bureau. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics provides annual lists of outstanding new literature and multimedia materials.

For English language learners, instruction in mathematics can be enhanced by the use of hands-on materials. Interacting with materials and phenomena enables English language learners to ask and answer questions of the materials themselves and use the materials as visual aids in conversation with the teacher and peers. Visual and auditory clues should be plentiful – charts with pictures of materials and key procedures, for example. Teachers should select vocabulary carefully, repeat key words often, and refer to charts with the written words. Working in pairs or small groups makes native language support by peers or instructional aides more feasible.

Mathematics teachers can help all students increase their comprehension of mathematics texts by activating their prior knowledge through brainstorming, discussing the topic, asking questions and providing analogies. Specific attention to vocabulary is often necessary to enable comprehension of mathematics texts. Teachers should introduce new vocabulary and use a graphic organizer, concept or semantic map or collaborative peer study techniques to develop understanding of new words.

Anderson, R.C., and E.H. Hiebert, I.A.G. Scott. Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading (Washington, D.C.: The National Institute of Education, 1984).

Barton, M.L., and C. Heidema. Teaching Reading in Mathematics , second edition (Aurora, Colo.: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2002).

Billmeyer, R., and ML Barton. Teaching Reading in the Content Areas (Aurora, Colo.: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 1988).

National Commission of Excellence in Education. A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1983).

Reprinted with permission from EDThoughts – What We Know About Mathematics Teaching and Learning , edited by J. Sutton and A. Krueger (Aurora, Colo.: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2002) pp. 50-51.

Comments and questions may be directed to him via e-mail at [email protected] .

[©2003, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the March 2003  IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]

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The Simple Math of Writing Well: Writing for the 21st Century

(8 reviews)

importance of mathematics essay writing

Jennie A. Harrop, George Fox University

Copyright Year: 2018

ISBN 13: 9780999829202

Publisher: George Fox University Library

Language: English

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Reviewed by Linda Haynes, Associate Director of Introductory Composition, Purdue University on 12/30/23

I can’t imagine that any textbook can cover everything an instructor wants in a single volume unless the instructor writes their own textbook, but this text explains a good deal of information well, especially Chapters 14-17 on Purpose, Audience,... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

I can’t imagine that any textbook can cover everything an instructor wants in a single volume unless the instructor writes their own textbook, but this text explains a good deal of information well, especially Chapters 14-17 on Purpose, Audience, Voice, and Context (or, genre and medium), and I plan to use these chapters as supplemental material to the text I currently use. For my purposes, this book lacks comprehensive sections on evaluating sources and on peer review. The Academic Formatting section was also not helpful as written. I prefer going straight to each Manual of Style website. I appreciate the attention given to Chapter 11, Introductions, and especially to Chapter 13, Conclusions. I rarely see a textbook that contains useful guidance for students to write effective conclusions, and students often struggle with them. There is no index nor glossary included with this textbook.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I noticed no errors within the text nor instances of overt bias.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I’d like to see a discussion of inclusive pronouns updated to reflect current language use (pages 69-70), especially in a textbook with the subtitle _Writing for the 21st Century_.

Clarity rating: 5

Yes, the text is clearly written and is accessible to readers.

Consistency rating: 4

The terminology seems to be consistent throughout the text. I appreciate the overarching 1 + 1 = 2 idea, but it seems to be directed more toward developmental writers, which seems inconsistent with the author's claims of who the audience is for this text. Writers beyond the developmental stage will want to skip the earlier chapters, and that’s fine—the framework will still support that, but I'm concerned that the text's intended audience is a bit broad. In many chapters, the consistent use of three exercises feels forced. Many of the exercises could be eliminated; they seem to be in place for the sake of having three exercises per chapter (consistency in formatting).

Modularity rating: 5

I see no problem with splitting up the information an instructor might find useful and separating the material they don’t need. I also see the need to make connections between Chapter 18, Claims and Appeals with Chapter 12, Body Paragraphs. It would be easy enough to put those chapters into a module and guide students on how to use them together.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

I do not care for the organization of the text as presented. I will not use the Preface, the Introduction, nor any of the chapters in Part I, The Sentence Equation. (I cover this material in a different way throughout my course). I would begin the semester by assigning readings with Part IV: The Process of Writing Well because students need to have ideas for pre-writing and reasons for revision before they worry about shaping and polishing their prose. Studying basic rhetoric and ideation comes before revision, editing, and proofreading; otherwise, students become anxious and “word-tied” at the sentence level. However, I realize these chapters can be modulated to fit another course structure.

Interface rating: 3

In PDF form, I appreciate that students can click on a chapter in the Table of Contents to take them to that chapter, but there is no easy way to navigate back to the T of C. This is minor, especially if I modulate the text, but if someone were to use the book in its entirety, the navigation can be a concern. The quotes that are included throughout the text are intrusive. Example: the one on page 220 “fights” with the rest of the text on that page as if it’s a larger and bolded column. Many of the quotes have little to do with the rest of the material on the page, which detracts from the students’ ease and flow of reading. The fonts on the sample papers on pages 186-205 were difficult to read onscreen even when I increased the page size on a large computer screen. I could download the Sample Papers on pages 185, 193, and 200 but I was unable to open them, which I realize could be the result of security settings on my university-owned computer.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I see nothing culturally insensitive except the lack of a clear explanation for culturally appropriate and modern pronoun use. Given that ours is a state-owned land grant university, I will not use the sample papers because all three focus on religion, specifically a single religion. I would rather select my own sample papers that show more diversity in subject matter.

I plan to test a few sections of this book for my Advanced Composition course, in particular the chapters in Part IV that include discussions about purpose, audience, voice, and context and the chapters about introductions, body text, and conclusions. I will not use the exercises nor the research section (even though my students do a lot of research). I don’t see a reason to have an entire chapter on terminal punctuation (Chapter 3), then a separate one on mid-sentence punctuation marks (Chapter 4), especially when each chapter contains three exercises on the topic. I appreciate the time and effort put into this textbook. It's a huge undertaking.

importance of mathematics essay writing

Reviewed by Jennifer Valdez, Associate Professor, Bunker Hill Community College on 5/28/20

The text covers a lot of ground: sentence-level concerns, paragraphs, essays, the writing process, research, and typical forms of professional writing. These are listed in the Table of Contents and key terms are highlighted. Key terms are not... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The text covers a lot of ground: sentence-level concerns, paragraphs, essays, the writing process, research, and typical forms of professional writing. These are listed in the Table of Contents and key terms are highlighted. Key terms are not always defined ("pre-writing" for instance; there is a list of types of pre-writing but not a definition or models/examples). There is no index or glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

As far as I can tell, the information in this text is accurate in so far as it represents the cultural norms of standard Academic English. I think any and all texts about "how to write" must inherently contain some bias.

Like all writing textbooks, this will eventually need updates around academic writing conventions, online resources, and professional writing conventions.

Clarity rating: 3

The language is simple and straightforward, but the text relies often on explanation only. I think this could be improved with more visuals and models. The repeated use of the rhetorical triangle was an effective visual, but then there were instructions like "draw an umbrella and fill it in with...." Students might benefit from a model of such an umbrella to provide a visual plus relevant examples.

Consistency rating: 5

The framework (Simple Math) is consistent throughout and applied across all of the sections of the text. There is a helpful paragraph at the beginning of each chapter that summarizes how the framework applies to the particular concept in the chapter.

This text could easily be divided up into free-standing units. The sentence structure and formatting sections in particular would make helpful free-standing supplemental material for my students who request more information and/or exercises in these areas.

In general, yes--the topics are clearly and logically presented. I do think that the quotes about writing dispersed throughout the text are not as clearly connected to the content. Maybe the text could make the connections/context more explicit between the quotes and personal stories and the skills being outlined in the chapters.

Interface rating: 5

I had no problems navigating or reading the words and visuals in this text.

I did not notice any grammatical errors as I was reading; the text seems well-edited and proofread.

There is nothing particularly culturally offensive in this text, and its discussion of high and low-context cultures in relationship to language is thoughtful, helpful, and relevant to this category. There are some of the typical assumptions of this genre of textbook, though: that American English is monolithic and that writing exercises can be conducted in a contextual vacuum.

I appreciate the time and expertise that went into putting together this book and plan to use parts of it in the future, probably supplementally. I hope that any critical comments are ultimately helpful.

Reviewed by JoAnn McCarthy, Adjunct Faculty , Colorado State Board of Higher Education on 11/18/19

very comprehensive I liked how the book has a chapter on emails and letters read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

very comprehensive I liked how the book has a chapter on emails and letters

The book is very accurate, error-free and unbiased

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Yes very relevant, especially the chapters on writing emails

Clarity is a strength for this book as the concepts are clear, direct and straight forward, modeling a math approach.

The book is very consistent in its pattern of presenting the material.

Modularity is a strength of the book, as the chapters and the subheadings are identified clearly with just the right explanation to the chapter

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Very well organized--set in a writing process that moves from small to large concepts.

Easy to navigate

No mistakes found

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive, but it didn't really have examples that are inclusive.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the exercises. They were all the same--based on previous activities and not very creative or engaging

Reviewed by Linda McHenry, Instructor of first-year composition , Fort Hays State University on 11/4/18

Most chapters give general information. The ways writing is broken into formulas would assist those writers who struggle with understanding how to compose sentences and frame their ideas. read more

Most chapters give general information. The ways writing is broken into formulas would assist those writers who struggle with understanding how to compose sentences and frame their ideas.

Text is mostly accurate. Depending on what edition of APA style a course or profession, two spaces are required after a period (per sixth edition). When discussing particular styles--APA, MLA, Turabian, and so on--more information about the hundreds of styles that exist in professional and academic writing would be more informative and helpful. Writers must understand basic bibliographic information and then apply the style to the in-text and bibliography. Part VI: Academic Formatting was not nearly informative for college writers.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Identifying letters, reports, and proposals as writing done beyond academia is a bit misleading. Chapter 23 glosses over citation styles, including APA, MLA, and Turabian. Additional, relevant information is needed in order for this chapter to be meaningful to students. Most professionals who have graduated from college will surely be operating in their professional style and would find this part unhelpful. For college students, these sections would be unhelpful, as well.

Harrop identifies target readers as college students, college graduates who want to brush up on their writing skills. As one dives into the text, Harrop narrows college students taking journalism and composition courses. In places, composition students are narrowed further into basic writers. Each demographic has its own set of expectations and needs. Some parts--including the idioms section--seems of lesser significance for college graduates. Part VII: Beyond Academia identifies emails, letters, reports, and proposals that are not limited to outside academia. A noble attempt to meet such a diverse audience does fall short in some places, but there is competition throughout the text regarding exactly whose needs are being met: journalism and composition students or college graduates. College students write emails about jobs while college students. And, a PhD job ad seems a bit too specific of an example for college students to find meaningful in their professional fields.

Consistency rating: 3

Some parts are rudimentary (college graduates in their professions), and others are written over readers' heads (basic writers and composition students). However, pages 128-129 list solid audience questions most writers could use when crafting their messages.

Modularity rating: 4

Text can be broken into sections, which is helpful. Part 1: The Sentence Equation would be better at the end of the book, as writing process dictates writers focus on ideas first and preciseness of language second. Chapter ten in Part three is helpful when explaining the formula for composition thesis statements: "Thesis statement=Topic+Claim."

The latter part of the text focuses on process writing, and this part is more meaningful if it were the first section. The first part provides formulas that are clever ways to teach basic writers about sentence development. Typical writing textbooks work would flip writing ideas before editing sentences.

Interface rating: 4

Overall, the interface is effective. However, a graphic used in several chapters illustrating the complexities of purpose, voice, and audience (Chapters 14, 15, and 17) is distorted and utilizes an odd font. For a visually impaired reader, this graphic may be difficult to see.

Text demonstrates solid understanding and grasp of grammar, spelling, and mechanics. Text also follows the presented mathematics found in writing.

Photographs reflect people of many ethnicities. No part is culturally insensitive or offensive.

Parts of this text are helpful for a diverse audience, including basic writers, composition students, college students (in general), and college graduates. Professors and readers will have to piece together the particular parts and sentences that fit their needs, which is possible. The latter part of the text is more meaningful for process writing, including generating ideas. The earlier part is helpful for those who are typically writing similar texts that have similar organizational patterns.

Reviewed by Polly Peterson, Assistant Professor of English, George Fox University on 6/19/18

An excellent choice as the principle book in a writing course or as a supplemental writing text in a discipline-specific class, this book is a brief and complete writing manual with an approachable voice, clear rules, ample examples, and... read more

An excellent choice as the principle book in a writing course or as a supplemental writing text in a discipline-specific class, this book is a brief and complete writing manual with an approachable voice, clear rules, ample examples, and self-directed activities.

The text of the book is accurate and helpful. The directions and the answers do not seem to be as clear as they could be for some of the grammar exercises.

The purpose of the book is to demystify writing and and breakdown the misconceptions around the rules of grammar and usage. Drawing on her career as a journalist, writing professor and adult education program director, Harrop uses personal examples to speak to an audience of reluctant writers, demonstrating that writing is not as subjective as people fear. By understanding the simple rules -- the mathematics -- of grammar and usage, anyone can write well.

The brilliance of this book is in its audience focus: the confused grammarian in all of us. Her simple “1 + 1 = 2” approach to writing makes us confident that we can learn grammar, that we can write better, that we can communicate more clearly. An excellent choice for the classroom or as a reference for anyone who writes.

The book takes the same rhetorical and design approach in all of its sections. It provides context for the instruction, ample examples, pull-quotes and practice exercises with answer keys.

It is easy to assign sections from this book. While it is comprehensive, it is broken into smaller units -- perfect for integrating into courses other than just a generic college writing course.

The book starts by addressing the myths surrounding grammar usage and punctuation and replacing those false rules with the correct ones. The next three chapters are at the center of Harrop’s conceptual metaphor of writing-as-math, turning discourse into equations: the sentence equation, the paragraph equation, the essay equation. The last part of the book presents the writing process, research writing instruction, academic formatting, and writing in the professional world.

The books uses pictures, charts and examples to help explain the content. Easy to read and navigate.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text of the book is accurate and helpful. The directions and the answers do not seem to be as clear as they could be in some of the grammar exercises.

Uses both male and female examples, some diversity in names, references to places in the pacific northwest.

Reviewed by Mike Mutschelknaus, English Instructor, Rochester Community and Technical College on 5/21/18

This textbook covers all of the topics that need to be taught in a high-level developmental writing class. After a thorough review of sentence and paragraph mechanics, Dr. Harrop moves into essay structure, the writing process, research, and even... read more

This textbook covers all of the topics that need to be taught in a high-level developmental writing class. After a thorough review of sentence and paragraph mechanics, Dr. Harrop moves into essay structure, the writing process, research, and even some professional writing. For those of us who have taught developmental writing for years, this book covers all of the writing aspects we would need.

The emphasis of the book--a logical, rather mathematical approach--on step by step processes may be disconcerting to some teachers. However, for our students, who often desire repeatable proceesses, this book would be quite helpful.

The content of this book is similar to the many other high-level developmental writing textbooks I have used over the years. The grammar section is accurate; the writing process section contains all of the exercises I've used over the years, and I like how the writing process section starts with the two most important considerations (purpose and audience) before moving into drafting and revision strategies.

Dr. Harrop's book is relevant and will have considerable longevity. She has included all of the central tenets for writing instruction in a high-level developmental course. I don't think those central tenets are going to change much over the next decade. They haven't so far, in my 25 years of teaching. Grammar is grammar. Process is process. The rhetorical triangle endures. Paragraphs need topic sentences and evidence. Dr. Harrop has ensured that her book will be around a while.

The book has good clarity for its intended audience. I infer that the audience is first-language English speakers who have struggled with writing in the past but who also have the cognitive skills to succeed. In other words, students with learning disabilities and English-as-a-Second-Language students would probably find the book less clear. For these learners, supplemental materials or instruction would need to be provided. However this is also true for most over developmental writing textbooks out there on the market today.

I appreciated Dr. Harrop's consistency in this book. No matter which chapter, she always affirms that writing is a logical set of steps. She opens each chapter the same way and has similar student exercises at the end of each chapter. Her numerous examples are on-target. Also, her examples aren't too long. This is important in a developmental writing class. The book has a repeated framework in each chapter.

Dr. Harrop's is designed, I think, with modularity in mind. Although the book is sequenced from chapter to chapter in order to emphasize logical processes, each chapter could also be used as a stand-alone unit. The book doesn't have very many chapter-to-chapter connections. That's a good thing. As I was reviewing the book, I was envisioning just how easily I could use divide up the book chapters and put them in my online course platform.

This book follows the same basic structure that I've seen in other developmental writing textbooks. It's organized from small to large. She starts with sentence-level structures, then paragraph and essay structures, and finally the writing and research processes. It works well. Before students can write essays, after all, they need to know how to write correct sentences.

When viewed on a comupter screen or tablet, the book is quite easy to read. Most importantly, when I read the book on my phone--a Samsung Galaxy--it was also easy to read and none of the images were distorted. This is important because students these days read everything on their phones. This book fits on their phones.

During my thorough review of the book, I didn't detect any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

In my opinion, Dr. Harrop follows the middle ground when choosing examples for the book. Her essay and paragraph examples are diverse. She is not able to provide many culturally relevant examples for sentence-level issues, for research, or for the writing process. However, since much of the book is a primer of sorts, a how-to manual, teachers would not be using it to teach diversity. They would be using it to teach writing structures.

I plan on using this book, starting in the Summer 2018 semester, in my developmental writing courses because its content fits what I teach and because it has the same content as the other developmental writing textbooks out there that I've used for many years. I will also supplement this book with other OERS as well. I will use this book to structure the sequence of my developmental writing courses. If you are curious about how I've used it, feel free to email me at .

Reviewed by Jennifer Derrick, Instructor, Lake Superior College on 5/21/18

This book contains an index, and covers a lot of information. The material covered is similar to what's presented in other textbooks for college writing classes: grammar, basic building blocks of writing, rhetorical awareness, different styles of... read more

This book contains an index, and covers a lot of information. The material covered is similar to what's presented in other textbooks for college writing classes: grammar, basic building blocks of writing, rhetorical awareness, different styles of documentation; specific types of writing and their purpose (emails, reports, etc.). It is comprehensive in its approach.

The content seems accurate and in line with other textbooks covering similar material.

This is a basic book about writing well. If a writing instructor plans on assigning somewhat standard essay assignments (respond to the prompt, or find a subject to research and argue) then the book will be relevant. If however, an instructor wishes to take a more rhetorically focused mindset, this book won't be as helpful. Although Dr. Harrop talks about purpose, audience, and context, those chapters come toward the end of the book, and don't seem to be integrated into the previous chapters. Purpose, audience, context, etc. would be better discussed first, and every succeeding chapter - including the ones about grammar use - could then be read within the context of who one is writing for and why.

The book is very easy to read. Dr. Harrop provides a definition and rules to remember at the start of each chapter, and at the end of each chapter lays out common errors in regards to the chapter's topic, whether they be errors in making a conclusion, writing paragraphs, etc. Her approach is consistent and easy to follow.

The book is highly consistent - in both visual and written form. Chapters are laid out in the same fashion and all follow the same organization. The book's layout reflects well on her title, "The simple math of writing well."

An instructor could easily assign chapters as s/he sees fit. The book doesn't need to be read in order, and one could easily pick and choose chapters to read without needing the context of previous ones.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

Dr. Harrop begins, after an introduction, with grammar and simple rules for using it, which seems like a logical choice, given her title, "The Simple Math of Writing Well." Understanding basic grammar conventions will go a long way in writing success, but it's an odd way to start a book. Students will likely be overwhelmed with the numerous beginning chapters about sentences and grammar use.

Seeing the math behind sentences, however, within the context of who one is writing for would be a better approach. For instance, an introductory chapter on audience and purpose could provide opportunities for students to reflect on their grammar use in texts vs. emails vs. essays. This more rhetorically minded approach and organization would serve students better.

The pages do seem a bit crowded with information. A little more white space or variety would help.

Everything is clearly laid out. Some of the spacing in the called out quotes (they're in bold on the sides of some pages) seems odd.

In my reading of this textbook, I didn't view any grammar errors.

The text isn't culturally insensitive, but that's coming from someone who, as a middle class white Minnesotan, is not as highly tuned into this issue. More could certainly be done to boost cultural relevance.

This book covers material that is helpful and useful, but it isn't very engaging from a student standpoint. As it is already difficult to get first year college writing students to read assigned materials, I would choose a book that did more to cater to where they're at (more images, more casual language, more examples they can relate to).

Reviewed by Leah Richards, Assistant Professor, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York on 5/21/18

This text is a comprehensive guide to the writing process, and is well-organized, beginning with sentences and building up to paragraphs and then essays. The "math" idea in the title is indeed "simple": 1+1=2, and even the most complex sentences... read more

This text is a comprehensive guide to the writing process, and is well-organized, beginning with sentences and building up to paragraphs and then essays. The "math" idea in the title is indeed "simple": 1+1=2, and even the most complex sentences can, Dr. Harrop shows, be reduced to this simple equation. The strongest, most useful sections for students would be, I think, Section II: The Paragraph Equation and Section III: The Essay Equation.

While there is a fine line sometimes between rules and stylistic choices, and I might disagree with some of what is presented as absolutes, particularly in Section I: The Sentence Equation, there are no errors in the book.

I think this writing textbook could have a significant shelf life. While later sections about research and the contexts in which we write will ultimately need to be updated, those changes would be easy to make, given the text's structure.

The clarity of the prose (as well as of the ideas) was a big plus for me; Dr. Harrop clearly loves words and language and what can be accomplished by using them well, and the casual but polished tone throughout demonstrates the text's claims about the value of writing well.

There are no issues with consistency; the terminology used is simple, likely recognizable to most students, and the return to the 1+1=2 equation and ____ + ____ = _____ formula for everything from sentences to complete essays created a throughline that shows that mastering the "math" of an essay is no more complex than mastering the "math" of a sentence.

Some sections are a bit long and overcrowded, particularly those in Section I: The Sentence Equation. While I understand the clustering of topics, some subsections would benefit from being broken up (most notably, I felt, "Eight Parts of Speech"). However, after the first section, which as the basis for subsequent sections had much to accomplish, the chapters were of manageable size, and flowed logically from one to the next.

There is really only one way to organize a writing textbook, moving from sentence to paragraph to essay, which this text does. There is, however, a great deal more flexibility in the organization of introducing grammar, parts of speech, punctuation, and such, and while I would probably sequence those chapters differently when teaching from this book, the text;s modularity would make that easy to do.

The text itself is physically very readable, with the move to subsequent (or previous) sections clearly marked. The table of contents, which features drop-down menus within each larger section, is easy to use.

A writing book with grammatical errors would not even warrant a review in my world. No errors that I caught.

This text is quite neutral; none of the examples used to illustrate the concepts are particularly diverse, but that doesn't seem exclusionary.

Because I teach many students with equal levels of math anxiety and writing anxiety, I really liked the approach of demystifying writing by reminding us how simple math can be.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Myths And Rule Changes 1

Part I. The Sentence Equation

  • 1. Main Verbs
  • 2. Main Subjects
  • 3. Terminal Punctuation Marks
  • 4. Mid-Sentence Punctuation Marks
  • 5. Eight Parts Of Speech
  • 6. Consistency

Part II. The Paragraph Equation

  • 7. Topic Sentences
  • 8. Evidence
  • 9. Summary Sentences

Part III. The Essay Equation

  • 10. Thesis Statements
  • 11. Introductions
  • 12. Body Paragraphs
  • 13. Conclusions

Part IV. The Process Of Writing Well

  • 14. Purpose
  • 15. Audience
  • 17. Context
  • 18. Claims And Appeals
  • 19. Clarity And Cohesion
  • 20. Revision And Creativity

Part V. Research

  • 21. Finding Credible Evidence
  • 22. Including Outside Evidence

Part VI. Academic Formatting

  • 25. Turabian

Part VII. Beyond Academia

  • 27. Letters
  • 28. Reports And Proposals

Conclusion About The Author

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Writing guides abound, but The Simple Math of Writing Well is one of a kind. Readers will find its practical approach affirming, encouraging, and informative, and its focus on the basics of linguistic structure releases 21st-century writers to embrace the variety of mediums that define our internet-connected world. As Harrop reminds us in the opening chapters of her book, we write more today than ever before in history: texts, emails, letters, blogs, reports, social media posts, proposals, etc. The Simple Math of Writing Well is the first guide that directly addresses the importance of writing well in the Google age.

About the Contributors

Dr. Jennie A. Harrop is a professor in George Fox University’s Department of Professional Studies, where she teaches writing, literature, and Christian apologetics, and serves as department chair. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Denver, an MFA in creative writing from Colorado State University, and a BA in journalism from Pacific Lutheran University, and she is completing a Doctor of Ministry in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary. In addition to her teaching and administrative duties at George Fox, Harrop serves as director of the university’s Portland Writing Center. She lives in Oregon with her husband and five children.

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