What is the True Importance of Math? by Muskan

What is the True Importance of Math? by Muskan - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

A powerful quote, which addresses the key approach to education, which I believe is the basis of character building is, “Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education” -Martin Luther King Jr.

This wonderful quote then leads to the question, if one truly wants to make a change in the world then what subjects should students excel in school? Math is hard and abstract. How will that assist in situations when practical thinking and creativity are a priority? Many of my fellow classmates complain about math being useless because math is only about numbers, nothing more.

However, this is a misconception. Math isn’t only about equations or substituting numbers. During my junior year, I was placed into an advanced math class-Precalculus. We were taught this course through the same coursework as taught at Hunter College. This subject has re-enlightened the idea that math is about general rules. Math helps you understand relationships between ideas;even if it is simple as simplifying a logarithmic equation. If understanding the half decay formula of carbon is science, then really we were learning a concept in math class that truly is applicable to real life. Once I understand how problem-solving worked, then I could have used that same reasoning in more complicated puzzles.

Math isn’t just numbers. Mathematics is only one of the many subjects that have often and will always enthrall me. It could easily be Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, or PreCalculus. Once you get the gist of how the relationships in math work, then you can use it on any problem; even if it is something you’ve never had any experience dealing with before.That’s the real power of learning math. If you made an error, then try again. It has helped me see patterns and think of new solutions to problems. Oftentimes, I feel satisfied that "Yes! I solved this problem with my own knowledge.” The problem could be something as simple as deriving the half-angle identity formula.

I am a female member of the youth who hopes to one day join the world of engineering. The inspiration is my teachers and my own past experiences in an internship that has led me to work to being part of the STEM field. Because to change the world, it is first important to understand how math works!