Math and science in daily life

Main Menu

Home

Pinoy Youth

Pinoy Youth-Pilipinas

Math and science in daily life

Written by Mary Christabelle Orbeta

I always have been fascinated by the practical applications of math and science in my daily life.

Such as things like the money I need to pay for goods and services. How much should I ask my parents for my projects? How can I jump from our stairs as my body compute my action? How much food should I take to meet the activities of the day? What are the nutritious foods I have to take to survive the day to day activities? Science and Math has influenced our daily lives each day. For example, in Dubai they just inaugurated the tallest structure in the world, the Burj khalifa. Imagine the science or engineering needed to make it done. See the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Rome, Galileo was able to calculate for the correct inclination of the tower without falling. How about those scientists who study and find cure for diseases? In my own life, science and math have touched my life since I was a child. When I was in grade school, I liked to see numbers,
formulas and equations. Obviously, I have loved studying math ever since as I see the application of numbers to my daily life. I find the logic and relation of both similar and unlike things.

In solving problems, I find it interesting to get the definite answers with my very own techniques. It’s either I can use my overall knowledge or simply use logic to answer the problem. I couldn’t help myself to continue analyzing until I would arrive at the correct solution. I don’t want to give up and say “math is enough!” of course, math taught me how to be patient in solving equations. It gives me encouragement to continue getting the gold at the end of the road. Well for me, it doesn’t matter whether I get the highest grade or be a contestant for competitions but rather it is how I am able to see and feel Math in my life that matters. Math is always open to anyone, whether they are math wizards, math lovers or possess any level of acumen. I consider myself as a Math Lover and continue to inspire myself to do well in Math.

On the other hand, Science taught me how life goes on. When I entered high school, I saw the world of Science, which obviously involves Math. In our freshman year, I discovered how our earth was formed while in second year I came to know more about our body organs and body mechanisms. During the third year, I enjoyed Chemistry because it also involves calculation. Memorizing elements and compounds was really fun for me and even the balancing of the formulas. Then in the senior year, we also had Physics, the study of matter, which I enjoyed learning as it also involves problem solving and calculations. I learned a lot of things such as how energy is made to create motion, how equilibrium is maintained, and the concept of heat transfer.

For all the four years spent on Science, all these things taught me about its central role in life. In my overall performances, I would say that I am an average student in these two subjects but for me, grades are not the only way to assess if one is good or not. What is important is that I fully appreciate how Math and Science are being applied to my every day life as a student and as a person.

There are lots of math and science applications in our world. Math and science are the basis of principles and laws for new technology. And no person can just live in the future without understanding math and science and applying them to improve our daily lives.

(Video from youtube.com; posted by ApoloTR 06.05.09)

[Note: This article was written by one of the finalists for the Iglesia Science and Technology Award for 2010 at Notre Dame of Manila.]