Everything Has to Do With Math

I was talking to my friend Catherine. She was saying that she didn't like to put on a wet swimsuit. So I told her the trick I use if I am in a place where the only suit I have is wet: run it under hot water from the sink and wring it out before putting it on. She enthusiastically welcomed my tip and said that it was something worth putting on my blog for everyone to see. When I replied that it didn't have anything to do with math, she replied, "Everything has to do with math!" She proceeded to note that it had to do with the measure of body temperature compared to the temperature of the wet suit. When the temperature of the suit is raised to a temperature equal to or higher than body temperature, there is less discomfort. Not a bad observation for a social worker!

So is it true that everything has to do with math? I have thought about asking students to tell how they used math over their summer vacation. While most will think that they didn't at all, I hope I can eventually get them to realize that math is associated in one way or another with most everything we do. So let's see if it works for what I do.

I just finished washing the dishes. (No, I don't have a dishwasher.) I put the glasses and silverware in the soapy water first and save the dirtier and larger dishes for later. The reason I save the dirtier dishes for later is that I want my dishes to end up clean and the ratio of dirt particles to water needs to be low. When I finally put the really dirty dishes into the water, it increases that ratio of dirt to water. Ratio? Math?

So how else have I used math over this summer vacation? Well, while I was sitting and healing from (yet another) surgery on my foot, I got involved in one of those farm simulation games on Facebook. I plow, plant, and harvest and watch my coins accumulate. I have to buy the seeds from the store, and I try to figure out which will be the best crop for me to grow. It's all based on math!

Thankfully, I haven't spent the whole vacation in a recliner with my foot up. On our trip to Newport, RI, I used a map, roadside mileage markers, and the car's speedometer to try to figure out how much longer it would take. The everyday estimates we make are all based on our knowledge of math.

So is it really true that everything has to do with math? I think it is, whether I can explain the connection or not. But it is a good mental exercise to try to figure out those connections. Maybe I'll contemplate it further when I'm floating in the pool this afternoon!