Milford chronicle., 1955-12-02
Why Mathematicsq

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matics2 Why am required tC
study mathematics? What good will
mathematics be to me2 Such ques-
uons arise IN the minds Of many
students Of high school and college
And frequently school officials are
confronted with similar questions
by students and parents. Hence il
seems appropriate to present in
formation which may help parents
and students alike to understand
better why mathematics in some
form is included in practically all
curicula In the elementary grades,
high school and college.
Many people discover only after
they have begun to work that their
JOB requires a type Of skill in
mathematics which they do not
have because they failed to elect
such courses while they were at
tending school as a result of their
inability TO understand the value
Of mathmatics courses. In order
20 hold their jobs or be qualified
for promotion, many men and wo-
men enroll IN evening or cores
pondence-study courses as is well
attested by the eyer increasing
enrolment in such courses. While
the instruction in these institutions
IS usually adequate to meet the
eXigencies Of the situation. how
much batter would it have been for
such persons to have pursued these
courses during their student days
when they were relatively free Of
home and job responsibilities.
Evening and cOrrespOndence-st
courses are both time consuming
and expensive as those who have
survived sach courses will readily
admit. Frequently promotions are
sacrificed because the person in
line for promotion lacks Of the
job is imperative. In an ever in
creasing number of Jobs some
form Of mathematics is an sbso-
lutte necessity.
While mathematics is required
In many jobs in business, industry,
and professions, it is also essen
tial to the intelligent reading of
many articles appearing in news
papers, magazines and other forms
Of printed natter. Such articles
cannot be fully understood unless
the meanings Of the mathematical
terms are clear, and the various
tables, graphs, pictograms,. etc,
are readily interpreted. Almost
every publication presents in such
manner statistics relative to en-
ployment opinion polls, weather,
business trends, stocks and bonds, |
budgets and tax data Of local, state !
and federal governments; in sports |
reporting fans must be kept posted |
on various data which, to many
people, are more readily and clearly
grasped than the accompanying
sports write-up.
Many metropolitan newspapers /
across the country. especially their
Sunday editions, carry large adver-
tisements for engineers Of every
type to I'LL the ever increasing
needs of industry. In the Sunday
Philadelphia Inquirer Of November
l3, for instance, there was not only
a series Of such advertisements;
but also very significant articleE
entitled "Firms Hit by Lack of
Engineering Students" The au-
thor Of this article opened with the
following statement: Iron Curtain
countries are forging ahead of this
Nation in the cold war race for
chronological supremacy because Of
an acute shortage Of scientific and \
engineering personnel here in re- n
search and industry"
In addition to the foregoing data
much could be added in terms of
farm requirements, for farming
is rapidly becoming a scientific
business. 10 be successful, farmers
dust keep records, read govern
ment bulletins and scientific arti-
cles prepared and distributed to
help them; practically all such ar
ticles present data involving mathe-
matics.
In conclusion, it might be said
that whether the individual after
school days are over, engages in
ordinary everyday occupations,
crafts, business, farming, scientific
or engineering professions, or Whe-
ther as an ordinary layman; he
reads the daily papers and popular
magazines; he is constantly con-
fronted with mathematical vocabu-
larry, symbols, and devices which
ne must understand to comprehend
readily the significance Of the data
presented. The wise student will
pursue as many courses in mathe-
matics as his schedule will permit
Tor personal, social, and patriotic
reasons.