"You won't need math in life": teacher debunks popular myth and shares how parents steal children's chances for a better future

Honored Teacher of Ukraine Oleksandr Trylis noted that math is a gift and an offer for children, and learning it should not be a torment. He responded to parents who believe that "logarithms are not applicable in their lives" and explained why math is the language of the world.

In an article on the ZN.ua website, the teacher emphasized that what the world tells us is expressed in mathematical form - quantitative characteristics, ratios, laws of nature. At the same time, human language is more adapted to express emotions.

"Take any object of artificial origin (and there are most of them around you, unless you live in a forest hut). Shoes, a watch, a refrigerator, glasses, or a chair. I'm not talking about TV, computers, cars, or modern houses. Their creation took place in three stages, in which mathematics played a key, decisive role," he wrote.

The first stage is the basic science that made it possible to create the relevant technology, as well as elements of global infrastructure (financial, energy, transportation, information). According to the educator, deploying and maintaining these structures requires mathematics more complex than "logarithms and cosines."

The second stage is engineering, which involves the selection of materials with the right properties, calculated and agreed upon dimensions and other parameters. The weight/power/price/quality characteristics must be optimized. Voltage, heating, mechanical loads must be coordinated with generally accepted standards, and everything must be tested, measured and recorded.

The third stage is organizational, financial, and logistical, which includes calculating costs and risks. The people and resources required for this, as well as the materials and equipment, must be calculated and agreed upon. All this must be provided with the right amount of electricity, water and ventilation. Waste must be disposed of and the finished product sold, otherwise no one will know about its existence.

"Now let's imagine that a person who 'didn't need math' managed to not be involved in any of these activities that accompany the creation of any object (event, service, cultural phenomenon)," Trylis writes.

The teacher noted that there are creative people who believe that they did not need math and that someone else did the math work. However, he advised parents not to rush to conclusions that their child will not need this subject in the future, as such a statement is a huge limitation for a student.

"It's more honest to say that "my child will not be involved in any creation, and if they will, their creation will be something that just happens" or "my child will express something brilliant, and the crowd of technical workers will gratefully pick it up and process it," which, you see, may look attractive, but it is unlikely to happen. It's more like "my child will do monotonous mechanical work." Or not, as there are fewer and fewer such jobs every day," Trylis summarized.

Previously, in an interview with OBOZ.UA, Kateryna Terletska, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and head of the Applied Mathematics Laboratory at the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, explained why math is taught at school and how this discipline is useful in music. She also noted that mathematics penetrates all spheres of our lives and is not just dry formulas and equations. It is a universal language that allows us to better understand the world, make informed decisions and solve complex problems.

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