Mathematics is a complex subject. This article will briefly explain what mathematics (more commonly known as Maths) is about, how we use it in our everyday life as well as in school and studying. I hope you find this article useful and you find some interest in using or studying maths. Maths is all to do with numbers! It is one of the main subjects studies at school, a long side English and Science. These three subjects can always be connected and studies together as we use language to communicate and science is also heavily connected to mathematics when studying topics such as physics or chemistry as formulas' are needed. There is no strict definition of mathematics, but it is known as the study of numbers, quantity, space, change and structure of patterns. Maths is based on calculation, counting, measurement and the study of shapes and dimensions. There are many fields and topics that can be included when talking about maths. I will outline a few basic principles and how maths is studied/used and how we use it on a daily basis. We see numbers every single day - when we shop online, go to stores, use measurements for cooking and recipes, when we calculate how much time we have left to complete a task at work when we watch the clock - I could go on and on about how we use mathematics everyday, but I will stop here! There are some basic topics that we are taught in school, these are listed and briefly explained below. The most common words/topics associated with maths are definitely addition, subtraction, division and multiplication; along with fractions, decimals and percentages. These are mainly used on a day to day basis. Other topics less used but not less important are algebra, geometry, probability and equations. There are many more, but these are the most well known. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division These are taught to us at very early stages of school. Addition is when you take two numbers and make a new total. Subtraction is when you take one number away from the other. Multiplying two numbers involves repeated addition and division is counting how many times a specific number goes into another one as an equal share. Fractions, Decimals and Percentages The next stage of maths is learning about these methods of measurements. A fraction is part of a whole number and tells you how many you have out of a whole number - for example you might have 3 quarters of a pizza left to eat! A decimal is a number that is based on 10. We use these numbers everyday (because there are 10 digits) and a number that has a decimal point shows a value less than 1. So 1.2 has a value higher than one but less than 2. A percentage is a part of 100 or a percentage of a number. When we look for those great sales in the shops they usually give a percentage such as 50% (or more if you are lucky!) on items that were full price. Algebra, Geometry, and Probability These topics are studied in middle school or higher school, as they are more complex than the ones mentioned and explained above. I will attempt to explain what these mathematical topics are about! Algebra is a part mathematics where letters and symbols are used to represent numbers and different quantities in equations and formula. Geometry studies the relations of lines, points, surfaces and dimensions of all kinds of shapes and measurements. When we try to estimate or guess how probable or likely a situation is, that is called probability. If you have maths questions that you need assistance with or need some help with your maths homework/coursework then you can ask maths questions at MathsQa. You can also answer questions for people who need them answered if you are an expert mathematician!
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