That’s what maths is all about – by Rafiqul Islam
When you decide whether to cross the road,
and think about the probability of getting hit.
When you want to share,
and try to be fair.
When you decide how much chilli,
to make the curry spicy.
When you shop,
and try to get the most price off.
When you ask your accountant when,
and do your tax return.
When you are planning,
and budgeting for a wedding.
When you build a house,
the ratio of cement, sand and gravel needs to be precise.
When your house needs glossing,
you find the area and buy the minimum painting.
When you know the recipe needed for 5 people,
but scale up to cook for 20 people.
When you use prime numbers for encrypting,
because you know Billy is eavesdropping.
When you’re a businessman and need to decide on a product,
so you analyse the market stat.
When you want to build a robot, mathematical algorithms,
know that there will be a lot.
When you throw a basketball,
but give up because of the wrong angle of projection of the ball.
When you lose a game of tennis,
and rethink your angles to find the best way to defeat Dennis.
When you invest £400 in an antique that increases value by 50% per year,
and realise in 20 years you’re a millionaire.
When you’re a surgeon and need to give the dose,
so don’t get your milli’s and micro’s wrong for the dose.
When you plan a long exploration journey,
and determine whether you can finish in a day the car journey.
When you’re into architecture,
make sure you use your geometry to learn the structure.
When you use trigonometry before deciding whether to take a glance,
from Cliffs of Dover you can actually see France.
When you realise the ratio between the circumference and diameter of any circle is always Pi,
you wonder why.
When you go shopping and need to decide whether to buy six eggs for £1,
or fifteen eggs for £2.25?
That’s what maths is all about!