Focus on Education A Head For Math, Part I By: Anthony Pellegrino

You have just been hired for a high paying and responsible job. The employer hired you because you came recommended from a close friend. The employer hired you based on what you tell him and the trust he has in his friend.

Suddenly you are ushered into the company with the responsibility of overseeing the work of about twenty employees. They come to you with their reports which include all kinds of basic mathematics for you to comment on. Imagine the fear and shame that grips you, afraid that one of them will suddenly realize that you do not read well nor understand basic mathematics. How long can you continue being a charlatan before being discovered and fired?

In this column I have written repeatedly about the necessity and value of being a good reader, but let’s discuss another necessity needed to get and hold a good job. We must have a good command of numbers and how they function and we must understand their value in our work and in our life.

If you are like me, you shied away from mathematics as a youngster and perhaps still do as an adult. However there is something about math that both repels and attracts us. We all realize that we should know more about mathematics. We also realize that without a sound knowledge of it, we are like a crippled wing on a bird–able to move around yet not wholly sound. Yet we dislike math intensely. But do we have the luxury of ignoring this matter any longer?

If the CNMI is to have an educated labor force, its members must have skill and knowledge in basic mathematics. Mathematics is no longer reserved for an elite or gifted population; all employees need to understand and apply mathematics in their workplace and in their daily life. To be ignorant of mathematics is to be illiterate.

We are discussing the ability to perform basic arithmetic which includes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We are not suggesting that each of us should be versed in algebra, calculus or trigonometry. No, the knowledge of those higher forms of mathematics is reserved for the various professions that need them in their specialized work.

Thank goodness for calculators which do all our mental work as they process a mathematical answer in seconds, thereby saving us much mental agony and time. All we have to do is punch in numbers. Press the right keys and immediately the correct answer bounces out at us. What a life! But do we understand what happens when numbers come together and interact whether as whole numbers or fractions or decimals? Do we understand the why and how of such interactions and the results they produce?

Can you explain how addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division function? If you were asked to calculate the amount of interest at 10.5% for six months that the bank will charge you on a loan of $3,500, could you do it? Do you understand the difference between simple interest and compound interest?

Are you familiar with mensuration which is a branch of applied mathematics dealing with the calculation of lines, surfaces, and volumes from measured data. Practically all problems of measurement met in everyday experience may be solved by using certain formulas. How do we estimate the amount of concrete needed for a particular job, or the amount of lumber for a certain size porch?

Hopefully you are getting the message: good reading ability + good mathematics ability = good paying job! Invest in your mental growth! It is the greatest one you will ever make.