How much do we really need maths? An Amazonian tribe called the Pirahas live entirely without numbers. Other tribal societies at the very least count up to five or ten, on their fingers, to keep track of livestock or for bartering. The Pirahas in contrast, don't appear to need numbers at all, seeming to live entirely in the present, eradicating the need for abstract thought. So, yes, it seems we could live without numbers but only if we are happy to live in the stone age without clocks, currency, calendars (and the list goes on).
Listening to an item about the importance of maths on Radio 4's Broadcasting House, made me think about how important the power of abstract thought is. In a complex (but not necessarily better) society we have much to negotiate. The mathematician guest posed a seemingly simple question ‘A brick is 1kg plus half its weight. What is the weight of the brick?’ Instinctively we jump to the answer 1.5kg. The answer is wrong. The correct solution is 2kg. The lesson here is that to know what the answer is, we really need understand the question. The answer to life, the universe and everything is 42 according to Douglas Adams. Why? Because the question is 6 x 7 of course! False logic can underpin a lot of our decisions without us knowing it. Attempting mathematical challenges involves organisation of thought, application of logic and patience. All important assets for living.
On a more prosaic level, basic day to day administration of life is getting more complex. Simply working out which energy company offers the best deal, and then once you’ve made your choice, checking that you’re not being ripped off involves more than a basic knowledge of arithmetic. And then there are moral choices. How is our energy consumption affecting the environment? Can we calculate our personal carbon footprint?
And what about insurance? Someone I know recently bought an expensive guitar. I suggested he get insurance and he told me he’d investigated it and the maths just didn’t add up. Musicians' insurance was so expensive that based on the chances that at worst he’d get an instrument stolen every few years, even if the company paid out he’d never get back the money he’d have paid in. And then there’s the supermarket offers. Just because something’s advertised as a multi-buy deal doesn’t guarantee each item is cheaper than buying singly. Tescos makes mistakes, but if we’re not confident enough with the maths we could be ripped off.
And do we really value our time enough to make good decisions about how to use it? If we do, maths is important here. If there are 50 books on my 'must read' list and on average I only read two books a year then it will take me 25 years to work through the list. A sobering thought. Perhaps I’ll stop reading the Metro in the morning and switch to a novel.
Even polite behaviour can incorporate maths. The average restaurant tip is 12.5%. Can you work that out in your head after a meal? Using a calculator just irritates the waiting staff and makes you look like a skinflint.
The work of the future is also likely to require a greater knowledge of maths. In my day job I use Google Analytics to track the performance my organisation's website. Finding and analysing patterns is likely to become mandatory for success in future employment, particularly with the growth of big data.
Voting responsibly can also involve maths. Politicians will abuse statistics to win votes. £350 million a week for the NHS if we leave Europe – really?
So there we have it. Maths makes us more capable of rational organised thought, it helps us manage our day to day lives and make good decisions about the rest of the time we have left, it is a useful defence against naïvity, it helps us fulfil our civic responsibilities, it makes us more employable and yes, if we’re stretching things, it even helps us be more polite.
