KS3 Maths

Whenever somebody speaks to me about Maths, my immediate thought is that “Maths is the language of Science” and this leads my thinking towards Science as the study of the world around us. This is why phrases such as ‘I don’t like Maths’ puzzle me so much, because Maths is everywhere, it surrounds us and either gives or adds meaning to all. To me, that is like saying you don’t like the world we live in nor anything else in it. As humans, each of us is an abundance of mathematical data and the image of Leonardo Da Vinci’s  Vitruvian Man (see image below) and the Fibonacci sequence (see image below) symbolizes this for me.

Maths to me is an opportunity to explore, an opportunity to question and an opportunity to prove. We live in a world that seems obsessed with data, with figures and numbers and often communicate this to others. Each and every one of the tasks we complete on a daily basis in some way, shape or form involves mathematics: this may be to do with numbers, however more likely than not it will be to do with mathematical reasoning, logical thinking and establishing and recognising patterns. 

For example:

• Planning a journey - timetabling, traffic, directions
• Cooking  - measuring ingredients, temperature of oven, use of appropriate utensils, cooking time
• Budgeting - positive and negative numbers, percentages, four operations

By engaging in discussion about Maths, numbers and reasoning we are able to find logic  and patterns in the world around us and that is a thing of wonder that can keep us grounded. It also shows us that every problem has a solution and that  some have more than one solution and that is something that should be celebrated.