Math in Everyday Life

Math and many of its aspects are a major part of everyday life. We spend the majority of our school years studying and learning the concepts of it. Many times, the question of ‘why do we need to know these things?’ has been asked. The following report will explain the history and purpose of geometry in our lives. ‘Geometry’ means ‘measure of the earth’. In ancient Egypt, the Nile would flood its banks each year, flooding the land and destroying the farm areas. When the waters receded and the people had to redefine the boundaries. This work was called geometry and was seen as a re-establishment of the principle of law and order on earth. (Lawlor, 6) Geometry is the mathematics of the properties, measurement, and relationship of the points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids (Foner and Garraty). An ancient Greek mathematician, named Euclidean, was the founder of the study of geometry. Euclid’s Elements is the basis for modern school textbooks in geometry. On the other hand, there is non-Euclidean geometry. This refers to the types of geometry which deny Euclid’s postulate about parallel lines. Once Albert Einstein put forth the theory of Relativity other approaches to geometry, besides Euclid’s wa

Hargittai, Istvan and Magdolna- "Symmetry"tm, Shelter Publications, Inc. Bank logos often have rotational symmetry. It has been found that things which are symmetrical, are more appealing to the eye. When viewed from above the Pentagon in Washington D. His theorem was that the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the other two sides. The rose family is one of those based on five, as are all the flowers of the edible fruit-bearing plants. (Lawlor, 55) Exponents are shown in the equation spirals based on the roots of 2, 3 and 5. (Kett and Trefil)Pythagoras emphasized the study of musical harmony and geometry. The Mitsubishi has a rotational and mirror symmetry. A botanist would be interested by the Fibonacci Series because of the distribution of leaves around a central stem. All the members of fractions lie between 12 and 13, creating a situation where leaves are separated from one another by at least one third of the stem"tms circumference, therefore insuring a maximum of light and air for the leaf which is below. Issac Cathedral, and the Cupola of Hungarian Parliament in Hungary. (Hargittai, 70)Then, finally, some geometry is just used for decoration.