Mathematics is a powerful and indispensable tool that can help you go further in life.

In many countries around

the world, mathematics is taught at all levels, from primary school to secondary school and beyond. After all,

mathematics is part and parcel of life. 

Even if you decide to go into fields such as architecture or fashion design, you would need to have some level

of mathematical competence. An architect needs to know how to calculate the actual floor area of a room

based on a scale drawing. A fashion designer uses geometry concepts to turn a flat piece of fabric into

something that is three-dimensional. 

Mathematics as a Lifelong Tool

Mathematics accompanies us throughout our lives, even after we are done with school. However, some

students continue to believe otherwise. They find that mathematics is a complex subject that takes a lot of

effort to learn. They dismiss the importance of learning mathematics by saying that they are “just not a

numbers person”. 

Some students claim that mathematics is too abstract and does not have any relevance to real life. These

students often ask, when are we ever going to need this later in life? Chances are that you would not need to

know how to differentiate or integrate a mathematical expression, unless your dream job is to be a teacher or

an engineer. 

Well, the good news is that you (most likely) wouldn’t need those abstract mathematical concepts later in life.

Nevertheless, the underlying skills which you pick up in mathematics class will last you an entire lifetime. 

Here are some good reasons why you should continue to study hard for your mathematics examinations: 

1. Mathematics helps us to understand the world around

us. 
Mathematics can be used to explain many of the phenomena which we observe in the world around us. After

all, mathematics forms the basis of many other natural sciences. From the laws of physics to creating models in

biology, mathematics enables us to describe various processes in a systematic and rational manner. 

Let’s take a step back and have a closer look at the things around us. Numbers are found everywhere. Numbers

help you to keep track of the quantity of physical items. They can also be used to represent abstract concepts

such as time. Geometric patterns such as symmetry and tessellations provide nature with some degree of order.

Mathematics provides us with the basic building blocks for practically everything in our daily lives. 

2. Mathematics helps you to solve real-world problems. 

How many cans of paint do you need to buy in order to cover all the walls in your room? How much would

your restaurant meal cost after you factor in tax and service charge? Or how much change do you get from a

$10 note when you buy a book that is on sale with 30% off its original price of $12?

These are some questions which mathematics can help us solve. In our everyday encounters, we perform many

mathematical calculations throughout the day. Sometimes, these calculations happen at the back of our

mind. Mathematics equips us with the ability to make informed decisions and precise choices that are

based on concrete figures. 

Something more practical – mathematics can help you to manage your money better. Knowing the difference

between simple interest and compound interest can affect the way you save and spend. By understanding how

probability works, you are one step closer to making better financial decisions. 

3. Mathematics develops your reasoning and logical

skills. 
When solving a mathematical problem, we often break it down into smaller steps. Every individual step which

you take is used to support your subsequent arguments. Working towards the final solution involves a lot of

conscious and thoughtful reasoning. 

Learning mathematics is not just about numerical reasoning. Geometry sharpens your visual reasoning, while

statistics can help you to get better at analytical reasoning. These reasoning skills are highly beneficial when

you start to make major decisions in life. 

Mathematics also provides you with logic training. It helps you to quickly understand the relationship between

two concepts. As you solve a problem, you would need to cover all possible grounds to ensure that your

arguments and proofs are watertight. Mathematics also equips you with the tools to draw logical and

coherent conclusions in many real-world situations. 

4. Mathematics strengthens your problem solving

abilities. 
In mathematics, there are many possible ways to solve a particular problem. Two students may approach a

problem using completely different methods and arrive at the same solution. Just take a look at the number of

proofs for the Pythagoras’ theorem – there are a few hundreds of them. And if you look closely, some of these

solutions are more elegant than the remainder. 

When solving a problem, you make use of the various tools which you have learnt over the years. When you

revisit the problem a few days later, you may opt for another tool that leads you towards a different train of

thought. 

In real life, you can tap on your past experiences to help you make better decisions. Problem solving

techniques such as incremental improvements or seeking patterns are also useful. Take the time to understand

the pros and cons of each strategy before selecting an option. 

5. Mathematics stimulates your brain and keeps you

alert. 
Solving mathematical problems is one way to give your brain a good mental workout. From quick mental

calculations to difficult problems that take hours to solve, mathematics helps us to keep our mind active and

sharp. When we put in the extra effort to avoid careless mistakes, we are training our brain to be more alert. 

When you learn a new topic in mathematics, you would need to make use of your knowledge from previous

topics. Retrieving information from long term memory helps to keep your brain active, allowing you to

consolidate information more efficiently. Research has also shown that being mentally active helps to improve

your memory and recall. 

From time to time, test your personal limits by doing challenging questions that involve higher-order thinking.

This mentally intense activity stimulates the brain by exposing it to new problems. With a sharp and focused

mind, you are able to concentrate in class and perform better at examinations. 

6. Mathematics can boost your confidence and resilience. 

Solving mathematical problems are like solving puzzles. Both require a strong mind and lots of patience. Some

problems are designed to make you think out of the box. Other problems involve joining the dots and piecing

different concepts together. When you finally solve the problem after spending several hours on it, you would

feel a sense of accomplishment. 

The process of solving a problem and overcoming the challenges provides a person with a sense of pride and

satisfaction. This positive experience helps to boost your self-esteem and confidence. Knowing that you have

the ability to solve the most difficult problems would motivate you to go for more. But when you look at real-

world problems, you would notice that there are no fixed solutions. Having a resilient and confident mindset

gets you mentally prepared for future challenges in life.

Stimulating Mathematical Interest with Real-

World Problems
In recent years, more mathematics questions are designed around real-life scenarios. Schools and

curriculum writers are recognising the importance of helping students relate mathematical concepts to the

world around them. By using scenarios which students are more familiar with, schools can get students to

develop greater interest in learning mathematics. 

Introducing students to real-world problems also encourages them to apply their mathematical knowledge in

their day-to-day activities. It also contributes to their overall character development. 

At homework.sg, we constantly refresh the real-life scenarios in our mathematics assessment books to

ensure that the questions remain relevant. That’s something we do to make learning mathematics less

boring and abstract for students. Solving real-world mathematical problems also helps students to develop and

strengthen their lifelong cognitive skills. 

And before we forget – the change you would receive after buying the $12 book that is on sale is $1.60. 

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Math is a powerful tool for global understanding and communication. Using it, students can
make sense of the world and solve complex and real problems. ... Math is often studied as a
pure science, but is typically applied to other disciplines, extending well beyond physics and
engineering.

ntroduction
Data management
is a process by which information is acquired and
processed to ensure the accessibility and reliability of the data for its users. O
ne of
the most important tool
in process
ing and managing such information is s
tatistics.
Statistics is
utilized in most areas of human endeavor. It is
us
ually used in education,
rese
arch,
business, agriculture,
and
other fields and even
in
everyday life
activities.
Data or the
pieces of information may
be
collected by conducting a survey,
interview, observation, and experiment.
The data gathered
can be properly
organized and presented graphically by a line graph, bar graph or pictograph or
with
the aid of
a statistical table known as
frequency distribution table (FDT)
.
A
concise
and
meaningful conclusion is obtained from t
he analysis
and interpretation
of data
.
R
elevant information can be deduced from the analysis of numerical descriptions
and
predictions
may be made
based on a small group to project the whole
population.
The work of statistics offers a wide area of concern.
Thus
, statistics is
subdivided into two
branch
es
, namely: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
In descriptive statistics,
a set of data
is simply described
without drawing
any
inferences or implications.
The data is
merely
summarized and discussed in a clear,
concise and informative manner. In
inferential s
tatistics
,
information or inferences
concer
ning
a large group known as
population
is provided
based on the study of a
representative
group
or selected members in the
population
which are identified as
sample
.
Calculating
the average rating of a class of 40 students in Math 01
“
It is easy to lie with stati
s
t
ics.
I
t is hard to tell the truth without statistics
.
”
Andrejs Dunkel
Definition 1
:
Statistics
is a science which deals with the collection, organization,
presentation, analys
is, and
interpretation of data so as to give a more meaningful
information.
Definition 2
:
Descriptive statistics
refers to the
collection, organization
,
summary, and
present
ation of data while
inferential statistics
deals with the
interpretation and analysis of data where
conclusion is drawn based
f
rom the
subset of the population.

You can use mathematics to help you analyze and predict data. Using statistics,

you can determine if data along a coordinate plane make a positive correlation. You can
also create a linear regression line using the data. Lastly, you can also determine where the
data fit on a standard bell curve.

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management2Mathematics in the Modern

WorldIntroductionData managementis a process by which information is acquired and processed to
ensure the accessibility and reliability of the data for its users. One of the most important tool in
processing and managing such information is statistics. Statistics is utilized in most areas of human
endeavor. It is usually used in education, research, business, agriculture, and other fields and even in
everyday lifeactivities. Data or the pieces of information maybe collected by conducting a survey,
interview, observation, and experiment. The data gatheredcan be properly organized and
presented graphically by a line graph, bar graph or pictograph or with the aid ofa statistical table
known as frequency distribution table (FDT). A concise and meaningful conclusion is obtained from
the analysis and interpretation of data.Relevant information can be deduced from the analysis of
numerical descriptionsand predictions may be made based on a small group to project the whole
population.The work of statistics offers a wide area of concern. Thus, statistics is subdivided into
two branches, namely: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.In descriptive statistics, a set of
data is simply described without drawing any inferences or implications.The data is merely summarized
and discussed in a clear, concise and informative manner. In inferential statistics,information or
inferences concerninga large group known as populationis provided based on the study of a
representative group or selected members in the populationwhich are identified assample.
Calculating the average rating of a class of 40 students in Math 01 “It is easy to lie with statistics. It
is hard to tell the truth without statistics.”Andrejs DunkelDefinition 1: Statistics is a science which deals
with the collection, organization, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data so as to give a more
meaningful information.Definition 2: Descriptive statisticsrefers to thecollection, organization,
summary, and presentation of data while inferential statisticsdeals with the interpretation and
analysis of data whereconclusion is drawn based from the subset of the population.

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management8Mathematics in the Modern

WorldExample 2: What is the modal color of the shirt worn by the students if the data gathered were as
follows: white, gray, gray, black, white, red, red, gray, black, white, white, red, gray, red, gray, black,
red, red, gray, gray, black?Solution:Since gray has the highest frequency, it follows that the modal
color of the shirt worn by the students isgray.Remarks:1.The modecan be used for both quantitative
and qualitative data.2.It is very much affected by the method of grouping.3.Itis determined by the
frequency and not by the values of the observations.DO THESE!1.Company ABC is awardingthe top
ten most outstandingworkers in their company every year. The ages of the top ten awardeesfor the
year 2018 are 47, 53, 36, 60, 30, 28, 42, 43, 38 and 52. Determine the mean, median and mode of the
ages.2.The mean weight of 50 Balikbayanboxes is 135 kgs. What is the approximate total weight of
all the boxes?3.The average height of the four basketball players is 74 inches. If the height of the three
players are 69 inches, 72 inches and 78 inches, what is the height of the fourth player? 4.What is
the median of the distribution given by 23, 17, 12, 8, 14, 25, 19, 22, 18? If the maximum value is
replaced by 40, what effect will this have on the median? How about if the minimum is replaced by 0?
5.The final grades of a student in six subjects he enrolled last semester are shown
below.SubjectNumber of UnitsFinal GradeCalculus 152.25English 332.0Psychology 131.5Finance
232.0Accounting 362.25

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management9Mathematics in the Modern

WorldHumanities31.75Determine her average grade. If the subjects were of equal number of
units, what would be her average?MEASUREOF DISPERSIONIn some cases, describing the data using
the measures of central tendency alone is not enough to provide a sufficient
informationconcerning apopulation or sample. It should be supplemented by an analysis on how the
individual elements of the population/sample tends to cluster around the central tendency. Thus, an
analysis on the variability of the observations may be applied. The most commonly used measures of
dispersion are the range, variance,andstandard deviation.The simplest measure and easiest to
compute but a rough estimate for the measure of dispersion is the range.Example1. Compare the
performances of the three studentsbased on theirratings (in percent)in the 5 long tests.Solution:Student
A : 83, 80, 89, 78,70Student B : 78, 79, 80, 81, 82Student C : 80, 80, 80, 80, 80In terms of measure of
central tendency, each student performs equally since they have same average rating of 80%.
However, looking at the variability of their ratings, Student A has the highestrange as compared to
the other students. This shows that scores of student A are more dispersed than the other. The
rating of Definition 7: A measure of dispersion/measure of variationis a quantity that measures the
spread or variability of the values in a given set of data.Definition 8: Therange, R, is the difference
between the highest value (H) and lowest value (L) in the data set. That is, R = H –L.

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management10Mathematics in the Modern

WorldStudent A is fluctuating while that of Student B is uniformly distributed. On the other hand,
Student C has range equal to zero so his ratings are all concentrated at its mean indicatingthat the
distribution has no spread. Example 2. The average daily allowances(in pesos) of12 college students
studying at University Y are112, 127, 118, 147.5, 165.5, 99.75, 150, 145, 145, 102, 136.25 and
113. Find the range.Solution: Given: Hand Lthen range, R.The range of the daily allowances of 12 college
students is pesos.Remarks:1.The larger the value of the range, the more dispersed the observations
are.2.The range considers only the extreme values or observations in the data set.A more reliable
measure in describingthe spread of a set of observationsis the standard deviation.Most researches
uses this measure in the treatment of data.The computationincludes all the values in the data set.The
standard deviation and variancecan be obtained from a population and a sample but most its
applications utilizes the sample rather than the population due to the complete enumeration of the
latter. The unit of the variance is squared unit while that of the standard deviation is the same as theunit
of the data set. The following symbolsare used to designate these measures to a population and
sample.Thevarianceand standard deviation of a populationare calculated by using the formulas
below.Definition 9: Thestandard deviation is the positive square root of the variance. The varianceis the
averageof the squared deviations of every observation from the mean.PopulationSampleStandard
deviation 휎푠 Variance 휎푠

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management11Mathematics in the Modern

WorldVarianceand Standard deviation of Population: Consider be the N elements of apopulation.
Then, the population variance is ()=1and the population standard deviation is √.Sample Variance:
Let be the random sampleof observations.Then, the sample variance is ()=1and the standard
deviation of the sample is √.Example1: The following arethe scores of a student in all her long
exams in Calculus: 83, 80, 89, 78, and 70. Calculate the standard deviation.Solution:
()8339800089981782470 10100Total 400()194The result indicates that on the average, the percentage
scores of the student tends to deviate from the mean by an amount of 6.23 units.Example2: The
following data were obtained bysampling on a population. 1012141517181824Find the variance and the
standard deviationof the sample.Solution:()()-63612-41614-2415-111711 휎(푥푖휇)푁푖=1 푁 38.8
(Variance)휎(Standard deviation)The standard deviation of the population is 푠(푥푥)푛푠푠
Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management12Mathematics in the Modern
World1824182424 8__64__ Total ()130The variance is 18.57while the standard deviation is
approximately 4.31. What can you infer from this?Remarks:A large amount of standard deviation
indicates that,on the average, the data values will be far from the mean while the standard deviation
of smaller amount shows that, on the average, the data values will be close to the mean. DO THESE!
Answer the following.Show a complete and neat solution for each problem.1.An interviewwas made to
a class of 20 college students to determine the number of books owned bythe students. The data
gathered are as follows: 4, 9, 0, 1, 3, 24, 12,3, 30, 12, 7, 13, 18, 4, 5, 15, 8, 10, 10, and 12. Treating the
data as a population, calculate the standard deviation.2.(Adopted from Mathematics A Practical
Odyssey). Tosettle an argument over who is a better bowler between Danny and George, the two
agreed to bowl six games and whoever has the highest “average” will be the best. Their bowling
scores are presented in the table below.Compute and compare their averages. Who is the better
bowler?George185135200185250155Danny1821851881851801903.(Mathematical Excursions by
Aufmann). A consumer testing agency has tested the strengths of 3 brands of inch rope. The results of
the tests are shown in the following table. According to the same test results, which company
produces inch rope for which the breaking point has the smallest standard deviation?Companyinch
rope in

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management13Mathematics in the Modern

WorldpoundsTrustworthy122, 141, 151, 114, 108, 149, 125Brand X128, 127, 148, 164, 97, 109,
137NeverSnap112, 121, 138, 131, 134, 139, 1354.Ten used trail bikes are randomly selected from a
bike shop, and the odometer reading of each is recorded as follows.1,902,103, 653,1,901,
788,361,216, 363, 223, 656Solve for the standard deviation and interpret.Measures of Relative
PositionA statistical tool which is significant in identifying the positionof anobservation relative to
theother elements in a given data setthemeasure of relative position.This measure divides the data set
into subgroups such that a specific portionof the data set belongs to the lowerbracket and the
remainingon the higher bracket. Percentiles, deciles, and quartiles are among the most commonly used
measures of relative position. In determining the desired measure, the data must first be arranged
in an increasing pattern. The entire set of observationsin a percentilecontains99 partitions which
are located at, ,, andwhere 1% of the total observations Definition10: A measure of relative positionis
a statistical measure that providesthe specific location of an observation relative to the other values
when the data are in ranked order.Definition 11: The percentile, denoted by 푃푖, is a value that divides
an array of observations into 100equal partsin order that 푖%of all the observations lies below 푃푖.
The quartile, denoted by 푄푖, is a value that divides an array of observationsinto fourequal partsin
order that (푖× %)of all the observations lies below 푄푖. The decile, denoted by 퐷푖, is a value that
divides an array of observations into tenequal partsin order that(푖× %)of all the observations lies below
퐷푖.

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management14Mathematics in the Modern

Worldare lower thanand the remaining 99% are higher than, 2% of the total observations are
found below and 98% are above it, and so on. Analogous to this, quartiles havethe subdivisions
described by(the first quartilewhich has 25% of the observations fallingbelow itand the remaining 75%
above it), (the second quartilewhich is equal to the median and has 50% of the observations below
it),and (the third quartilewith75% of the total observations fallsbelow itand the remaining 25% lies
above it).The portions of decilesare the 1stdecile (), 2nddecile (), , and 9thdecile ().The lowest
decile correspondsto a value in the setwherein10% of the whole observations are located below , the
second decile corresponds to a value in which 20% of the entire observations are lower than , , and so
on up to the last decile which has a value positioned at the top such that 90% of all the
observations are locatedbelowthe value corresponding to.Remarks: 1.The quartile and decile can be
determinedby solving its equivalent percentile.a..b..2.Given a data set, then Median .Example1: Joywas
told that relative to the other scores on a long exam in Statistics, her score was the ℎpercentile.
This means that at least 95% of those who took the test had scores less than or equal to Joy’s score,
while at least 5% hada score higher than Joy’s.Example2: Given the following data set: 25, 5, 6, 12, 8,
16, 17, 22, 20, 9. Compute fora) 20thpercentilec) first quartilee) 3rddecileb) 56thpercentiled)
2ndquartilef) seventh decileDefinition 12: Formula for the PercentileThe percentile 푃푖 of ungrouped
data consisting of 푛 observations located on the 푖푡ℎ place can be computed as 푃푖푛푖.

Mathematics in Our World|Mathematicsas a Tool: Data Management15Mathematics in the Modern

WorldSolutions: Arrange the scores in an increasing manner.5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 17, 20, 22,
25a)20thpercentile()(location of 20thpercentile)This means that the 20thpercentile is the second
scorefrom the lowest. So, .b)56thpercentile()Whenthe result is not exactround it to the nearest whole
number. The 56thpercentile is approximately described by the 6thvalue in the data set. Thus,
.Note: Interpolation may be appliedto find for an exact value corresponding tothe
56thpercentile. means that the 56thpercentile is between the 5thand 6thvalue. To interpolate,
multiply the difference of the 5thand 6thvalues by the decimal partthen addth