THE USE OF ALGEBRAIC IDEAS IN EVERYDAY

LIFE
ANGEL AGUERO
JANUARY 14, 2015

Recently I have ran more and more often into the following statement.
Well, another day has passed. I didnt use algebra
once.
I even saw it printed on a t-shirt! It seems an increasing number
of individuals need justification to not care about, or bother learning
algebra. I could similarly remark, Another day has passed, and I
didnt perform the Heimlich maneuver or a single chest compression!
Yet, universally most would agree they are useful skills to know. While
most of us did not perform open heart surgery today, algebra is one of
those fields that are so fundamental to the things we do everyday, that
is is virtually impossible to not use algebra at least once in the course
of a day. Like language, mathematics allows us to communicate with
our peers and perform basic everyday tasks we likely take for granted.
What is Algebra? A quick Google search, or any standard dictionary tells us, In its most general form algebra is the study of symbols
and the rules for manipulating symbols. Wow! That doesnt sound
like anything I did today, or want to do ever! However, Algebra originating from Arabics Al-jebr, and meaning, reunion of broken parts,
1

THE USE OF ALGEBRAIC IDEAS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

is about bringing ideas together. Yes, that is right, bringing ideas

together, and making sense of them.
Let us briefly take a look at the simplest type of algebra problem,
namely, solving the following equation for x,

ax + b = c
Note: Dont let my use of symbols, or mathematical jargon scare you,
you dont need to understand any of that, I am simply going to attempt
to illustrate where we use these ideas in our everyday lives.
Now, to solve this equation for x we subtract b from both sides,
and then divide both sides by a. Mathematically we say, We use
the additive inverse of b followed by the multiplicative inverse of a
together with the algebraic field properties over the reals to find an
element x such that f (x) = c, whenever f (x) = ax + b. ... Whatever
that means. What is important is that in essence we are taking inverses,
i.e., doing and undoing things, and applying rules to functions.
Let us now look at a few examples of functions in everyday life. One
common example is a soda machine. The buttons on the machine are
its inputs(the domain), and the respective drinks are its output (the
range). Mathematically,

f ([pressin_button_picturing_drink]) = [Dispensing_that_drink]
Another example involves driving. It turns out that the speed at which
the vehicle travels depends on how far we press the gas pedal with

THE USE OF ALGEBRAIC IDEAS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

our foot. Once again this is a function with its input(domain) being
the amount the pedal is displaced from its normal position, and its
output(range) being the speed at which it travels. Mathematically,
f ([amount_pedal_is_displaced]) = [speed_of _the_vehicle]
Hence, anyone who drives uses algebra, regardless of whether they are
aware of that fact or not! Even the act of stapling a stack of papers
is an exercise in algebraic problem solving. Its domain being the size
of the stack of papers, the rule being the act of stapling the papers,
and its range the stapled stack of a particular size. Before you say I
am pulling your leg, let us examine this situation. Can we evaluate
an inverse operation, and apply the inverse operation to the original
rule thereby undoing the operation and restoring the original domain?
Allow me to direct your attention to the following picture1

Mathematically,
f 1 (f (x)) = x
1Image

retrieved from: http://i.imgur.com/396M1.jpg

THE USE OF ALGEBRAIC IDEAS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

i.e., the stapler applies a staple to the stack of papers, and staple remover restores the stack to its original unstapled conditionexcept for
the holes of course. Then there are also finances, whether it is about
buying our favorite snack to paying our bills every time. When we
buy something for say, $1.78, we know that $1.78 + [Ourchange] =
[Billwepaidwith], assuming we didnt swipe our card. The budgeting
of our expenses, and calculating how much money we can spare towards
entertainment the following weekend is also an algebra problem. You
may say, Wait that is an arithmetic problem, and you would be correct if you only did that problem once, or it was the exact same problem
every time, but the values vary, introducing variables into your calculations, thus, making it an algebra problem which most people know
how to deal with in spite of the changing values.
Fundamentally, this is all there is to algebra! The ideas of algebra
are really this simple. They are not a scary monster we must avoid at
all cost. They are the stuff of thought and the rules that govern our
everyday livesso much that it is impossible for anyone to say, Well,
another day has passed. I didnt use algebra once. and be right
chances are they did even if they didnt realize it! The better we get at
manipulating the essence of our ideas the better we become at bringing
our ideas together and creating new ones. Our native language is our
means of communicating our thoughts with others, while Mathematics
is a language that allows us to manipulate and work with our ideas.

THE USE OF ALGEBRAIC IDEAS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Like any other language mastering its rules, syntax, and grammar allows us to put together an elegant flow of ideas and create beautiful
prose in the language of mathematics.
As one example of communicating a more advanced idea with the
language of mathematics consider the following. It turns out there are
three primary factors determining the resistance to blood flow within a
blood vessel, namely, vessel radius and length, and blood viscosity. We
could write tirelessly page after page about how a blood vessel that is
twice the length of another, but having equal radii will have twice the
resistance to blood flow, or that if the viscosity of the blood doubles,
then resistance to flow will also double, or that with increased radius
comes reduced resistance, etc. Or we could mathematically say all that
and more, like a master poet, with a single formula:
F

4P r4
L

Mathematics allows us to become better at working with our thoughts,

hence improving our rhetorical skills. It makes us better thinkers and
better writers as a result of being able to take apart an argument,
analyze it, and put it back together through both deductive and inductive principles which are at the foundation of mathematical thought.
For example, we dont exercise because we may find the need to lift
400 pounds at work, but rather because a healthy body allows us to do
every day things more efficiently. Similarly, exercising our brains by entertaining a mathematical thought or puzzle makes us better thinkers,
and as a result better at making decisions. Those who communicate

THE USE OF ALGEBRAIC IDEAS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

clearly, and can express their ideas better are likely to get further ahead
in their careers, as well as closer to their dreams. This is why so many
strive to be better writers, and better speakersmathematics only facilitates this by making us better at logical thinking, and since it is
already the stuff of thought, even unknowingly, our days can not pass
without engaging in it at least once in our dayevery day!