Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, and change. It’s a part of everything in the universe. Ideas and concepts in math are universal because they are based in logic and deductive reasoning. The concept of “one” will always be “one” no matter what language you speak. Even computers speak math. They use a binary language (ones and zeroes). Everyone uses math at one point or another: from scientists and statisticians to farmers and cooks. Math is just as important when you go to buy a burger, as it is to help plot the movement of planets.
Math Quotes
“The proper test of an education is whether it teaches the pupil to think and whether it awakens his
interest in applying his brain to the various problems and opportunities life presents.” ~Geoffrey Browther
“The chief value of arithmetic…lies in the training it affords to the reasoning powers, and in the habits of insight, readiness, accuracy, and intellectual truthfulness it engenders.” ~Charlotte Mason
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~Thomas Edison
“Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.” ~Albert Einstein
“If a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.” ~Francis Bacon
“A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a maker of patterns.” ~G.H. Hardy
“Math expresses God’s creation in its absoluteness. Compared to other fields of science, it is quite free from contradiction. Its theorems and concepts, once established, seldom change with time and progress. It maintains rigid and exacting regulations, which show God’s perfect order.” ~Roseann Miller
“At the age of 12, I experienced a wonder in a booklet dealing with Euclidean plane geometry, which came into my hands at the beginning of a school year. Here were assertions, as for example the intersection of the three altitudes of a triangle in one point, which — though by no means evident — could nevertheless be proved with such certainty that any doubt appeared to be out of the question. This lucidity and certainty made an indescribable impression on me.” ~Albert Einstein
“A Christian school that is content only with the teaching of manipulatory skills of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry blinds the student’s perception to all but a fraction of the glory of God reflected in the unique mirror of mathematics.” ~Larry L. Zimmerman
“The Bible is the lens through which we view every subject. Looking through the lens of the Bible at a math book, we see the unchanging mathematical calculations revealing the unchanging God. We marvel at the absolute consistency of mathematical principles and recognize that the Bible presents the Eternal Inventor of that consistency!” ~Author Unknown
“Mathematics proclaims that God is unchangeable. Of all studies, Mathematics is unique. Plants and animals are born, they grow, they bear fruit and multiply, they become old and die; however, number concepts are not born, they do not grow, they do not multiply, neither do they become old and die. Customs change, languages change, times change, our bodies constantly change, everything is subject to change…except Mathematics.” ~Mark Fakkema
Math Facts
The key time to catch a child’s interest in math is before the age of nine.
After sifting through mountains of data – including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students – a team of scientists says there are no gender differences in math performance. ~ScienceDaily, July 27, 2008
Dads have a major impact on the degree of interest their daughters develop in math. ~ScienceDaily, June 25, 2007
Teen girls with close friends and other peers who make good grades are much more likely to take higher-level math classes than other teens. ~Crosnoe et al. Child Development, 2008; 79 (1): 139
As teachers are forced to spend up to 50% of class time prepping students for standardized tests, more and more kids are being turned off to understanding and appreciating mathematics. ~California Mathematics Council
California State University reported that more than 60% of incoming freshman had to enroll in remedial Math and/or English. [Roy Romer. Unprepared: the problem of high-school graduates. ~National Review, September 17, 2008
Research shows many children with trouble in math may have developmental dyscalculia – similar to dyslexia. Dyscalculia makes it difficult to connect an abstract symbol to the number it represents. ~ScienceDaily, September 26, 2008
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that learning disabilities in math are just as common among children as learning disabilities in reading. ~ScienceDaily, October 27, 2005
Many adults suffer from math phobia and math avoidance. [NCTM]
The most important skill that business and industry demand is an ability to solve problems, particularly unfamiliar and nonroutine problems that arise daily. [NCTM]
The need for a broader command of basic mathematical concepts and skills—including measurement and statistics—has never been greater. [NCTM]
Mathematics involves the study, understanding, and application of a set of concepts and skills commonly used by real people, in real settings, every day. [NCTM]