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Most Americans do not truly understand why they should study mathematics. Most of us just hope to be able to balance our checkbooks and figure out our taxes.
But in an era that values critical thinking skills, a knowledge of mathematics is essential. After all, we live in a mathematical universe. John Allen Paulos wrote a book called Innumeracy, which is a clever term to describe people who don't understand math.
Paulos points out that those who does not know math is bound to make mistakes making decisions that affect their lives. For instance, they don't understand how common coincidence is in life. They see cause and effect relationships when they are really seeing the results of totally random patterns.
To illustrate his point, he gives an example. Counting leap year, Paulos notes, there are 366 birthdates. The least number of people in a room to have a 100% chance that at least two people share the same birthday is 367. Since there are only 366 dates to go around, the 367th person has to share a birthday with someone else. Paulos stumps the average person by asking, "How many people do we need to have a 50% chance that two people have the same birthday?" The response is usually 183 or half of 366. But the answer is wrong. The correct answer is just twenty-three. In other words, half the time twenty-three people are together, at least two will share the same birthday.
People are not aware how often coincidence occurs. Paulos also notes that if a computer is programmed to print out X's and O's at random, it produces patterns. The printout displays groups of six or more X's, giving the impression that the results are due to a causative factor. But they are only random. We can see how we can make mistakes interpreting data in doing research or in investing money. Many of us may be literate, but we are not innumerate, and we don't even realize our shortcoming.
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