Why would you use algebra outside the class room and who would want to?

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or rather why use xxy=40 when you would just do 4x10 for instance why use letters

Answer 1

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People who don't think they know algebra actually use it every day.

For instance, you're having a party and you figure 13 people will show up, and each will drink 4 drinks. A fifth of liquor is 21 shots. How much liquor do you need to have on hand?

Solving that problem is algebra.

Your yard is 45 feet wide and 151 feel deep. You want to apply fertilizer once a month for the next six months. If you keep fertilizer over the winter, it clumps up, but if you buy too-small a package, it's much more expensive, so you want the smallest bag that will give you six applications. If your fertilizer spreader is set for ten pounds per acre, how much fertilizer do you need to buy?

You're trying to pick between two cars. The one gets 20 miles per gallon, and the other gets 30 miles per gallon. If you figure that gas will average $3.50 per gallon, and that you'll be driving about 25,000 miles per year, how long will it take for the savings on gas to justify a $3,000 higher price for the car with better milage?

These are all algebra problems. These are all real life problems. If you don't know how to solve the problems, and just guess, you'll spend your life running out of money before you run out of month. (You'll also find your friends abandoning you when you run out of booze.)

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well detailed answer

Answer 2

to tip people.

Answer 3

It depends on what you choose as a career. If you're going into statistics, economics, engineering, architecture, computer science, pharmacy, the sciences, mathematics or a plethora of other occupations you will use algebra and often. If you're in another career, you will also use algebra, you'll just have forgotten the name of what you are doing. Everyone in the modern world uses algebraic concepts and methods to some extent, even if they don't realize it. At some point you'll be making a budget, or trying t find out how much materials you need or the area or volume of something, you'll just have forgotten that that '?' means 'x'.

As to who will want to? Those who want an advantage, and those who actually appreciate math, which are many.

You won't like it if you don't let yourself like it.

Answer 4

Cooking !!!... the ratio of ingredients for baking a cake or sauce.

If it takes 3 bags of cake mix and 2 cups sugar for a cake.

How much sugar do you mix to 7 bags of cake mix ?

3/2 = 7/X so 3X = 14 so X = 14/3

or 4 and 2/3 cups sugar.

This is a simple form of algebra
How else ??

Answer 5

You use algebra in many feilds, like real estate, when you build things, land measurements you would be surprised at how often you will use algebra.

Answer 6

Shopping, tipping, and if you ever do anything with numbers at work chances are you're going to use algebra and other mathematics.

Answer 7

shopping and why would you need science? surfing

Answer 8

if your life goal is to be a fry chef at McDonald's I guess you won't.......I love their fries, keep up the good work...

Answer 9

Well you might not want to, I know I don't, but basic algebra shows up. I find my self solving for "x" a lot when I am doing grade percentages and figuring out how much of my pay is going to taxes. You won't be doing factoring in real life but basic algebra just might show its ugly head.

Answer 10

I use it when calculating which ice cream I want at the moment...for instance - because x^3+chocolate*(root)19683=4571853, I choose butterscotch, thank you very much.

Answer 11

you really wont

Answer 12

Even my teacher says you wont use it..

with the exception of tipping..and certain jobs.
like algebra teacher..scientists..science teacher..

Other than that, its rarely used.

Answer 13

lets say you see 10 white chickens and 5 red chickens and are thinking, "wow....i like chickens. i wonder what percent of these chickens that i am seeing are white?" you could then write a simple equation: P x C = W and substitute in
P x 15 = 10 and then solve and you would have gained knowledge about an animal that inspires you!

Answer 14

First of all, who would want to use algebra outside the class room. It's kind of obvious, but every mathematician on this mathematics page all use algebra to volunteer and help those that need help with it. So I'm already one of them. Why would I want to use algebra outside of the classroom? I have many reasons and I'll tell you some of them.
1. To help those that need help
2. To learn more about mathematics(I like math)
3. It makes life easier when we need to find values we don't know.
4. To maximize to profit for business, if I happen to be boos, but I don't actually intend to be one.
5. So I don't have to use my calculator all the time.
6. Do what a mathematician would do and work until I discover something new(I wish I could be the best mathematician in the world)

Answer 15

my algebra teacher says it causes us to exercise our brains and when we think it builds our intellect.

Answer 16

Yes you will use the math in the real world, geometry too!
The biggest thing algebra teaches is an ordered way of thinking and solving problems.

Answer 17

u will alwayz need it no matta where u r when u need 2 buy suttin or kno suttin or when ur kids ask u u dnt want dem 2 think ur stupid

Answer 18

Why, you'd use it for answering questions on Yahoo!Answers of course, what did you think?