Maths is a subject that is often seen as difficult and unimportant. However, the skills you learn in maths can be applied to many areas of your life. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the ways that GCSE maths can be useful in your everyday life. We will look at examples such as cooking and tipping or splitting the bill, shopping during the holiday sales and being able to make better decisions. It all turns out useful whether you realise it or not!

Everyone needs a bit of help understanding Maths at some point whether you are looking to pass foundation and dream of being a beauty therapist or want to push on to that A* and study quantum physics or engineering at university. Sherpa can help by providing qualified teachers that have been teaching Maths for years. Getting an online tutor for support is the perfect way to make sense of it all. Click here to find out who can help!

Now I know, we've all been there. Sitting at a desk on a Monday morning, barely keeping your eyes open to stare at a combination of numbers and letters on a whiteboard (or blackboard for our older parents!). Even the most talented mathematicians have had that thought at some point: what is it all for and why can't I understand it! I'm here to tell you that Maths can be challenging, but it is also an extremely rewarding subject.

As Charles Darwin once mentioned (with a hint of jealousy); people that commit to understanding mathematical theories seem to go through life almost with an extra sense! So don't give up on maths - it can truly change your life for the better. Here are a few examples of how:

Career Choice Freedom

This is an obvious one! If you always wanted to be an astronaut, engineer or make a lot of money in business or stocks then great! Go for it! But your chances are slim if you don't put in the work for GCSEs and learn the trickier stuff before it gets harder...MUCH harder! It's never too early to look into what the career you have always dreamed of requires you to know, as the earlier you practise these skills the better you will be when the time comes.

GCSE Maths is hands-down the most important one to get as it impacts almost anything you do as an adult in the world today, in any career. You may be creative and have a passion for design or hairstyling and dream of one day owning your own business. The chances are that while you grow your business you are going to have to do a lot of maths to organise your inventory, prices and accounts to keep your business accounts afloat! It pays to know Maths!

Cooking

You might not think it, but Maths is a big part of cooking. When you're following a recipe, you need to be able to convert measurements like cups to tablespoons using ratios, understand what half or double the ingredients are by multiplying and dividing fractions when scaling a recipe and also to estimate how long something will take to cook at what temperature to make it all ready at roughly the same time. All of these skills require some basic knowledge of Maths...and practice makes perfect!

Tipping & Splitting the Bill

When you're out at a restaurant, you probably don't think about the maths involved in calculating the tip. But it's actually a pretty simple calculation: just take the total bill and multiply it by 15%, 20% or 25%. even with a calculator, if you didn't pay attention in class you might struggle to get it right and end up getting a very different look from the waiter than you expected!

It can also get complicated when out eating with friends and everyone orders different combinations of food and drinks. It always falls on one person to figure out how to fairly split the bill and it is often a testing time for your arithmetic skills...and friendships!

Shopping

Have you ever been stumped about what decision to make when faced with two different types of sale items? "Should I buy this item that's on sale for 20% off or the more expensive one with 50% off?" If you know how to do a little Maths on the spot, then you can quickly work out which is the better deal and save yourself some money. Perfect for getting a good deal on that new outfit you're eyeing up in the shop window. Just take the percentage off the original price to find out how much it will cost and compare it to other items.

This useful trick comes in handy for food shopping. Why not treat yourself to the fancier brands when on offer! You may not realise it but you are also recalling some algebra when formulating a plan to get all the ingredients in enough quantities to cook a meal with enough portions or see how many chocolate bars you can get with your weekly budget and still have enough meals to go around!

Finances

It's a tough subject when you are young but you eventually realise it pays to get your finances in order early on! Having a tight grasp of incomes, and expenses and being able to keep track and even use some statistics is a lifelong skill that starts with learning maths.

Whether it be doing taxes, looking into investments, tracking energy usage, budgeting for holidays and savings, food shopping or anything else, Maths is always involved. Some people might not believe you, but it's best to invest in yourself early and keep that knowledge of graphs, the percentage increases, tables and statistics if you want to get ahead in life! And if they don't believe you, well...you can always do the maths to prove it!

DIY

When considering painting your house, rearranging furniture or even gardening it is hard to ignore the need for maths! You need to be able to measure the space you have, calculate how much paint you need for each room, work out what shape furniture will fit where and even consider the angle of the sun when working out where to plant bulbs and flowers.

All these calculations are based on Maths. You may not need to use algebra or geometry but a good understanding of basic mathematical concepts is essential for any budding handyman or woman! Beware if you are trying your hand at building a garden table or repairing a fence because trigonometry is essential to making measurements and finding your angles.

When building with materials in the real world it is a lot harder than diagrams on paper when nothing cuts exactly straight and you can't easily use a protractor! You will be praising Pythagoras before you know it, just ask any carpenter!

Problem Solving

Possibly one of the most useful things you will develop from practising maths throughout your life is an appreciation and confidence in problem-solving. Dealing with abstract concepts and trying different methods until you find the solution that works the best is a very useful skill in many different careers even if you don't use numbers! It may be subtle, but some of the most successful people in the world are problem solvers and they have maths to thank for that.

A combination of algebra, probabilities and statistics for example will give you the ability to think flexibly and see the world differently. You will be able to see patterns and approach tasks from multiple angles, carefully being able to decide on the best one for you, leading to success in work and general life! Maths can also give you a creative outlet as well as teach you patience and how to persevere when things get tough.

Having the tools to assess a situation and problem-solve whether something is worth your energy, time, money, or emotional investment is a priceless skill that will benefit you for a lifetime!

So next time you're struggling with your Maths homework, remember that it's not just about passing exams. Maths is a subject that can help you in many aspects of your life – both now and in the future. With a little bit of practice, who knows what you might be able to achieve?

If you're interested in learning more about Maths or improving your Maths skills, why not get in touch with one of our Maths tutors? They can help you to understand even the most difficult concepts, and before you know it, Maths will be your favourite subject! Click here to find out more.

That's all for now! We hope this blog has inspired you to see Maths in a new light. We will leave you with a few inspirational quotes about how important Maths is to us. Don't forget to share this blog with your friends – you never know, they might find it useful too!

"Maths is not about numbers, equations, computations or algorithms: it is about understanding" - William Paul Thurston

"Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries: for mathematics, the cultural world is one country" - David Hilbert

"Math is like an atomic-powered prosthesis you can attach to your common sense." - Jordan Ellenberg