Why should girls bother with math?

Because it is interesting and useful for many careers.

So that they know their Ovarian cycle.

Let me run ask my neighbor, Ann, the engineer who owns her own multimillion dollar firm.....

Good answers so far, but what if they're sure they want to be actresses, for example? Oops my phone's dying so I have to go now.

Then they might want to know math so they can know if their managers are cheating them.

In 1964, I argued with guys about women's role. They insisted that baking bread and running a house properly is a satisfying role they ought to accept and be happy with. Not one of them thought they belonged in the work force. I got pretty hot a few times arguing with them. My mother worked because she had to, but I think she was happier working than being home all the time.

There's really not much in life that I think can be done successfully without math.

and an actress? she's still got to be able to make a living

This, my dear is the year 2015, not 1942..."Girls" also known as young ladies should avail themselves of a strong curriculum in chemistry,physics, math and computer science, if they're interested in having a profession and if they're not interested in being an unskilled laborer.

The more education a young "girl" can obtain, the better off she'll be in the future.

What if an actress comes across a choice role as a scientist? They'll be more believable portraying an educated character if they understand the subject in which the character is a supposed expert.

Yeah . . . dumb ol' girls . . .

Why don't you buy your wife a watch for her birthday?














. . . because there's a clock on the stove.

It's working for Mayim Bialik.

There are many women in the pure sciences today which require a skilled grasp of math. There are growing numbers of females in physics, Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Computer technology...each year the number of females are larger than the previous year. To become a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, all require a knowledge of advanced math. In fact, in this new age of advanced technology, a command of mathematics is a must.

I don't think you're completely correct about the trend. I've heard the level of female participation in computer science is falling. It's rising in engineering but lower than it should be. In biological sciences there are indeed more women.

No links, as I am not at my computer.

You are correct, Kolyo. The "trend" for CS is going downward for females. I've just checked the web. Nationwide, I was not aware of the statistics; I was speaking of the progression at my university which show a growing number of females entering the pure sciences. and threw CS into the mix. Seeing as how females outpace college going males by 3-1, it's not too surprising to see so many women advancing in other areas of science.

Well it makes it easier when you bank, (assuming you will eventually have money and a bank account), shopping for pretty much anything, doing your personal taxes, making sure someone doesn't rip you off when you purchase, etc.

Doing almost any sort of house work or home improvement. Laundry, cooking, etc. you need to understand measurements. Hanging a picture if you want to ensure it hangs evenly and is centered.

Pretty much any day to day living requires knowledge of math.

In life you need to know basic arithmetic; addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals. You might need to know how to read a bar chart.

All of the math you need to know for most professions is math you learn by the 6th grade.

Can you give me an example of why most people (boys or girls) need any math beyond that?

I've used algebra to figure things out. For example if I know the answer to a situation but do not know an in between number, I use algebra to figure it out. Also some of things I mentioned is what you learn in geometry. Hanging pictures, etc.

Gardening requires math - alot of this is math you learn in high school. Do a quick search of math in every day life and you will get a lot more detail.

I worked in curriculum development for Algebra. There is a big problem we have with high school Algebra, when students ask us "what do we need this for?" there is no honest answer. The math in everyday life pages are really bogus. We are lying to these kids. Any math teacher (or parent) will confirm that this is true.

A sixth grader will know enough math to find an in-between number or hang a picture (what is called "geometry" in high school has to do with proofs and bisecting angles and has nothing to do with hanging pictures).

Let me give you an example.

In high school (assuming you had a normal high school algebra experience) you spent weeks learning how to find the roots of a polynomial. Let me ask you; could you find the roots of a polynomial now? Have you ever needed to find the roots of a polynomial? Do you know anyone who has been hurt by their inability to find the roots of a polynomial?

This is true of almost anything you learned in high school math. Most Americans never need it.

The math that you talk about... finding missing numbers and hanging pictures... and the math that the vast majority of us will ever need is all math that kids learn by the sixth grade.

I remember the compound interest calculations from high school coming in handy when I was figuring out the various options when I was buying my first new car. I decided to keep saving and to drive my 8th hand vehicle until I could pay cash for a new car.