by Can Tran

Created on: March 25, 2009

During high school and college, I was never a fan of mathematics. I was not much of a fan of mathematics courses. To this very day, I have no interest in math classes.
However, I came to understand and acknowledge the importance and potential of mathematics skills. You need to have some sort of knowledge in mathematics if you wish to survive in this world. Like it or not, mathematics is essential to the functioning of this world.

One could call mathematics one of the vital gears in the machine known as "Earth."

However, one should not get discouraged. The one thing I had come to learn is that mathematics is not solely about numbers.
You can apply mathematics to just about any situation and not have to use numbers. When thinking about the potential of mathematics, one needs to look beyond the numbers. Mathematics is defined as: the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern of form. While numbers play an integral part of mathematics, it is mainly about patterns.
It also relies on the use of both abstraction and logical reasoning.

The first thing I learned about the potential of mathematical skills would be logical reasoning.
In order to get ahead in the world, one needs the capacity of logical reasoning. If one does not think logically and rationally, then s/he will never get far enough in the world. In this respect, it teaches one discipline. One needs to be disciplined in today's world. Perhaps this is one major aspect of math's potential. It teaches us to step back and think rationally about things.

It is better to think rationally instead of doing something impulsive most of the time. Doing impulsive things without thinking first leads to all sorts of problems. You could dig yourself a figurative hole that would take awhile to climb out of. By thinking rationally, you are showing discipline. You cannot get anywhere in the world without showing discipline.

Here is one example:

Say that a friend's girlfriend or boyfriend was complaining to you about relationship woes, what would you do?
If you were impulsive, you could confront the friend and demand answers. However, you probably would not just demand answers. An impulsive individual would make a scene and cause things to become complicated than they already are.

A more rational and logical person would step back and think things over. If you are rationale, you would wait and get all of the variables together. You would gather more information. In regards to mathematics, you want to find

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