Does Algebra Have Any Value in Your Life?

Most math teachers wish they had a dollar for every time some cheeky 14-year-old raised his hand in their class and asked, “Am I ever going to use this even once in my life?”

I’ll grant that, if you’re not going into the sciences, you can skip advanced math–but not algebra, which lives all around us.

• If you want to drive to a restaurant halfway across the state of California on back roads where you’ll average 50 mph, to meet your Uncle Bob and his family who are driving down from Seattle on the Interstate at 75 mph, and he’s leaving at 6 AM, when should you leave?

• If it takes two minutes to print out three color photos, how long will it take to print out 15?

Sure, there are people who are proud that they’ve never used algebra in their lives, but maybe it’s time for them to rethink that.