I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip through the mathabet as much as I have. Even though I had no idea how it would go when I had the idea at the beginning of the year, I’m excited for how it turned out. You now have an entire season of the podcast with blog posts here and a book to use as reminders that you interact with mathematical ideas every single day. You also have a mini framework to help you shift your mindset around your relationship toward math.
{This is a modified transcript for Episode 54 of the I See Math People podcast. To listen instead, click here.}
The first step is noticing where you interact with math. This creates an awareness of the mathematical thinking you are using and gives you an opportunity to celebrate and remind yourself that you are a math person.
Do this often enough and before you know it, you will not only be seeing the math you do everywhere, but you will also notice your attitude toward math beginning to shift just a bit. And that is where the magic happens.
We don’t have any letters left to talk about today, so I want to recap a few of my favorite ideas…the ones you interact with constantly and the ones that I believe can have the biggest impact on your mindset shift.
So, here we go on a mini journey through the mathabet!
A is for algebra.
Please hear me out before you roll your eyes. And, yes, I know I didn’t include algebra back in this post when I talked about mathematical ideas beginning with A. Algebra is, however, woven through a few of the other ideas I’ve shared during our mathabet journey and it shows up in your life way more often than you think.
Merriam-Webster defines algebra as “a generalization of arithmetic in which letters representing numbers are combined according to the rules of arithmetic,” which sounds a bit like word salad to me. But, if we hone in on that idea of generalization, we can unlock this definition. Generalizing involves noticing patterns in certain situations and extending those ideas to all similar situations. Like how you know adding one to a number gets you the next number on the number line. It’s all about patterns, of course.
You generalize all sorts of things all the time. You also use the “rules of arithmetic” to solve for unknowns. Like when you know what time your appointment is and you back track to determine when you need to leave your house to make it on time. Or, even better, when you use that information and knowledge of your morning routine to figure out when you need to wake up to get there on time. I know you’ve done that before. But, have you recognized this is thinking algebraically?
For more on this topic, I invite you to check out the book I wrote last year. It’s called “Algebra is Not the Enemy” and you can find it in ebook format at onamission.bio/jennifermasonhardin.
C is for categories.
Using categories involves the ideas of comparing and contrasting. I devoted an entire post to comparison last year. You can find it here.
Categories are labels we create for groups of similar things. Like when we put all the forks together in one section of the silverware drawer and all the knives in another. Or when we have a sock drawer in the dresser and a shoe rack in the closet. You compare and contrast objects, people, and ideas pretty much constantly during your day, so categories is definitely an easy place to start noticing the mathematical thinking you do. Also, it’s worth mentioning again, really because this one makes me chuckle every time I think about it…Labeling yourself as not a math person is actually evidence you are a math person. Because you’ve put yourself in a category.
D is for data.
If you aren’t in a field that makes use of statistics, you might not think data applies to you. But, the word data just means a collection of information. It could be numbers, like the prices at the grocery store, but it doesn’t have to be. As you go about your day, you are constantly collecting data on all sorts of things. The colors of the cars you see on your commute. How long it takes your kids to get dressed. The kinds of foods you like or dislike. How much weight you can lift at the gym. It’s all data. And you notice, collect, and analyze it all the time.
E is for elephant.
Okay. I know this isn’t a mathematical idea. What I’m really referring to is the elephant in the room, so to speak. The undercurrent of your belief that while you recognize you regularly use mathematical thinking like I describe, doing so doesn’t make you a math person.
So, here is where I pause the discussion long enough to remind you that we are here to redefine what it means to be a math person.
You probably think that being a math person requires you to like math, get good grades in math class, and be quick at calculating. Spoiler alert. None of that is required when we define a math person as a person who interacts with mathematical ideas. You are a person. You interact with mathematical ideas every single day and it’s time you start recognizing this and start shifting that belief. I
’d like to say the rant is over, but who am I kidding? This is the entire point of every episode, every blog post, and every book I write. Even if you don’t see yourself this way, you are a math person. Full stop.
E is also for estimation.
I also devoted an entire to this idea. You can read it here.
For the purpose of this recap, I’m just going to say that you estimate all sorts of things all the time. How long your commute will be. How much food you need for that family gathering. How much money you need for those home improvements you want to do. Every time you base a decision on information that isn’t exact or decide an amount is close enough, you are using estimation. So, this is another great place to begin recognizing the mathematical thinking you do every day.
P is for pattern.
This is probably my favorite topic because I believe you can sum up the entire field of mathematics in this one word. Pattern. Patterns are everywhere. Your daily routines are patterns. The print on your favorite shirt is a pattern. A recipe is a pattern. The calendar is a pattern. Your thoughts and behaviors are patterns. I could go on. And I did back in this post, called Math in One Word. So if you’d like a more in depth discussion of pattern and where it might show up for you, go check it out.
P is also for problem solving.
Problem solving didn’t make it into the P section of Mathabet. You’ll find it under Word Problems instead and also in this post.
You solve problems every single day. Maybe they don’t sound like the problems you encountered in math class. They might not even involve numbers. But the truth is that the problem solving process is mathematical…and logical…in nature and being a problem solver definitely makes you a math person. So, the next time you can’t find your shoes or the road is blocked by construction equipment and you figure out an alternate plan, pat yourself on the back and add the experience to your growing list of evidence that you, indeed, are a math person.
T is for time.
It’s the last topic I’ll share here today and it’s one I know you are constantly interacting with. Even if you can’t read an analog clock, you understand the concept of time. You know how many minutes in an hour, the number of hours in a day, that there are seven days in a week and 52 weeks in a year. You are constantly checking the time to make sure you arrive where you are going when you want to, you don’t miss tip-off, and that the cookies don’t burn. You mark the passing of time with birthdays and celebrations and reunions.
There is absolutely no way you will ever convince me you do not interact with time constantly. So this is definitely one mathematical idea that is very easy to start noticing.
Thanks for being here. This Mathabet journey has been so fun for me to put together and share with you and I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, you can have these ideas at your fingertips when you download or get a physical copy of the book by going to onamission.bio/jennifermasonhardin. While you are there, please also “Meet me in your inbox” for periodic reminders of your math personness and to be notified when the next season of the podcast will begin.
I would love nothing more than to stay connected to you during the off season, so be sure to also follow me on Instagram. You will find that link at onamission.bio/jennifermasonhardin as well.
I’m so grateful you joined the conversation today! I’m on a mission to change the way the world sees math, starting with you. If you found value in this post, if something you read made you pause, or if you suddenly realized the hidden math in something you do every day, now is the time to join the movement!
When you comment here and share this site, or when you subscribe to, rate, and share the I See Math People podcast, the algorithms will show it to more people and the more people who get the message, the more mindsets can begin to shift.
Thank you for being part of this discussion of a few of the mathematical concepts you use every day. I truly hope you heard something about algebra, data, estimation, pattern, problem solving, and time you can relate to and that it makes you stop and think about where math shows up for you on a daily basis. Noticing where you interact with math is the first step to beginning your mindset shift and seeing yourself as the math person you really are.
I’m Jennifer Mason Hardin and everywhere I look I see math people just like you.
