Can you even believe we are here already? After this post, there’s only 4 more letters of the alphabet to go!
Back in January or February, when I came across that book I forgot I had and got the idea for this season of the podcast, I had no idea what it would look like or how it would go. Yet, somehow, here we are in October, 22 letters into what I’ve been calling the mathabet and with a newly published book that puts the ideas I’ve shared here, plus a few extras, right at your fingertips.
{This is a modified transcript for Episode 50 of the I See Math People podcast. To listen instead, click here.}
MATHABET launched on October 1 and I could not be more excited to add this to my author’s library. It is one more step on the way to my mission of redefining what it takes to be a math person. To changing what you think of when you hear the phrase “math person” so your beliefs about yourself can begin to shift and you can finally start to see yourself as one.
Because, the hill I will die on is that everyone is a math person and all it takes to be one is to be a person and to interact with mathematical ideas. Which, by the way, doesn’t have to look like “doing math.” Sometimes I feel like a broken record here, but repetition is how the brain finally gets it, right?
You, my friend, interact with mathematical ideas and engage in math-related thinking multiple times every single day, often without even realizing you are doing it. When it’s is so automatic like that, it must mean you are a math person.
Now, let’s continue our journey through the mathabet with some ideas that begin with the 22nd letter of the alphabet. The letter V.
Value
Value is a mathematical idea I know you think about often.
You think about the value of the money in your bank account and the bills in your wallet. You think about the value of the purchases you make compared to the number on the price tag.
It’s even simpler than that, though.
Numbers are considered values. So anytime you think about or interact with a number, like a price, a quantity, or a measurement, you are also interacting with a value.
We often think of value as being related to money, but things can have value beyond that, too. You evaluate things all the time based on how important they are to you…ideas, opinions, time, that piece of furniture your grandfather made, the artwork your child made for you when he was in preschool. Evaluating doesn’t begin with V, but it does help you determine how much something is worth to you…its value…and this is something you do so often you probably don’t even recognize that’s what you are doing. So, of course, this makes you a math person.
Variable
I’m going to take you back to algebra class for a minute to talk about the next idea beginning with V. Stick with me. I promise it won’t hurt a bit.
Remember when letters began showing up in your math homework? I see and hear jokes all the time about letters not belonging with numbers, but here’s the thing. If it wasn’t a letter, it would be some other symbol, like a star or a square or a smiley face. Because when we write out a math problem, we need something to stand in for the value we are solving for. We need a symbol to represent the variable, the unknown in a problem.
I know what you are thinking. You don’t write out math problems anymore, so you don’t use or interact with variables. Well, it might be true that you don’t write out math like you did in algebra class, but you do still interact with the idea of a variable.
When you are determining the cost of rebuilding your deck, for example, you compare different types of materials and different board lengths to see which fits your budget the best. The cost of materials is a variable…it varies depending on which option you choose. When you make your favorite dish, you vary the ingredient amounts depending on how many people you need to serve, or how spicy you want it to be. Interest rates on mortgages can be variable, meaning they don’t stay the same over the life of the loan. They vary depending on the terms of your agreement with the bank.
These are just a few ways you might interact with the idea of variables. I’m wondering where else this idea shows up for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments or in my messages over on Instagram. No matter how you interact with variables, doing so makes you a math person.
Vertical
What else begins with V? How about vertical. I’m sure you know vertical means straight up and down…perpendicular to the horizon.
The walls in your home are usually vertical, meaning they are at right angles to the floor. You can choose to take a photo with your phone that’s vertical…sometime’s this is called portrait orientation as opposed to landscape, which is horizontal. You know the “vertical” of your favorite basketball players…meaning how high they can jump from a standing position. You notice the vertical height of trees and power poles…and I know you notice when they are leaning dangerously, when they are not quite vertical.
I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you when I say that interacting with the idea of vertical makes you a math person.
Volume
The last thing on my list for today is volume. Volume is the amount of space something takes up or the amount it can hold.
The gas tank in your car has volume. It only holds so much and you are very aware when it’s getting close to empty and how much it takes to fill it up. You also interact with volume when you are cooking and baking. Those measuring cups and spoons indicate the volume of ingredients they will hold. Putting away leftovers requires you to choose a bowl or container that is the right size for the volume of food you need to store. Landscaping materials, like mulch, soil, and gravel are often sold by volume…in cubic feet or cubic yards.
Whether you realize it or not, you interact with the idea of volume in a variety of contexts on a regular basis. That makes you a math person.
I’m very glad you joined the conversation today! I’m on a mission to change the way the world sees math, and that begins with you. If you found value in this episode, if something you heard made you pause, or if you suddenly realized the hidden math in something you do every day, now is your chance 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 beginning with the letter V. I truly hope you heard something about value, variables, vertical, and volume you can relate to and that it made 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.
