Math is one of the most highly underrated skills in my opinion. Math is the Universal Language.
If you went to a foreign country and didn't speak the language, the one thing you can learn the fastest would be how to count.
Even if you were stranded on a desert island with a stranger who didn't speak your language the easiest thing for you two to learn is counting.
You could gather 10 seashells, 10 rocks, and 10 coconuts. You count slowly and show the pattern of how you count and it will make sense.
In my opinion, the best classes to take to appreciate math is Business Algebra and Business Calculus. You learn how Math is applicable in business. You learn the concept of formulas and what is the best way to earn and manage money.
Even though those are business skills, people should already be thinking about a sideline business that they have separate from their job so that if they should ever become unemployed or want options, they've got a backup.
Most people are terrible with money management and business management, which require Math Skills.
When it comes to daily application of Math, Probability and Statistics influences everybody's daily lives. Time uses numbers on the clock, which also makes it fall in the category of Math. When it comes to Time Managment and determining how much time you should spend on an activity, you use Math.
When you get a bank account, you have to balance your checkbook. If they charge you a checking fee, you have to calculate that into your bank account so you don't miscalculate and end up with an overdraft.
If you get an overdraft, you have to subtract the overdraft penalty fee from your current balance.
When you do your taxes, you have to know how to use Math and know what to add or subtract based off of the instructions. If they say that you made less than a certain amount, you use zero. If you made over a certain amount, you use whatever number. That's a Mathematical Procedure.
Tax Incentives rely on that. People who don't like Math get confused by all of that and just want a simple Flat Tax using a straight percentage.
When you try to weigh the pros and cons of a decision you make, you use Math. When you do weighted distribution of the importance of tasks that are ranked 1 (worst) and 10 (best), that's using Math.
When you see that favorite video game or favorite article of clothing you want to buy, you have to look at your monthly expenses to find out if you can afford it or if you'll be short. If you're short, then you'll have to calculate how much of your paycheck you will apportion and set aside so you can buy what you want without falling into the red and avoid spending beyond your means. That requires Math.
When you drive to work and you're trying to determine the fastest route, that's using Subtraction, which is Math. Subtracting to determine the Time Differential may be a simple operation, but it's still Math.
When you have a list of tasks that all take a certain length of time and decide what order to do those tasks in based off of ability to finish the task quickly, which are your favorite tasks, and and how long it takes, you can once again use weighted distribution to arrange the tasks based on funnest, easiest, and quickest to boring, hardest, and longest.
When you're baking things in the oven at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time, that's using Math. Professional Chefs can calculate how long something should be heated based off of the density, what food is being heated, and how the seasoning will be affected.
When you're overtaking a car on a road where you're monitoring the speed of your vehicle with that of the car you're going to overtake, that's using Calculus.
When you're looking at two picture where you're examining the background and determining the distance, that's using Math.
When people such as friends an colleagues engage in predictable behavior that where you can anticipate what they're going to do, that's using Probability in conjunction with Personal Experience. That falls into the Realm of Math when you calculate what people are going to do based off of repeated behavior that you've witnessed in them and others in your past.
When you go to the Store and there's a 20% Discount on a particular item, you calculate how much money you're saving along with the cost of Tax.
When you're saving up for that Plasma TV Screen that costs $3,000 and you earn $3,000/month and have to subtract cost of Utilities, Water, Car Insurance, and Monthly expenses, that's using Math by budgeting your finances.
When you have a Credit Card that is charging you interest on the debt you've accumulated, you can calculate just how much you should be paying above the Minimum Balance to speed up your payments so that the Credit Card Company won't rack up so much interest on you.
When you have pet and the canned food items tell you how much food to feed your pet based off of its weight, you're using Math to estimate how much food to give.
When you rotate your tires every 3,000 miles, you keep track of yoru odometer. You pay attention to when your odomoter is generally around 3,000 miles higher than when you last rotated your tires. It's simple Subtraction, but it's still Math.
With soaring gas prices and if you're on a college budget where you can't afford to fill your gas tank up to full, you read the Instruction Manual to find out what your miles per gallon are. Then when you fill your gas tank part way, you can calculate how many miles you can go before having to refill at the gas station.
When you search on Mapquest to find out what store is closest to your home, you pay attention to the miles away from your home. If you see a store is further away but it's on a freeway where you can drive 65 mph while the other store is closer, but it's through inner city traffic where you can only go 35 mph, you choose the store further away because you're using weighted distribution to calculate the time. That's Math.