Easy Ways to Practice Math Skills in Everyday Life (2024)

Released - April 05, 2017

Many people who study math ask when and how the things they learn will be useful in everyday life. There are actually lots of ways in which math can help you in life, and make your life a little easier too. Sure, you could grab a calculator. But if you want to practice your math problem-solving skills and get better at it, you should make the most of these everyday opportunities.

Make the most of each chance you get to solve a problem using numbers, and don't reach for the calculator on your phone. If you want some concrete examples of how math can be used in your everyday life, you'll find plenty of examples below. They're all obvious, common and easy. But they'll all also help you to reinforce your problem-solving knowledge and skills.

Work Out How Much is Enough to Leave as a Tip

This is one of those problems you face every single time you go out to eat at a restaurant that offers table service. You have to give some form or tip to the waiter or waitress that served you (unless the service was really bad.) But knowing exactly how much to leave is a minefield of possible errors.

First of all, you need to decide how large a percentage of your overall bill is enough to leave. Is it 10%, 15%, 20%, more? Then when you've decided, you need to calculate that percentage and leave the right amount. The easiest way to do this is focus on a 10% tip. 10% of $20 is just $2.00. 10% of $35 is just $3.50. So, to take 10% of any number, just move the decimal point one place to the left.

Then, if you'd like to give a 20% tip, just double the 10% tip. For example, if the bill is $24, then 10% is $2.40. So, a 20% tip is $4.80.

Don't Get Shortchanged After a Purchase

We've all been there before. You buy something a shop, you are given your change by the sales assistant behind the counter, but you don't check it was the right amount. Most of the time you don't realize the mistake until later in the day.

But if you count out the money that you're receiving and make sure it matches up to the right amount of change you're owed, you can make sure you never get shortchanged. You need to have rapid subtracting skills to do this properly, though. And you need to spot the error immediately if you want it to be rectified. With practice, it becomes second nature and very fast.

Building Things and Taking on DIY Projects

People who like to get their hands dirty and create things for themselves will find that their math skills are very useful. Building items, whether it's a shelving unit or a bedside table, takes measuring things and matching up different components and materials. The end product will only come out right if you get the basic sums right during the process.

Every time you create something in the garden, you will need to buy things too. This might mean buying bags of gravel or bags of concrete. Working out how much usage you will get out of each bag and comparing that amount to the demands of your garden project is going to be key. Otherwise, you might end up with too much or not enough of what you ordered.

Calculating Prices at the Grocery Store

If you are buying items at the grocery store, you might have to work out which deal is the best. Do you want 400g of something for $3.50 or another option that provides you with 420g for $3.70? That's a basic example of a time when you would have to work out which deal offers you the best value.

You might also need to work out whether it would be more cost effective to buy 6 loose bananas or a bag of them. You'll need to use your percentages to work out how much you would be paying for the loose bananas, which is usually calculated according to weight. And then compare it to the price per banana you'd pay if you bought a bag of them.

Baking Cakes and Pies

Math is always helpful in your kitchen, especially fractions. When you're baking a cake or a pie, you will need to use your math skills repeatedly if you want the recipe to turn out just right. Even if you're following a written recipe, you might have to adjust if it if you're making a bigger cake for more people. Using percentages will be vital if that's the case.

You might also have to convert oven temperatures from Celsiusto Fahrenheitwhen you're following a recipe, or vice versa. The same applies to types of weight measurement. And if you have an old, less powerful or a newer and more powerful oven, you might have to adjust the cooking times accordingly too.

Use Math When You're Traveling Somewhere

There are so many ways in which your math skills can assist you when you're traveling. For example, you might need to calculate how much fuel you'll need to get you from one place to another. Your map reading skills will also be improved if you have a good understanding of math problem-solving.

In terms of international travel, you can save time if you understand time zones and are able to work out time differences quickly. You can then work out how much sleep you should get on the plane in order to avoid the dreaded jet lag you might experience when you land at your destination.

Reach Your Immediate Saving Goals

Many people save money for particular things that they want to buy. It could be a new car or a summer vacation. But you will only reach your goals if you know the rate at which you need to save in order to get the amount of need in the time that you need it. This is where your math skills will help you.

You will also need to use your math skills when it comes to working out how much of your income you can afford to save away and put towards the item you want to buy. You'll need to calculate your average monthly expenditure, compare it to your income and then work out how much you will save each month.

Use Problem-Solving Skills When You Want to Improve Your Living Space

If you want to improve your home by decorating it, or maybe you just want to change the layout of your bedroom, it can help to use math. You need to be able to work out the dimensions of the room quickly and know how much a particular material you need to buy. This could apply to carpets or paint or pretty much anything.

The same applies when you have a problem in your home that needs to be addressed and dealt with. For example, if your faucet is dripping, you can work out the extent of the problem by calculating the speed and frequency of the drip. This can then help you judge how severe the problem is.

Improve Your Health with the Help of Math

Most of us care about our health and fitness these days. And you can do this much better with the help of math. For example, there are equations that can be used to calculate your body mass index (BMI) or the percentage of your body weight that is taken up by fat. These calculations will help you to gain a greater understanding of your health.

People who lift weights also need to use math to keep track of how much they're lifting and how much progress they're making. This can also apply to how far you're running, how much fat you're burning and how many calories you're consuming each day. In short, there are plenty of ways to use math when trying to stay healthy.

Make Use of Algebra When Looking After Your Car

Algebra and calculus can have a direct use when it comes to looking after your car. This might sound strange to you put it really is true. Think about it. You have to use things like coolant, water and transmission fluid in your car to keep it healthy and running smoothly. Coolant is a mixture of antifreeze and water. Sometimes, when you have a partially full container of liquid, you need to add more to it to fill it up and add it to your car.

This is where algebra can help because you need to work out how much water and how much antifreeze to add. You can weigh the existing amount of coolant you have and use the percentages of the fluids in the current mix to form an equation that tells you how much of each fluid needs to be added. As long as you know the percentages and the weights, this is simple.

As you now know, math problem-solving skills can be used in pretty much every area of your life. You should make the most of this, and use the chances discussed above to improve your math skills and test yourself each day. Before long, using your math skills will be a part of your everyday life. And your grades will definitely improve as a result.