Number Crunching – I love it!

Discovering the importance of numbers

Numbers everywhere

At school I was never interested in Maths, oh I could add up, subtract, multiply and divide(and work out my money), but the vagaries of Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry left me cold. I could cope with geometry, I could memorise theorems, well I could then, now the only one I recall is that of trusty old Pythagoras. But after leaving school I got a job with an accountant, and found myself playing with numbers all day. I went on to college, where part of my business course required me not only to study accounting but also statistics, and suddenly numbers began to make sense.

Numbers can do anything. . . . . .

Basic numbers

Surprisingly I took a liking to working with numbers, I realised that you can make numbers do almost anything, and I recall someone saying to me on one occasion, (in what context now I do not recall) that “there are lies, damned lies and statistics”.As I said, you can make numbers do anything. During my college years I worked one holiday period in the offices of the local Inland Revenue taxation department, where I learned how annual tax returns had to be compiled, and the information that was required for such documents – that experience was neatly filed in my memory for later use.

Recording numbers

mechanisation

The accountant for whom I subsequently worked told me that to be a good accountant you had to have the mindset of a revenue inspector, in order to be able to identify any items that the client may be ‘inadvertently’ presenting in their accounts records (in other words to be able to spot any ‘scams’ that might be trying to sneak through the annual accounts system). He was a good instructor andthese experiences were also neatly filed into my memory for later use.

How numbers are necessary in daily life

shapes

Subsequently I became a teacher and part of my work there involved teaching accounts and also what is termed ‘Application of Number’. That is new terminology to disguise, for the disaffected, that they are really doing maths.
On many occasions these young people would say things like ‘I shall be glad when I leave school, I won’t have to bother with maths then’. I developed a very solid response to this, which made them all stop and think.
My response was this –‘so you won’t have to bother with maths you think? Do you want to earn money? If so, you need to know
• what hourly rate is offered for the job
• how many hours you have to work and how much you will be paid each week
• how much money from your wages will have to be paid to the tax man?
• How will you work out your pay slip to ensure that you are paid correctly?

You need to be able to correctly tell the time, and know how long it takes you to get to work from where you live (this was used as an example of bivariate number work), ie one lot of figures directly affecting another set.
You need to understand money, so that you know what you are paying for things and that you are getting the correct change.
You need to know how much your bus/train fare will be each day, and how much that will take out of your weekly income.
You need to be able to work out what money (if any) you will have left each week to spend on yourself and social events.
It seemed that when numbers were going to directly affect their pocket, they became interested. (First hurdle overcome.)

Algebra . . . . . and food

Algebra on the menu

Over the years I involved students in the mysteries of algebra by turning the cafeteria items into letters, and working out combination orders – tea became T, coffee became C, cola became K, milk became M, sandwiches became S, Toast become B (for bread) etc, and each item had a price in pence. Then orders were devised – e.g. order T+S+B= and work out the price – very simplistic algebra to get them into the mind frame. In similar format we tackled geometry, where the shapes could be turned into patterns and the developing concept of algebra could be used to work out lengths and angles in various shapes.
As you can see, Numbers can be fun.

Numbers for life

Pi - has been measured to 5000 places

But the accounting has stayed with me. I now run a tax return compilation service for people new to business, or who don’t have the time to prepare their own forms, and this has run now for years. I call it my Number Crunching business, and my family often comment that when I am sitting ploughing through a pile of invoices to input into the computer, I am always smiling!
So for someone who also went through school ‘not liking maths too much’ I have come to realise that maths is probably the best friend any of us can ever have.
Make the numbers work for you.