Is algebra useless?

[Twiggy 2,966]

Who thinks algeabra is useless i never seem to use it unless im in school

It really depends on your job. I'm a carpenter, and the tool I use most is my calculator. I frequently need to use algebra to figure the amount of studs/rafters/whatever I need to build a wall or roof. Also A² + B² = C² is used no less than 30 times a day.

[CT-1138 3,182]

Do you ever go grocery shopping, pay bills, calculate interest on a loan, have to build something for a home improvement project...anything like this?

Well, typically I use addition when grocery shopping, also, I typically just pay whatever they tell me I owe. Unless it sounds ridiculous in amount, then no, I don't typically calculate much. And, thankfully, I have yet to do home improvements, though I rent an apartment so I guess I really wouldn't need to.

 

EDIT: Or do asinine things like, if I work x amount of hours on an artistic project, and make y amount of money, calculate the hourly rate....no? Just me....

In case you missed it, I'm a writer. Work is a very different concept to us.  

[Kapitan zur See Hans (Daz) 883]

Well, typically I use addition when grocery shopping, also, I typically just pay whatever they tell me I owe. Unless it sounds ridiculous in amount, then no, I don't typically calculate much. And, thankfully, I have yet to do home improvements, though I rent an apartment so I guess I really wouldn't need to.

 

In case you missed it, I'm a writer. Work is a very different concept to us.

Depends on how much you make, for many who are living paycheck to paycheck it is necessary to have a proper budget and calculate how much they spend. Unless of course your budget is fairly high to the point where worrying about it is unnecessary. Though I have noticed quite a bit of people don't care about their budget and blast way past it(Which I have as well, have to take money from family. Working on my finance issues atm).

[Nsxile 27,114]

Well... Not particularly. It depends on whether or not you need it to solve a problem IRL.

[Lucky Bolt 35,064]

Yes it is in my opinion. I have never once needed it in real life. 

Unless you wanna be a mathematician, I doubt it’s a necessity. 

[Totally Nyx 36,062]

Very much no. Everyone uses at least basic algebra in their everyday life, whether they realize it or not. Deciding what to buy if you don't want to go over a certain amount of money, deciding what you do and don't have time for, even deciding if you have time for just one more episode before going to bed at a set time. Simple commonplace calculations can be as automatic as breathing, but they're there.

[Frostgage 7,975]

If you go on to study math further, most decidedly not. Otherwise, probably

Obviously people use it all the time in everyday life, but you don't need to know the kinds of formal operations you learn in school to do so, which i think is what the question was getting at.

[DubWolf 17,265]

Very useful if you’re trying to figure out solutions to some complicated scenarios. Can’t think of any right the bat. You’ve probably done it without knowing you’re using algebra.

Probably don’t use other math as much as algebra (in normal day life I mean).

Dimensional analysis is fun  .

Edited June 30, 2019 by WWolf

[TheRockARooster 51,651]

It was one of the most confusing things ever, I thought it would be like this.

 

A+B=C

Or something like, I really thought that.

[Partialgeek514 5,011]

Algebra most definitely isn't useless, even for people who don't do something math related as a career. It teaches the brain the basic principles of logic, and it allows for a better understanding of what different fields of study are like. Also, there are tons of jobs that don't look math related that still use algebra and even higher math. Practically every man-made thing there is around us almost certainly required some sort of algebra in its production.

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

I'm sure it's useful for some jobs. Like, if you're building something, you want to make sure you've got the right amount of materials. If you're doing something chemistry-related, you want to have the right ratio of chemicals to get the reaction or solution you want. If you're a mathematician, or scientist, or accountant, or builder, or... anything like that, I'm sure it's important.

But for me? Not so much. Algebra doesn't come into use at literally any point during my job. The closest I've come to is calculating the fuel burn rate of an engine at a certain RPM, but I don't even do it that often, and I use a calculator anyway, so. :v

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

I took some advanced math classes, and now I work real world jobs. I can say that you will never ever use math beyond +-×÷.

[Kazilii 18]

Is it useless? Hell no.
It just doesn't apply to a large majority of your life.
Depends on your occupation primarily.
Are you a farmer? Yeah Algebra will be useful for figuring out the economics of your product.
Are you an artist? It could be useful, but the reality is you're not doing calculations in your head to draw.
Are you a programmer? It goes 50/50.
Algebra is important, just not for everyone, or at least not in every stage of your life.

[Jokuc 8,174]

Of course it isn't I use it all the time. Now, unless you're going to work with something that requires the use of it, you'll probably not need complex algebra, but the basics should be something you use regularly. At least if you've got the intelligence to realize you can use it to solve things in everyday life.

[CheeryFox 23,821]

Probably better to use it more often than not. It's only 'useless' if you don't use it. And something from Galileo if you don't like math: "If I were again beginning my studies, I would follow the advice of Plato and start with mathematics." And it will become more important in the future.