My Abstract Algebra (Math 311) instructor once told me the most beautiful thing, “If we can write out a mathematical expression, then somewhere out there in the vast universe: there is an application for that expression.”

This page is a collection of REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS of Mathematics, to help solve the age old problem that students ask “Why should I care about Math?”

Have a cool profession that involves math? Do you use Math in your everyday life in unique and fun ways? Click here to share!

BUDGETING!!!

I didn’t realize I needed a budget in my life until I started to not have as much money as I wanted for the things that I wanted to do with my life. Below we will explore an example budget template that we can use to organize your expenses.

The budget rule we will use today is the 50-30-20 Rule.

50% of your income should be delegated to NECESSITIES, i.e., rent, food, and transportation costs
30% of your income should be delegated to WANTS, i.e., hobbies, vacations, restaurants
20% of your income should be delegated to SAVINGS, i.e., emergency funding

For example, let’s say I get paid $2000 a month.

50% of $2000 would be calculated in the following way:
We convert 50% to decimal, by diving by 100, or by moving the decimal two places to the left. That is 50% = 0.50
Then, we convert the word “of” into MULTIPLICATION. Thus, the expression goes from “50% of $2000” to 0.50 * 2000, which results in $1000.

Thus, I can delegate $1000 of my income a month to rent and food. If I pay $750 per month for rent, then I have $250 left for food and transportation costs!

Following the same procedure with WANTS and SAVINGS, we get the following results:

30% of $2000 = 0.30 * 2000 = $600 for WANTS

20% of $2000 = 0.20 * 2000 = $400 for SAVINGS

Now, you may need to adjust your budget according to your needs and wants. Perhaps in a certain month you may restrict yourself from going out so that you can put away more money into savings that month. Regardless, this is a general template that you can play around with and find what works for you and your living situation!

— Luis Feliciano, Math Instructor @ Guttman Community College + Hunter College