One that I use often is fractions -- I use this when I am baking.  I use fractions especially if I am going to make a bigger or smaller batch of the food.

So, for example, if the regular recipe will make 30 cookies and I want 45 cookies, I must increase the amount of everything by 1/2.  In the US ingredients are measured in things like cups and teaspoons and so I must figure out, for example, what 1/2 of 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt is.

If I were not in the US and my recipe were in grams, for example, I would still have to know how to increase everything in the recipe by multiplying everything by 1.5.

Well, I must admit I never ever thought that I would be answering a question in the Math group, but there you go! As a student who delighted in the fact that I was able to give up Maths at age sixteen (it is different in England where I studied), I thought that was the end of my hate-hate relationship with Maths. However, now I am an adult and working as a teacher and have my own family there are so many day to day applications of Maths that I wish I had paid more attention to my classes which I detested so much. A few examples:

1) Working out grades and percentages. This of course is a vital skill that all teachers need to know about.

2) Marking papers, and reducing or adding percentages based on penalties or bonues.

3) Sales reductions in stores. How do you calculate 20% of products if they are in sale from their original price?

4) Budgeting. As a family this is an essential skill for survival. You have to be able to budget your money and keep accounts of what you spend it on and any increases or decreases so you can manage your money well.

5) Savings. Interest rates are essential for this. How do you know which bank offers the best savings plan? How much money will you have if a bank offers you 5% growth on your savings over 1 year?

6) Decorating a house. Shape, space and measurements are of course vital for this area of life. How much paint do you need to buy to paint a room a colour? You don't want to buy too much, and you definitely don't want to buy too little...

Hopefully these scenarios will give you some ideas for your essay. Ironically, I have recently bought a Maths book to help me go over a few areas that I am finding I need to know about, whether I like it or not!

I think that many math topics have meaning and relevancy and are dependent on the path one takes in terms of finding real world application. For example, sports is largely dependent on sports. Decisions are made based regarding playing time as well as strategy based on percentages. In baseball, there is a strong use of math. Managers have to make decisions on which pitchers...