Putting Points on Paper Figure It Out Think Like Descartes Introduction Figure It Out Z Equals 3-D Graphs That Aren’t Straight Lines Rise over Run Figure It Out GPS Locations Figure It Out Equating Motion Glossary Index Math Toolkit Selected Bibliography Websites Answer Key 3 Common Locators
W hen you think about mathematics you probably think about a class at school where you do calculations and answer word problems But have you ever thought about math being all around you It’s in every shape and pattern you see It’s in every song you hear It’s in every game you play and any puzzle you solve The first mathematicians realized this and they looked for ways to prove it to show how order and reason could explain much about life as they knew it Sometimes this was easy to do But other times people just didn’t get it Even some of the most intelligent people in history have struggled with math Albert Einstein once wrote to a child Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics I can assure you mine are still greater So how can you use whatever you know about math in everyday life When you explain your location to a friend who is meeting you at the mall make a substitution with another player in a basketball game or watch the path of a ball flying through the air you are using math These ideas are important in a branch of math known as algebraic geometry Algebraic geometry is con cerned with drawing graphs of different equations so that they can be studied Where does this branch of math show up in your own life 5
