Answer To: Assignment 1B: Essay 4/7/2018 Assignment 1B: Essay...
R answered on Apr 08 2020
Numeracy and Mathematics
People always think numeracy and mathematics are one and the same or atleast synonyms of each other. But if we look deeply, we find there is a lot of difference between the two, in their uses, techniques, applications, etc.
Numeracy:
Numeracy can be explained as the set of mathematical skills used in day to day real life. For example, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are used even by small vendors who never visited schools or idea about Mathematics. Whenever we purchase we give a sum and get changes by subtraction. Like that these small types of calculations what are basically required in everyone’s life from the time we wake up till the time we go to bed can be termed as numeracy.
Numeracy also can be explained as the confidence and skill to use numbers and mathematical approaches in all aspects of life—at work, in practical everyday activities at home, and beyond, as consumers managing our finances, as parents, helping our children learn, as patients making sense of health information, as citizens understanding the world around us.
(https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/what-numeracy)
This also uses the mathematical basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division or combination of any of these four in any pattern according to requirement in real life.
But numeracy is not complicated as Mathematics. In fact numeracy is a branch of Mathematics. While Mathematics include numeracy in it, numeracy does not have so many concepts and theories which Mathematics have.
Square roots, Cube roots, Algebra, Trignometry, Calculus, Real analysis, Topology, etc are included in Mathematics but not in numeracy.
Numeracy is simple, clear cut with no theories and direct applications only with rational numbers.
Mathematics:
Mathematics is defined as the science of numbers and their operations., interrelations, combinations, generalizations and abstractions and of space configurations and their structure, measurement, transformations and generalizations.
Mathematics can also be defined as the science that studies and explains numbers, quantities, measurements, and the relations between them.
Mathematics include
Algebra
Arithmetic
Calculus
Geometry
Trigonometry
Topology
Real and complex analysis.
(Ref:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mathematics)
There are both similarities and differences between Mathematics and numeracy.
Similarities:
S.No.
Mathematics
Numeracy
1
Used for Calculations.
Any mathematical problem has a solution which has to be arrived by means of calculations.
Used for calculations to get the price, number of eggs required per day, soap required for one month, etc.
2
Involves computations such as addition, division, etc.
Involves computations such as multiplications, additions, etc.
3
+,-,x,/ are used mostly to compute as basic symbols.
+,-,x,/ are used mostly to compute as basic symbols
4
Unique accurate results with reliability. For example when we solve an equation, the variable gets a unique value and accurate.
Unique accurate results with reliability.
The estimates for expenditure and change...