For a few years now, I have had a question that I could not quite answer. The question is: “why do people hate mathematics?” Perhaps hate is a strong word but even when I tone the question down by using the word ‘like’ I still cannot find an answer that satisfies me.

Today being world maths day, I shall ignore the urge to find an answer. Instead, I shall attempt to answer the inverse of the question, which is: “why do I love mathematics”?

I suppose my love emanated from the realisation that mathematics is but a language backed with the ‘power’ of logic. From this realisation, I fell in love and I have almost always managed to view mathematics as nothing but a tool to explore the unknown without worrying about the uncertainties. For example, in aspiring to run a business of my own in the near future, I am aware that I will be faced with multiple uncertainties. Should these uncertainties deter me? Perhaps! But since I believe the key to success lies in the ability to formulate a sound (logical) strategy, I know that my focus should not really be on the uncertainties. The challenge therefore, is how do I start to build a sound strategy? For me, as you would expect, my answer, courage and inspiration come from the world of mathematics in the form of a simple productivity formula shown below.

Using the above formula and a simple mathematical analysis, one can deduce that productivity and hence profitability will be high if:

• Fewer or less resources are used to yield an output i.e.

• There is more output than input i.e.

From the two above-mentioned facts, it follows then that I can easily develop a strategy that always strives to lower the inputs and increase the outputs – or at the very least make them equal! This will therefore result in success since the strategy itself will be developed with the sole purpose of offering me the highest probability of a successful outcome.

With the strategy, my exuberance or enthusiasm and my mathematical background that has equipped me with the ability to reason logically, what are the odds that I would fail? Quite frankly, I don’t know! But the point I am trying to make is: I love mathematics because it provides me with the understanding that many things in life are relative just by simply knowing that 1+1 is not necessarily 2! I am thus able to dream for I know success itself is relative… Happy maths day to all!

PS: I also love mathematics because it helps me spell out my name to people: MATHEmatics without the ‘matics’ ;-)!