INFORMATION SHEET # 1.

3-1

BASIC MATHEMATICS

Learning Objectives: After reading this information sheet, the student/ trainee should
be able to;
1. Define what mathematics is.
2. Identify the different arithmetic operations.
3. Perform basic mathematical problems.

MATHEMATICS
It is the systematic study of magnitude, quantities, and their relationships as
expressed symbolically in the form of numerals and forms.

Comparison of mathematics in the workplace with mathematics in the classroom

reveals a disjuncture that is disconcerting to anyone who believes that a primary
purpose of school is to prepare students for work. School mathematics lives in
decontextualized ether, employing data that are without blemish and language that is
devoid of ambiguity. In contrast, real problems are embedded in concrete tasks, use
data that are often ill-defined or inaccurate, and rely on language that is often imprecise
and misleading. In the world of work, mathematics is collaborative rather than
individualistic; accuracy is defined by the situation rather than given by the textbook;
and mathematical processes are used rather than studied. The new challenge is to seek
common ground among these very different traditions--of mathematics for and from the
workplace and of mathematics as preparation for further study.

One resolution of the dilemma of tracking would be a common mathematics

program that could serve equally well as preparation both for college and for skilled
work. All students could benefit from the broadening effects of such a high school
preparation, yet there are currently few good models of curricula that serve both
agendas. Another approach would be to develop a new form of vocational and technical
education, with status equal to the academic track, that would simultaneously prepare
students for the world of work and for further study in post-secondary institutions. U.S.
educators who are concerned about vocational education debate both the desirability
and feasibility of such a "separate but equal" track.

Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics (from the Greek word ἀριθμός = number) is the oldest and
most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging
from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It
involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers.

Arithmetic operations

The basic arithmetic operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Any set of objects upon which all four arithmetic operations (except division by zero)
can be performed, and where these four operations obey the usual laws, is called a
field.

Addition (+)

Addition is the basic operation of arithmetic. In its simplest form, addition

combines two numbers, the addends or terms, into a single number, the sum of the
numbers.

1+3=4

Adding more than two numbers can be viewed as repeated addition; this procedure is
known as summation and includes ways to add infinitely many numbers in an infinite
series; repeated addition of the number one is the most basic form of counting.

Subtraction (−)

Subtraction is the opposite of addition. Subtraction finds the difference between two
numbers, the minuend minus the subtrahend. If the minuend is larger than the
subtrahend, the difference is positive; if the minuend is smaller than the subtrahend, the
difference is negative; if they are equal, the difference is zero.

17 – 9 = 6

Subtraction is neither commutative nor associative. For that reason, it is often helpful to
look at subtraction as addition of the minuend and the opposite of the subtrahend, that
is a − b = a + (−b). When written as a sum, all the properties of addition hold.

Multiplication (× or ·)

Multiplication is the second basic operation of arithmetic. Multiplication also combines

two numbers into a single number, the product. The two original numbers are called the
multiplier and the multiplicand, sometimes both simply called factors.

4 × 4 = 16

Multiplication is best viewed as a scaling operation. If the real numbers are imagined as
lying in a line, multiplication by a number, say x, greater than 1 is the same as
stretching everything away from zero uniformly, in such a way that the number 1 itself is
stretched to where x was. Similarly, multiplying by a number less than 1 can be
imagined as squeezing towards zero. (Again, in such a way that 1 goes to the
multiplicand.)

Multiplication is commutative and associative; further it is distributive over addition and

subtraction. The multiplicative identity is 1, that is, multiplying any number by 1 yields
that same number. Also, the multiplicative inverse is the reciprocal of any number
(except zero; zero is the only number without a multiplicative inverse), that is,
multiplying the reciprocal of any number by the number itself yields the multiplicative
identity.

The product of a and b is written as a × b or a • b. When a or b are expressions not
written simply with digits, it is also written by simple juxtaposition: ab. In computer
programming languages and software packages in which one can only use characters
normally found on a keyboard, it is often written with an asterisk: a * b.

Division (÷ or /)

Division is essentially the opposite of multiplication. Division finds the quotient of two
numbers, the dividend divided by the divisor. Any dividend divided by zero is undefined.
For positive numbers, if the dividend is larger than the divisor, the quotient is greater
than one, otherwise it is less than one (a similar rule applies for negative numbers). The
quotient multiplied by the divisor always yields the dividend.

Division is neither commutative nor associative. As it is helpful to look at subtraction as

addition, it is helpful to look at division as multiplication of the dividend times the
reciprocal of the divisor, that is a ÷ b = a × 1/b. When written as a product, it obeys all the
properties of multiplication.

Rounding

When we round decimals to a certain number of decimal places we are replacing the
figure we have with the one that is closest to it with that number of decimal places.
An example: Round 1.25687 to 2 decimal places

1. Firstly look at the decimal place after the one you want to round to (in our example
this would be the third decimal place)

2. If the number in the next decimal place is a 6,7,8 or 9, then you will be rounding up,
so you add 1 to the number in the place you are interested in and you have rounded. In
our example the number in the third place is a 6 so we round up. We change the 5 in
the second place to a 6 and our rounded number is 1.26

3. If the number in the place after the one we are interested in is a 0,1,2,3 or 4 we round
down, i.e. we just write the number out as it is to the required number of places.
4. If the number in the place after the one we are interested in is a 5, then we need to
look at what follows it. Cover the number from the beginning to the place you are
interested in, for example, suppose we are rounding 2.47568 to three decimal places
we look at just the 568 and we ask is that closer to 500 or
600. Since it’s closer to 600 we get a rounded number of 2.476

5. If only a 5 follows the place we are interested in then different disciplines have
different conventions for the rounding. You can either round up or down since 5 is
exactly half way between 0 and 10.

Percentages

Percentages are fractions with a denominator of 100. Often there will not be 100 things
or 100 people out of which to express a fraction or a percentage. When this is the case
you will need to find an equivalent fraction out of 100 by multiplying by 100% which is
the same as multiplying by 1.

SELF-CHECK 1.3-1

Test 1. MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the letter of the correct answer from the
given choices:

_______1. It is the systematic study of magnitude, quantities, and their

relationships as expressed symbolically in the form of numerals and forms.
a. Arithmetic
b. Mathematics
c. Subtraction

_______2. It is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by

almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced
science and business calculations.
a. Arithmetic
b. Mathematics
c. Subtraction

_______3. Is a fraction with a denominator of 100?

a. Arithmetic
b. Mathematics
c. Percentage

_______4. It is essentially the opposite of multiplication. It finds the quotient of

two numbers, the dividend divided by the divisor.
a. Addition
b. Division
c. Subtraction

_______5. It is the second basic operation of arithmetic. It also combines two

numbers into a single number, which is called the product.
a. Multiplication
b. Division
c. Subtraction

6. It is the opposite of addition. It finds the difference between two numbers, the
minuend minus the subtrahend.
 a. Multiplication
b. Division
c. Subtraction

7. It is the basic operation of arithmetic. It combines two numbers, the addends

or terms, into a single number, the sum of the numbers.

a. Multiplication
b. Addition
c. Subtraction

8. 2,462 is the sum of?

a. 1,021 + 1,441
b. 1,022 + 1,442
c. 1,021 + 1,442

9. Round 19,574 to the nearest ten.

a. 19, 580
b. 19, 570
c. 19, 560

10. Round 29, 574 to the nearest thousand.

a. 29,000

b. 30,000

c. 29,500
 SELF CHECK ANSWER KEY 1.3-1

1. b
2. a
3. c
4. b
5. a
6. c
7. b
8. a
9. b
10. b