When it comes to math, I never ask myself “When am I going to use this?” I am, after all, a math teacher. But the during the month of July I have done very little actual math. Sure, I have planned medium-sized gatherings, estimated how long things will take, sequenced my errands so that there is only one left turn at either the beginning or the end, and used my analytical brain in lots of other ways, but, these skills are honed equally well by the study of lots of other subject matters and / or life experiences.

So here’s what happened. I needed to mail some clothes and shoes. I didn’t have any boxes so I asked my neighbors if they had any, and, because my neighbors are the best, I got two. The boxes looked about the same, one a little taller and thinner and the other a little shorter and squatter. As I sat there staring at the pile deciding which box I should try first, it hit me like a ton of bricks…

Find the volume of each! So I did. The volume of the squat one (in cubic inches) was 16 x 8 x 11 = 1408. The volume of the thin one was 7 x 17 x 15.5 = 1844.5. After these quick calculations, I went with the thin box and, though I had to squeeze a few things in and use a foot to keep it all closed while I taped it down, everything fix perfectly! I didn’t have to spend any time guessing which box to try first, and, worst case scenario, picking the wrong box, unpacking it all and repacking it into the right box. Oh the inefficiency of it all would have been embarrassing.

That’s all for now. It’s almost time to gear up for another school year where I’ll have no shortage of situations to write about, though some of them might not be appropriate for general consumption. LOL.

If you’d like to read about some more math in real life… click the link below.

More from the “When Are We Ever Going To Use This?” File

Read more: Math in Real Life