Computers work best when given only whole numbers (1,2,3,4,etc.). Kind of like us, huh? In this class we ditch the fractions. We will look at problems, games, and puzzles that are designed with this in mind. Here are two examples. There are five homeless shelters in Pierce County that get supplies (bedding, produce, meat and dairy products, etc.) from four locations. How should you arrange a pickup and delivery schedule for all shelters and supply locations so that the delivery vehicles use the least amount of fuel? Another one: Eenie. Meenie. Mynie. Moe… We know the children’s rhyme to single out one in the group. If you are the one who gets to do the pointing and you want your friend to be the winner, which person in the group should you start pointing to on Eenie so that you end up pointing at your friend at the end of the rhyme? We will learn the math needed to answer these kinds of questions.
Knowing this kind of math will open your mind to what kinds of problems it makes sense to have computers work on. We will not learn how to program computers. Instead we will learn the ideas that will help you organize your computer needs in your professional field. That is why this math is required for middle school math teachers – so that they can teach their students the math that companies and agencies use. It is also good preparation for working in any agency that uses resource management and planning, for instance, law offices. NGO’s, hospitals, government agencies, art museums, etc.