Category: Math at Work Monday

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Mary Helen the History Museum Curator

I’ve known Mary Helen Dellinger my whole life. That’s because she’s my cousin, born a whole two months before I was (a fact she never let me forget when we were kids). Growing up in Virginia as we both did, it was darned near impossible to avoid a history lesson at every turn. And while I never really caught the bug, Mary Helen got it bad.

She’s been a history museum curator for 22 years now, the last year in a new position as curator for the City of Manassas Museum System, where she has overseen exhibits that include photographs of the Civil War and a collection that features a rare, surviving “John Brown Pike,” or spear, with which abolitionist Brown had intended to arm sympathizers in an aborted raid at Harper’s Ferry.

Yeah, this is cool stuff. And much to Mary Helen’s chagrin, her job includes quite a bit of math. She’s not shy about expressing her disdain for the Queen of Sciences, but like most grownups, she has learned to get along just fine.

Can you explain what you do for a living? 

There are two major aspects to my with the Manassas Museum System. First, I am in charge of maintaining the Museum’s collection of objects. This includes meeting with prospective donors and accepting new donations for the collection, making sure the collection is properly stored and that a proper environment is maintained at all times (stable temperature and humidity at acceptable levels), and that adequate security is always in place. There is a lot of paperwork that goes along with this – Deed of Gift forms for donors, thank you letters, conservation reports, tax forms for those objects that are really valuable. Everything has to be photographed and entered into the Museum’s collection database. The entire collection numbers over 10,000 pieces – most of it in off site storage. Much of the work I described above is backlogged from the past eight years, so there is always something to keep me busy.

The second aspect of my job is running the Museum’s exhibition program. Exhibit schedules are usually created 2-3 years out. So right now, I am scheduling shows for 2015. For exhibits that we do “in-house” I select objects from our collection and negotiate loans from private collectors and other museums. I also have to write labels, work with exhibit designers and (if necessary) conservators, and do things like select paint colors, make object mounts, etc. – basically come up with the look and feel of the gallery space. The final step in all of this is the installation process – which is the most fun of all.  It’s a very creative process and neat to see it all come together in the end. On occasion, I will rent a traveling exhibition that was put together by another museum. When I do that, it is just a matter of unpacking it and installing it.

When do you use basic math in your job? (And what kind of math is it?) If you can offer a very specific situation when math is important, that would be great.

Math is very important when creating any exhibition. First, I have to keep in mind what the square footage is in the gallery, and how much space the objects in the exhibits will take up. This includes spaces on the floor, inside cases, and on the walls. Large objects take up lots of floor space but also cover the wall space behind them. Cases have to hold the objects AND the labels. Framed pieces go on the walls. My design must include measurements of all the major components that include height, width and depth. This allows me to make sure everything will fit and yet allow space for visitors to move through the exhibit. During the design process we are constantly measuring, re-measuring and moving things around to get the most out of the space. For complicated exhibits we use floor plans and sketch in everything including measurements to help us understand the relationships between the pieces and if we are leaving enough space. You don’t want to get to installation and realize you don’t have enough room for a key piece of the exhibit. There is some geometry involved here (understanding angles and lines) but most of it is basic addition, subtraction, etc.

Secondly, each exhibit has an individual budget that I am responsible for creating at the outset of the project. I have to include designer time, materials, the cost of creating graphics, prepping the gallery space, etc. Each budget has a contingency built in for those unexpected things that inevitably crop up. I have to carefully track expenses to make sure I don’t overrun my budget.

In addition to the exhibitions, I am in charge of the annual budget for my part of the department. In fact, we are in the middle of creating the budget for FY 2014 right now. Using last years’ budget as a base, I have to project (using the aforementioned two-year exhibition schedule) how much money I am going to need in the next fiscal year. This requires me to know how much contractors charge per hour and how many hours I am going to need them, the cost of supplies, shipping schedules, etc. The math used here is addition/subtraction/multiplication/division – but it can be complicated because you are working with a lot of assumptions.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

I use calculators when doing the budget. For exhibit design, we use basic rulers and calculators. Nothing fancy.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Math enables me to design exhibits that are affordable, and work within the spaces that we have.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you? (In other words, is it easier to do this math at work or do you feel relatively comfortable with math all the time?)

I have NEVER been comfortable with math, not even today, 22 years into my career. Budgets, especially, make me nervous because if we don’t get it right, that will impact future expenditures and our ability to do other projects. So while the math I use in my job is familiar to me, because it is something I do every day, I don’t think I will ever be comfortable with it.

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

In high school I took Algebra I and II (barely passing both) and Geometry (did okay in this). I absolutely hated math, and only took it because I had to. Despite my best efforts, going to all the extra tutorials, studying every night, etc. I never could get it. The abstract concepts were not something I could ever wrap my mind around. Put me in a history class with definable dates, facts, and people to learn about and I was fine. I never had to “show my work” in history.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

The math skills I learned in elementary/high school are enough for me to do my job. I have not had to learn anything new.

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Welcome Sandy! Meteorology and math

Things are looking bad for those of us in Hurricane Sandy’s path. Like most of my neighbors I spent the weekend cleaning up the yard and cleaning out the local grocery stores. But one thing is certain: In a short while, my electricity will be out, and I can expect to be living like Laura Ingalls Wilder in the city for at least a few days. That means no computer, no internet.

So for part of this week, at least, I’m bringing you some topical (not tropical!) highlights from posts past. First up is my interview with on-air meteorologist, Tony Pann. Here’s how he uses math in his work. (I’m betting he’s pretty darned busy this morning!)

Math at Work Monday: Tony the on-air meteorologist

Tony Pann is an on-air meteorologist for WBAL-TV 11 in Baltimore, Maryland.

I have been a television meteorologist for 22 years. Since 2009, I’ve been working as part of the morning team at WBAL TV.

When do you use basic math in your job?

I use math everyday! The computer models that we use to forecast the weather, are based on very complicated formulas derived from fluid dynamics. The atmosphere acts very much like a body of water, so the same mathematics can be applied to both. Each day, over a dozen different computer models are run predicting the state of the atmosphere at different time frames. An initial set of data is entered at a specific starting time, then the model shows us it’s interpretation of what the state of the atmosphere will be at certain time intervals. For example, the data might be entered at 7 a.m., then the model will predict the temperature, wind speed, and barometric pressure at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Some of these models are short range, and only extend out to 48 hours, while others go all the way out to 365 hours from the starting point!

So let’s say there are 13 models that do this same thing each and every day, two or three times a day. It’s my job as a meteorologist to interpret all of that data, and translate it into the very understandable and reliable seven-day forecast that you see on TV. With so much data out there, the intuition and experience of the forecaster is very important. Since each model takes in the same starting data, but is run on a different formula, they all come up with different answers. For example, one model might say the high temp for today is going to be 45 and another could say 50. Or one could predict 6 inches of snow and the other says 1 inch. It’s my job to decide which one is right and why.

Sometimes I don’t trust any of them, and I’ll do a quick calculation on my own.  Here’s an equation that I can use to calculate the high temp for the day by hand:

I then go on TV, and try and explain it all in an interesting manor — at least that’s the goal.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? 

In order to get a degree in meteorology, you actually have to learn all of the math that the computers are doing to give us those answers. It’s not easy! By the time we are finished, we’re just a class or two short of having a minor in mathematics. It’s great to know what the computers are doing, but I’m glad we don’t have to work it out by hand anymore. If not for the wonderful training in the world of mathematics, I most certainly would not be doing this job.

Do you have questions for Tony? Ask them in the comments section, and I’ll let him know to peek in! He’ll be a bit busy for a while, so be patient!

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Wendy the astronaut

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 9, 2007 Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli Caption: A day’s clouds. The shape and texture of the land. The living ocean. City lights as a beacon of human presence across the globe. This amazingly beautiful view of Earth from space is a fusion of science and art, a showcase for the remote-sensing technology that makes such views possible, and a testament to the passion and creativity of the scientists who devote their careers to understanding how land, ocean, and atmosphere—even life itself—interact to generate Earth’s unique (as far as we know!) life-sustaining environment. Drawing on data from multiple satellite missions (not all collected at the same time), a team of NASA scientists and graphic artists created layers of global data for everything from the land surface, to polar sea ice, to the light reflected by the chlorophyll in the billions of microscopic plants that grow in the ocean. They wrapped these layers around a globe, set it against a black background, and simulated the hazy edge of the Earth’s atmosphere (the limb) that appears in astronaut photography of the Earth. The land surface layer is based on photo-like surface reflectance observations (reflected sunlight) measured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite in July 2004. The sea ice layer near the poles comes from Terra MODIS observations of daytime sea ice observed between August 28 and September 6, 2001. The ocean layer is a composite. In shallow water areas, the layer shows surface reflectances observed by Terra MODIS in July 2004. In the open ocean, the photo-like layer is overlaid with observations of the average ocean chlorophyll content for 2004. NASA’s Aqua MODIS collected the chlorophyll data. The cloud layer shows a single-day snapshot of clouds observed by Terra MODIS across the planet on July 29, 2001. City lights on Earth’s night side are visualized from data collected by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program mission between 1994–1995. The topography layer is based on radar data collected by the Space Shuttle Endeavour during an 11-day mission in February of 2000. Topography over Antarctica comes from the Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project, version 2. Most of the data layers in this visualization are available as monthly composites as part of NASA’s Blue Marble Next Generation image collection. The images in the collection appear in cylindrical projection (rectangular maps), and they are available at 500-meter resolution. The large images provided above are the full-size versions of these globes. In their hope that these images will inspire people to appreciate the beauty of our home planet and to learn about the Earth system, the developers of these images encourage readers to re-use and re-publish the images freely. NASA images by Reto Stöckli, based on data from NASA and NOAA.

Meet Wendy Lawrence, a real, live astronaut who has logged more than 1,225 hours in space. Cool, huh? From 1995 until 2005, Lawrence took four trips into space, including the last Shuttle-Mir docking mission on Discovery. She also took rides in Endeavor and Atlantis. 

And, duh, she used lots and lots of math as an astronaut. She breaks it down below.

Wendy Lawrence

Can you explain what you do for a living?

As a NASA astronaut, first and foremost, your job is to support NASA’s human spaceflight program. For example, one of my jobs in the Astronaut Office was to oversee the training of astronauts who would spend five to six months on the International Space Station (ISS). In this job, I had to work closely with representatives of the other participating space agencies to determine the specific content and length of the training flow.

Certainly, the highlight of being an astronaut was having the opportunity to be assigned to a mission! I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to fly on the space shuttle four times. On my first flight, STS-67, we performed astronomical observations with the three telescopes that we had in the payload bay. My next two flights, STS-86 and 91, went to the Russian space station Mir. My last flight, STS-114, was the first shuttle flight after the Columbia accident and we went to the ISS.

When do you use basic math in your job?

Astronauts use math regularly. We often fly in the T-38 jet for crew coordination training and to travel to other locations for mission training and support. Before every landing, the crew (front seat pilot and back-seater) needs to calculate the landing speed. This requires basic addition, subtraction and division. We subtract 1000 from the current amount of fuel and then divide that number by 100. We then add the result to the basic landing speed (155 kts or knots). Here’s an example:

2000-1000 = 1000

1000 ÷ 100 = 10

Landing speed is 155 + 10 = 165 kts

We also have to use math when we fly the space station robotic arm. This arm was built by the Canadian space agency. They used centimeters to measure distances and centimeters are displayed on the control panel. When NASA astronauts ride on the arm during a spacewalk, they typically measure distances in inches and feet. For example, the space-walker may say that he or she needs to move 12 inches to the right. Knowing that there are 2.5 centimeters per inch, the robotic arm operators can make the conversion to 30 centimeters (typically done in our heads) and then fly the arm to that new location (based on the numbers displayed on the control panel).

Do you use any technology to help with this math?

Typically, we when fly in the T-38 jet or fly the station robotic arm, we don’t use calculators or computers to help us with this math. When your hands are on the controls of the jet or the robotic arm, it is hard to use a calculator!

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

When we fly the T-38, it is a matter of safety. We could quickly get ourselves into trouble if we don’t land the jet at the proper speed.

How comfortable with math do you feel?

I studied engineering in college, so I do feel very comfortable with math.

What kind of math did you take in high school?

I took geometry, algebra II, trig and pre-calculus in high school. I did enjoy math, but I did feel like I needed to work hard to be good at it.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job?

Basically, for the situations that I have already described, I could use the math skills that I learned in school.

No surprise that Wendy uses lots of math, right? But I was a little surprised that she used so much mental math. And I didn’t expect her to say that she had to work hard at math in high school. What surprised you? Share in the comments section.

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Greg the weightlifting coach

I’m of the age when I should be lifting weights — to help manage my increasingly decreasing metabolism and ward off bone density loss. And actually, I like strength training. But not as much as Greg Everett, founder of Catalyst Athletics and Olympic-style weightlifting coach. The author of  Olympic Weightlifting for Sports, Greg is considered an expert on this sport, which requires quite a bit of calculations. Take a look.

Can you explain what you do for a living? 

As a coach for my competitive weightlifting team, most of my time is spent creating training programs for my weightlifters and coaching them during their daily training. I also write and edit books, as well as program our website.

When do you use basic math in your job?  

I use math every day. Most commonly, I use it to calculate training weights based on percentages of a lifter’s maximum lift, or to calculate a percentage based on the weight used. I also have to convert pounds to kilograms often; the sport of weightlifting uses kilograms officially, but sometimes individuals only know weights in pounds. During program design, I also use math to calculate other figures like volume (in this case, the number of repetitions performed in a given time period) to allow me to track and plan a lifter’s training. And of course, I have to be able to add the weights on the barbell quickly to know what a lifter is lifting. In weightlifting, weight plates are color coded to make this easier.

Do you use any technology to help with this math?

I do use a calculator frequently during program design for calculating percentages because I need it to be accurate. Calculations of volume are done with functions in the Excel spreadsheets I use to write programs. I normally do pound/kilo conversions in my head as much as possible just for the sake of practice.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Understanding some fundamental math concepts allows me to design better training programs and develop my weightlifters more successfully. Without math, there would be too much guesswork, and training athletes to high levels of performance requires accuracy.

How comfortable with math do you feel?  

I didn’t particularly enjoy math as a student, although I never struggled with it. I’m comfortable with the math I use frequently in my work and am fairly comfortable with basic algebra, geometry and the like. I feel like I have the math tools to be able to solve problems in life well, but certainly any more complex math I learned as a student has been forgotten simply because I don’t use it often enough.

What kind of math did you take in high school?  

Just the standard algebra and geometry; I didn’t take any advanced math courses in high school and was an English major in college. I felt that I was good at math to the degree that I was interested. That is, I never struggled with the concepts or the execution, but I also didn’t push myself beyond what I needed to learn. In retrospect, I wish I had put more time and effort into math and the sciences in school to build a better foundation.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? 

I didn’t need to learn anything new for my job; what I learned in school was adequate. As I mentioned previously, I wish now that I had more exposure to more advanced math and science as a young student. At that time, I wasn’t interested enough to pursue it beyond basic requirements, but at that age you can’t predict well what you’ll end up doing in life. My advice to students would be to put as much time and effort into your schooling as possible because that time will be your greatest opportunity to learn. You can certainly regret not knowing enough, but you’ll never regret knowing more than you need.

Even jocks use math! Do you use math in your exercise program? Share your experiences in the comments sections — along with any questions you have for Greg. I’ll ask him to swing by and respond!

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Rick the pediatric plastic surgeon

Yes, you read that right — pediatric plastic surgeon. But don’t make the dumb assumption that I did when I first met Dr. Rick Redett. He’s not doing nose jobs on preteens. He’s expertly repairing cleft lips and palates, doing skin grafts and addressing nerve injuries at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. And this is pediatrics, so he’s working with teeny-tiny parts — little hands and noses and even nerves in these little bodies. One measurement that’s even a little bit off can mean a very big problem. 

It’s no wonder that Dr. Redett uses lots of math in his work — from conversions to measurements to basic geometry. On top of that, he helped found Bring Hope Through Healing, a non-profit that helps fund surgical trips to South and Central America, so that children (and even a few adults) with cleft palates and lips can get restorative surgery. But in terms of his everyday job? Here’s how he uses math. 

Can you explain what you do for a living? I am a pediatric plastic surgeon, caring for children with cleft lip and palate, nerve injuries, congenital and traumatic hand problems and burns.

When do you use basic math in your job?  Most of the medicines we give children are weight based, which means we give a specific amount of medicine calculated using the weight of the baby. Giving too little or too much medicine may be harmful. I also use math during surgery. When a baby is born with a cleft lip, one of the nostrils is much bigger than the other. To determine how much smaller I need to make the bigger nostril, I use device which measure the diameter of each nostril. Multiplying the difference in diameter of the nostrils by 3 (approximately π) will equal the amount of tissue which needs to be removed from the bigger nostril to make it the size of the smaller nostril.

Notice how the nostril on the left is larger than the one of the right. Rick uses the formula for the circumference of a circle to help him even out the nostrils along with repairing the cleft lip.

Do you use any technology to help with this math? I use an app on my iPhone when calculating medication doses in children

How do you think math helps you do your job better?  I couldn’t do my job without math.

How comfortable with math do you feel?  I enjoyed math in school and am comfortable using it at work. Most of the math I use at work is relatively simple but necessary to practice medicine safely.

What kind of math did you take in high school? Math was one of my favorite classes in high school. I especially liked trigonometry

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? I didn’t have to learn anything new, but I have had to review things that I didn’t know I’d need. When I was learning how to make the nostrils symmetric during cleft lip surgery, I had to look up the formula for the circumference of a circle (C = dπ, where C is circumference, d is diameter and π can be rounded 3.14).

Did you think that the formula for the circumference would ever be useful? I was surprised. Oh, and parents, next time your little one is at the doctor or (god forbid) needs surgery, be glad that the doctor took math! If you have questions for Dr. Redett, post them here. I’ll let him know about them and get answers for you. 

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Robert the veterinarian

With a blind, deaf, 18-year old toy poodle who has dementia (canine cognitive disorder), I’ve gotten to know our friendly neighborhood veterinarian very, very well. Dr. Robert Z. Berry, DVM at The Village Vet has helped us manage some strange symptoms and supported us in the last year since Roxie was diagnosed with dementia. Just like people doctors, vets must have excellent bedside manner, and Dr. Berry has it in spades.

I also noticed that he does quite a bit of math in his work. Roxie has been on a variety of medication, as we’ve looked for the right combination to keep her happy and healthy. And she’s only 6 pounds. That means converting measurements like crazy. At a recent visit, I finally got the idea to ask Dr. Berry to answer my Math at Work Monday questions. If your kid aspires to be a vet, read on!

Can you explain what you do for a living? 

I examine sick and healthy animals, provide preventative care such as vaccinations or parasite (intestinal and blood born worms) screening and offer early disease detection, blood tests or imaging (xrays and ultrasound). In the case of sick animals, we can hospitalize and provide medical care or medical surgical care to help return them to normal health. Additionally we provide routine surgical and dental services such as spaying , neutering, tumor removal, dental cleaning and extractions.

When do you use basic math in your job?

Everyday, from basic math skills to algebra. Here’s an example : An animal weighs 22 pounds and needs medication which is dosed at a rate of 20 mg/kg and given three times a day. The animal’s weight is measured in pounds, so the first step is to convert to kilograms. Then I need to multiply the weight in kilograms by 20 mg/kg. Now we have a milligram dose of 200 mg. But things can get even more complex. Suppose the drug is supplied in 400 mg/ml strength? I use division or an algebraic formula to arrive at a milliliter (or cc, cubic centimeter) dose of 0.5 ml.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?  

I really prefer not to use a calculator because I think it can make my brain become lazy. It is remarkable how much agility you lose (even basic math skills) when you don’t use basic math skills on a daily basis. I calculate in my head but verify with the calculator.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

It’s absolutely necessary with any sort of drug therapy.

How comfortable with math do you feel?

I feel very comfortable with math and have all of my life. Vets must be mentally sharp and learn to rely on their most important assets — their brains! I took calculus in high school, and I felt very confident in the class. School prepared me very adequately for the nuts-and-bolts part of my job. I was fortunate to have good teachers and also to have been raised in the time period before calculators were allowed in school. A good primary education prepares one for the rest of his or her life.

So there you have it, a vet who is both compassionate and math-savvy — a great combination! Were you surprised by the math that Dr. Berry uses in his practice? Share your response in the comments section.

Categories
Math at Work Monday Math for Writers

Math at Work Monday: Karma the children’s book author

Do you know Bear of Bear Snores On and Bear Feels Sick? Or Pip of Where is Home Little Pip? If so, you also know my very talented friend, Karma Wilson. Karma has been a published author for 12 years (not including the three years it took for her to get published the first time). She is the author of 30 books, and begrudgingly, she admits to using math from time to time. 

Can you explain what you do for a living?

I write — specifically for the 4- to 8-year-old set. It is my goal to write engaging books and poetry for children that is also appealing enough to adults that they don’t hide it under the hamper lest it be requested again. To accomplish this I utilize rhyme, alliteration and two-tier humor that is directed to children on one level, adults on another.

When do you use basic math in your job?

I wrote a rhyming counting book (Frog in the Bog), does that “count”? It only went to five, which gives you a good idea of my math skills. Seriously though, in my line of work there is a lot of math that my literary agent mostly deals with. I have to pay him 15% of my income. My royalties are usually 6.5%. My publisher holds out profits from sales in case of large returns on my books, and that’s usually 25% of my royalties. All this adds up to a good reason for me to have an agent!

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?

If I have to do math I generally do use calculators, mainly because I’m a very wordsy, artistic type and math has never been a strong suit for me. In case of serious math questions I panic and turn my friends who know math, like the amazing Laura Laing!

Karma Wilson

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Well, for me the biggest way is with word counts. If I have a story that goes over 1000 words I better darned well subtract a bunch of those words. Wordy picture books don’t typically sell very well. Also, my words need to fit into a formula, which translates to a 32-page book with end pages that have no words. It’s important that the words to my stories fall naturally and rhythmically into that formula, which sometimes requires a break down of words per page. Luckily, I am sort of “savant” in that area, and rarely do book dummies, but I know a lot of picture book writers who are lost without that breakdown.

How comfortable with math do you feel?

I don’t feel comfortable with math at all. The math that accompanies my work is relatively simple, so it doesn’t give me panic attacks. But for my taxes and running my corporation (Karma Wilson Books Incorporated) I get a little math-addled.  That’s when I turn to people who are more comfortable with math than I am, like accountants and agents.

What kind of math did you take in high school?

The highest I got to was pre-algebra. I was pretty horrible at it. That letter x never needed to fear I would discover his or her secret identity. Ha!

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job?

Since I have an agent who does the hard math for me I was able to skate on my pre-algebra level skill set. However, if you’re in this industry trying to figure out the contractual stuff without an agent, you should at least have some basic accounting math skills. Otherwise, you’ll be lost in royalty rundowns and not know if your contract was fulfilled or not. It really is that important.

While my specific line of work isn’t all that math intensive, the times that I’ve wanted to understand my royalty statements were severely hampered by my fear of math. I strongly encourage every adult to refresh their math skills so they feel more confident discussing numbers with professionals in their industry.

Karma is on tour right now, promoting her newest book Bear Says Thanks. Her next stop is Denver CO at the Mountains and Plains Bookseller’s Association Author Tea on 9/21/12 at 3:45 p.m. 

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Beth the nurse

When I was really young, I wanted to be a nurse. Those who know me now are probably laughing. It’s not that I’m squeamish about blood, but I absolutely cannot handle any other, um, bodily fluids. Ick. Thank goodness for people like Beth Hanes, who have made a career of caring for others who are sick or undergoing surgery. [Editors note: Since this interview appeared a year ago, Beth has decided to freelance write full time.Now that I can identify with!]

Beth Hanes is a registered nurse in a plastic surgery center.  She takes care of patients before, during and after their surgeries.  And, of course, she uses math everyday.

What kind of math do you use in your job?

I use basic math for a lot of things, but probably the most important calculations are the ones related to medication use. Sometimes I dilute medication before giving it. For example, Promethazine needs to be diluted before it’s given in an IV. Using a 10mL syringe, I draw up 1mL of Promethazine and then add 9mL of normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride) to create a 10% Promethazine solution.

I also use basic math to determine, based on body weight, how much medication to administer. Medications are generally given on a milligram per kilogram basis. So, I convert a person’s weight in pounds to weight in kilograms (divide pounds by 2.2 to obtain kilograms), then I multiply this number of kilograms by the number of milligrams per kilogram to get the correct dosage. For example, Lidocaine might be ordered as 1mg/kg. A 220-pound patient weighs 100kg, so the correct dosage is be 100mg of Lidocaine.

How do you do your calculations?

I do use calculators because they’re typically faster, but I think it’s important to know how to do math by hand. I usually don’t have a calculator on hand in the operating room! Also, it’s critically important for me to have basic formulas memorized (such as how to convert pounds to kilograms). Without that knowledge, having a calculator or not is irrelevant.

Why is math important for your job?

Math skills help me ensure patient safety. There was a highly publicized case a few years ago in which actorDennis Quaid’s infant twins were administered a very high dose of Heparin. This error occurred for many reasons, but one key factor was doing the math involved. This is a classic case of calculating dosage based on weight, and obviously errors were made in that calculation. In nursing, if you misplace a decimal point, you can kill someone.

When it comes to math in nursing, I think the main thing is to be very careful about calculations, double-check them, and then have someone else double-check them. No matter how good you may be at math, anyone can misplace a decimal point when calculating on-the-fly. It’s much better to take the extra seconds to have someone review your calculations and keep patients safe than to have any sense of ego about your math ability and endanger a patient.

What kind of math did you take in high school?

I had a rather sketchy math education, because my parents moved around a lot, and I only made it through Algebra II. On the other hand, advanced math was not yet common at the high school level when I was that age. Calculus, for example, was a college course. I did not feel I was good at math in high school. However, this “low math esteem” led me to focus on practicing real-world math skills.

These days, I am fairly comfortable with math, in general, though I frequently have to think through conversion problems, which are common in nursing. I find I often want to divide when I should multiply, for instance, so I have to be careful about that! Once I have a formula memorized, however, I feel very comfortable substituting variables with real values and arriving at the correct answer.

If you have questions for Beth, ask them in the comments section. Read other Math at Work Monday entries in the archive.  And if you or someone you know wants to be interviewed for this regular, Monday feature, let me know.

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Labor Day 2012 Edition

It’s been a rough year for the U.S. economy and workforce. No matter what your political stripe, there’s no sugar coating the numbers: unemployment is still high and people around the country are struggling. In honor of Labor Day, we’ll look at the numbers behind this news.

Once a month, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics releases its employment data, and here are some interesting numbers from July 2012. (August 2012 data will be released on September 7, 2012.) Remember, this is just raw data. The numbers are important, but they can’t really tell the story behind the country’s (or a portion of the population’s) economic and employment situation. People will interpret this information differently, based on their ideologies and personal philosophies. (Politicians will interpret this data based on who they want to attract to the voting booth.)

155.013 million: The number of people in the workforce (16 years and older).

47.8: Percent of women in private workforce

82.6: Percent of women in total production and non-supervisory positions.

34.5: Average weekly hours worked for all employees.

33.7: Average weekly hours worked for all production and non-supervisory positions.

$23.52: The average hourly earnings for all employees.

$19.77: The average hourly earnings for all employees in production and non-supervisory positions.

11.472 million: Number of people in the workforce with less than a high school diploma or equivalent.

37.047 million: Number of people in the workforce with a high school diploma or equivalent.

37.398 million: Number of people in the workforce with some college or an associates degree.

47.697 million: Number of people in the workforce with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

9.616 million: Number of self-employed workers (including agriculture workers).

8.246 million: Number of people who are working part time (one to 34 hours a week), for economic reasons.

6.9: Unemployment rate* for all veterans.

8.9: Unemployment rate for all Gulf War II-era veterans.

12.4: Unemployment rate for all Gulf War II-Era veterans in the previous month (June 2012).

8.3: Unemployment rate for all non-veterans (18 years and older).

18.866 million: Number of people who are working part time (one to 34 hours a week), for other reasons (including childcare problems, school, training or family or personal reasons).

2.711: Number of people who have been unemployed for less than 5 weeks.

3.092 million: Number of people who have been unemployed for 5 to 14 weeks.

6.945 million: Number of people who have been unemployed for more than 15 weeks.

38.8: Average duration of unemployment in weeks.

*The unemployment rate is the percentage of the workforce that is unemployed at any given date.

Based on these numbers, what do you think about the current economy? What kinds of questions do these numbers raise? Are there other numbers that you would like to see? How does this data inform you as a voter? (Don’t worry, we won’t get into big political discussions here. I promise.)

Categories
Math at Work Monday Math Education Math for Parents Math for Teachers

Math at Work Monday: Tiffany the math teacher

Today is the first day of school here, so I decided to repost this Math at Work Monday interview with Tiffany Choice, a middle school math teacher in Fairfax, Virginia. You might be a little surprised by how she uses math in her work!

I know what you’re thinking. “It’s so obvious how a 6th grade teacher would use math! She’s teaching fractions and division and percents!”

There’s always a lot more to teaching than the rest of us may think. And that’s why I asked Tiffany Choice to answer today’s Math at Work Monday questions.  Ms. Choice was my daughter’s 4th grade teacher, and she’s the best elementary math teacher I’ve ever met.  She truly made the math fun, and she really got into her lessons.  I know this for sure, because I had the pleasure of subbing for Ms. Choice while she was on maternity leave.  Let me tell you, those kids loved her — and so do I!

Last year, Ms. Choice moved to Fairfax County, Virginia.  She’s getting ready to start teaching 6th grade there.  In honor of what was supposed to be our first day of school — until Hurricane Irene changed our plans! — here’s how she uses math in her classroom.

Can you explain what you do for a living? I teach state-mandated curriculum to students. My job also includes communicating to parents progress and/or concerns, appropriately assessing my students, and analyzing data to drive my instruction and lessons.

When do you use basic math in your job?  I use math all the time — mostly basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. When I plan lessons, I need to appropriately plan for activities that will last a certain length of time. Then, when I am teaching the lessons, I am watching the clock and using timers to keep my lessons moving or calculating elapsed time.

I also use math to grade assignments and calculate grades. I break a student’s grade into 4 categories; participation, homework, classwork, test/projects. Each category has a different weight. Participation and homework are each 10 percent, while classwork and test/projects are each 40 percent. Then for each grading period, I average grades and take the appropriate percentage to get the overall grade.

I also use math to analyze data and drive my instruction. After quarter assessments or chapter tests are given, I look for trends. Which questions did the majority of students get incorrect? If I notice out of 60 students only 30% of them got a certain question correct this says to me that most of them (42 to be exact) got the question wrong. I need to figure out why and go back.

I will also use math to group my students for games and activities. When I originally plan for them I always assume all students will be present. However, with absences and such I have to use last-minute division to regroup them.  I move desks around into different groups periodically during the year, and that requires division as well.[pullquote]It’s completely normal to feel anxious or nervous about math. But a great teacher at any level (primary to college) will help you “get it.”  Just don’t give up.[/pullquote]

When I plan for field trips, I have to calculate the total cost for each student depending on the fees involved. Then, I have to count large amounts money that has been collected to account for the correct amounts.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?  At my first teaching job, I had a computer program that calculated grades for me, but when I left and went to a new district I didn’t have that software, so I did grades all by hand using a calculator.

How do you think math helps you do your job better? The whole point of my job is to get students to learn and become great thinkers. I wouldn’t be able to find or focus on areas of weakness if I wasn’t able to properly analyze data and comprehend what it really means to me.

What kind of math did you take in high school?  Did you like it or feel like you were good at it? I only took algebra and geometry in high school. I was terrible at math in high school and didn’t enjoy it or “get it” until college. I started in a community college and I had to take two developmental math classes before I could take what was required. It was during those developmental courses I finally “got it” and began to actually enjoy it. Everything finally made sense.

It’s completely normal to feel anxious or nervous about math. But a great teacher at any level (primary to college) will help you “get it.”  Just don’t give up.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do this math? The math I use to do my job is math that is taught up to the middle school level. I didn’t have to learn anything special.

Thanks so much, Ms. Choice!  (I don’t think I can ever call her Tiffany!)  If you have questions for Ms. Choice, just ask them in the comments section.  She has agreed to come back to Math for Grownups to talk a bit about how parents can work with their kids’ math teachers, so stay tuned for more advice from her.  

Categories
Math at Work Monday Math for Grownups Math for Parents Math for Teachers

Math at Work Monday: Samantha the Freelance Designer

I had the pleasure of speaking with Samantha Volz who has the pleasure of working from her very own home every day. That is one of the benefits of being a freelance designer. In addition to graphic design, this artist also does photography. It seems she is creatively blessed with talent.  I was curious about how she uses math in her work. Let’s take a look at what she had to say:

Can you explain what you do for a living?

I’ve been working as a freelance designer since 2001.  I design marketing/advertising material for companies. In addition, I also design websites and other support files for social media applications. I am a photographer, painter, and artist as well.

When do you use basic math in your job?

I have to use specifications to set up design files. Set up bleed, trim and safe zones so that when the file gets to the printer, it is set up correctly and prints correctly. For instance, if I have a print sheet that is 8.5 by 11 inches for a trifold brochure, I need to divide the paper by three and adjust 1/8th of the 3 panel. Depending on how the trifold folds, I will need to adjust the panels 1/16th of an inch if a panel folds in. Then, on the layout in the software I have to consider set up for a printing press or digital printing if my graphics bleed to the edge I have to add at least 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch of graphics that extends past the actual final layout for being trimmed down to allow for machine error. So my final file that is handed over to the print vendor is 8.5 x11 with bleed 1/8th bleed on all sides. Total graphic coverage is 8.75 x 11.25 trimmed down to 8.5 x 11 and scored for folds indicated on the set up with 3 panels roughly 3.66 ” wide, again depends on the fold design chosen for that tri-fold brochure how it will read, flow and open up to reveal the information being provided.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

Yes, I use a calculator a lot.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

I could not do my job without it. It is how everything flows from the client to me, the designer, and then to the printer until it is produced as an end product.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you?

I am comfortable with normal addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and fractions. Nothing too complicated.

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I took honors math classes.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

Yes, what I use now I learned in high school.

Who knew that the creative type still need to know their basic calculations and fractions?  Seems like everywhere you go, even in your home, math is sure to follow. I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Samantha. Let me know if you have any further questions for her. 

Photo Credit: 55Laney69 via Compfight cc

Categories
Math at Work Monday

Math at Work Monday: Leah the firefighter

Leah Davis is tough as nails. She’s been a firefighter in North Carolina for 17 years. These days, she is a Captain EMT — intermediate. I had never really thought about the math required to fight fires, but reading through Leah’s responses, it all makes perfect sense. If your little guy or gal is interested in firefighting as a career, this interview is a must-read!

Can you explain what you do for a living?

I am a Captain on a fire engine. This means that I respond to and mitigate emergencies ranging from motor vehicle accidents, fires (all sorts), medical emergencies and rescues. In addition to providing emergency response, I complete preplans of existing businesses; the preplans are walk-through inspections that provide information about a building’s layout and any hazards that might be associated with the business. As a member of the fire service, I am responsible for participating and providing training in all aspects of the job.

When do you use basic math in your job?

Within the fire service, there are many opportunities to use math. The first one that comes to mind is calculating pump pressure to determine the PSI (pounds per square inch) on the end of a nozzle.  Basic math skills, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, are necessary. A basic understanding of hydraulics and a good understanding of formula usage is vital.

In order to calculate the amount of nozzle pressure is necessary, the engineer must find the friction loss of hose distance, along with appliances and elevation. Only then can the pump be set up properly. Engine pressure is the sum of the nozzle pressure plus the friction loss plus any elevation or devices. Based on the engine pressure formula EP = NP + FL, if we need a nozzle pressure of 100 psi to flow 100 GPM then the engine pressure needs to be greater then 100 psi.

When determining how much water will be required for any given structure that is 100 percent involved in a fire, the fire engineer must calculate the area and divide by 3. This gives the gallons per minute required to extinguishing the fire.

Math is also used when providing medical care. The division is used in calculating the correct dosage of medications to administer. Many medications are calculated milligrams per kilograms or mg/kg.

Do you use any technology to help with this math?

I use a calculator when finding the fire flow or GPM needed on the preplans.

Technology is not usually used on the fire ground when calculating the engine pressure. The engineer needs to be well trained and able to calculate the engine pressure in their heads.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Having a math competency provides me with additional problem-solving skills. The fire service is about problem-solving.

[laurabooks]

How comfortable with math do you feel?

Although I am not a math whiz by any means, I do feel relatively comfortable with math most of the time. The math that is used within the fire service–like the area of a structure, GPM needed, nozzle pressure, medication dosage–helps ensure the safety of firefighters and others.

What kind of math did you take in high school?

I did not take much math in high school because I did not like it and did not feel successful. However, in college, I was required to take remedial math courses and then was able to move on to taking more advanced classes, including calculus. I graduated from college with a good understanding of math and problem-solving. I also found that I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of math.  Too bad I didn’t pay more attention when I was in high school.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job?

I was comfortable with my math skills when I entered the fire service.

Do you, or your child, have math questions like the ones in this firefighting story? If so, buy the book that will help you with the math here. As for summer-slide activities, why not take your child to a fire station for a tour? While you’re there, ask about the math required on the job.