I am increasingly confused about what is going on in Iran. One minute, the US President tells us that everything is obliterated in Iran, and then moments later, he says it is almost 90%. Later on, he tells us that all of the drones have gone, only to then say the Iranians have 25% of their drones left. Quite apart from being confusing, this suggests a significant misunderstanding of mathematics. For a self-proclaimed business expert, that is concerning because ultimately, business is all about numbers.
Yet I teach business students who constantly tell me they don’t like anything to do with numbers. One said they didn’t like the accounting modules, but preferred the ones I teach on psychology. I then reminded them of the statistical tests we covered in the course that are fundamental to understanding psychology. It might seem a “soft”, non-numerical subject, but psychology is all about numbers. So too is marketing, human resources, leadership, or any other aspect of business you care to consider. You can’t be in business if you “don’t like numbers”.
However, I’d hazard a guess that someone you know, maybe even you, says “I’m no good with numbers” from time to time. Oh, and to understand that phrase “time to time”, you have to understand numerical concepts because time is only numbers. Hey ho.
Yesterday, on the radio, I heard a classic case of “I’m no good with numbers”. A caller had phoned in to complain about petrol retailers’ supposed profiteering due to the global rise in oil prices. The caller said that we should just start drilling in the North Sea to get our own oil. Quite apart from the fact that this would take a couple of years to set up and start production, the phone-in host could not make the caller understand the notion of market prices. He explained that even if we did manage to quickly get more oil from the North Sea, it would enter the market and therefore would not provide us with cheaper fuel. All the caller could say was “but it’s our oil”, suggesting we can set our own price. After several attempts by the host to get him to understand, the man ended the call by saying he didn’t understand “all that market stuff” as he was “no good with numbers”. His mind was closed to understanding something because it was blocked by his fear of mathematics.
It is estimated that almost half the population suffers from “maths anxiety”. Indeed, some people can develop the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as nausea, trembling, or rapid breathing, when asked to do anything involving numbers. This affects about four in ten people, making it a significant issue in the workplace. I suspect you have been in meetings where it is clear that some people haven’t grasped the numbers being discussed. That’s because they are scared of numbers.
One of the reasons, according to a study just published, is that it is our parents’ fault…! If they tell us as children about their inability with numbers, we tend not to understand numbers either. It is a never-ending circle.
Another recent study shows that age, culture and gender matter too. Women get more maths anxiety than men, and as we age, we tend to worry more about our supposed lack of numerical understanding. Indeed, so many groups are affected by fear of numbers that the Maths Anxiety Trust was created by the author Shirley Conran to help reduce maths anxiety.
So, why am I telling you all this? It’s because today is the International Day of Mathematics, which is designed to focus our minds on the joy of numbers. It is also the day that could prompt people who “don’t like numbers” to start to take steps to reduce their anxiety about maths. And there’s an important reason for this. Artificial intelligence is based on numbers. To interpret the output of AI tools, you need numeracy.
If you are scared of numbers, you are going to find it tougher in the future. So, why not take today, the International Day of Mathematics, to explore ways in which you can reduce your fear of maths? National Numeracy is a good place to start.
