A Plug for Math

This last week I've had to bust out my Math skills twice. I used to do Math all day on the white board and I used to really love helping people "get it". And maybe I'll do that again on a regular basis someday. But for now I'm really grateful for my Math skills and the things they help me do. I do so many mindless things all day, it's great to use my brain every now and again.

Case #1
Luke talked me into a fish. Who knew owning a goldfish could be so complicated? The pet store guy gave me 3 pamphets to read on fish care and ownership. Anyway, you have to dechlorinate the water before you can add your fishy to it. Two drops for each gallon. Sounds simple. But how many gallons are in my tank? No idea--we inherited it from my dad's neighbor when he moved. So I calculated the volume in cubic inches and then converted it to gallons. Whah-la! 14 drops. The goldfish will probably die soon do to constant "petting" but it won't be due to chlorine in the water.

Case #2
I'm working on a quilt for my new bed. It's going to be gorgeous and I love it already. For the top I decided to put the blocks "on point" which means they run diagonal instead of straight across in rows. I think it suits the room and the feeling I was going for better that way. It adds interest and movement. Anyway, it's also a lot harder. As if that isn't enough, I also wanted the quilt top to end right on the top edge of the bed and for the border to hang from the top edge on the sides and cover the height of the mattress and the sheets under it. Well that means I have to piece it all so that it's all the right size. The quilt blocks themselves aren't large enough to cover the top so I needed sashing (strips in between). But how wide should the sashing be? It's not hard to figure that out normally, but then add in the "on point" diagonal aspect and it's much more complicated.

I busted out my geometry for this one and used a 45-45-90, right isosceles triangle. It's sides measure 1-1-square root 2. (not sure how to type that here). Anyway, with ratios and some calculating I used 4 inch sashing. It's all all pieced and it fits perfectly. It's a little big since I rounded up, but I did that on acount of shrinkage when you wash it.

Anyway, I love Math. I love that I can figure out the details and make things work and work out well. So when your kids complain about learning it, tell them it's a useful skill to have and understand. It can serve them well in life. If you don't love it yourself, find someone who does love it to teach it to them. Because really Math is a beautiful thing. I'll show you the quilt later to prove it. ( =