Unfortunately, math is often the most disliked and least understood
subject taught in school. This usually results from a failure, either
on the part of the teacher or student, to appreciate the practical
usefulness of math. Problems are considered merely as "numbers," and
the student never really knows how this information was obtained and
can be used in later life. As a result, the student sees no good reason
why they should attempt to understand even the most basic operations.
In the quizzes throughout this book you
will be asked several questions on a math subject. You may not be able
to recall all of them. So what? There is nothing that prevents you from
reviewing this book, which is the priceless secret of learning. That is
all you need to do, spend a little more time building up your processes
of recall and recognition.
Now, this book is really a very simple
illustration of how we use the four most basic operations of math,
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but you think for
a few minutes of how many times each day you perform these operations
you will realize the importance of math.
What does this have to do with taking an
exam? The answer is this, without understanding basic math operations,
you cannot hope to pass an exam or be successful in the construction
industry.