A brief overview of the everyday mathematics and numeracy within a garage or similar setting.
Cars and Motorbikes
When it comes to buying a motorised vehicle, it requires knowledge of various statistics and figures.
Things to consider include: the costing of the purchase alongside road taxes and insurance; the efficiency of the vehicle in miles per gallon or range per charge; depreciation (loss of value over time); acceleration; power; capacity; calculating additional costs, long term expenses and maintenance.
Once in possession of a vehicle you need to maintain it. There are several gauges used in monitoring a vehicles suitability on the road. For example: Tyre pressure gauge, oil dipstick, charger levels and tyre tread depth gauge. You need to not only take these measurements but understand them.
Simply considering when to use your own vehicle other another form of transport involves numerical reasoning. Is it cheaper to take the bus/train? Is it close enough to walk/cycle? What are the time constraints for the journey?
When driving, you need to be able to read various dials and gauges on the dashboard - this is a numeracy skill. You also need to have spatial awareness and understand stopping distances. Then there is journey planning, this includes the route and stops that may be needed, to ensure you get to your destination safely and on time.
Storage
Some people use a garage or outbuildings simply for storage.
Let me guess, you must make sure you have enough space?
Yes, spatial awareness is a key factor. If you wish to park your car in a garage, not only do you have to make sure it fits through the door, but that there's also enough width once inside to be able to open the door and get out.
When storing lots of different items in an area, you also need to consider the capacity and strength of the containers used. It also helps to have a sorting system in place to know where anything is, and making it so those items used most frequently are more accessible than those that haven't been touched in years.
Other logistics in storage include how to stack containers safely for you and the objects contained. All these skills combined will allow you to maximise the storage capabilities of a room or building.
Workshop
Garages or other outbuildings can be converted into workshops.
The maths and numeracy for using tools and making things is covered in our section on DIY Maths.
Animal Feed
If you keep outdoor animals, such as rabbits, chickens, goats or horses, the garage or some other outbuilding may be where you store the feed.
Our animals/pets are reliant on us to ensure they have a healthy diet and medicine regime.
This means we need to use our knowledge of RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowances), measure out food whilst considering the animal's mass, and do the same for medication using different measuring devices.
Contact Us
Have we missed something?
If yes, then please let us know by e-mailing nar25@aber.ac.uk.
