How To Really Understand Units In Mathematics

Time to revisit fundamentals!

Which is correct? — Illustration created by the author

Before we understand units in mathematics, let us start with units in real life. At this point, you might be thinking:

“Hang on a second. Where do we use units in real life?”

I hear you. The answer to that question is that we use units in real life all the time. For example, think about the last time you weighed yourself on your weighing scale. Let us say that the number came out in Kilograms.

A ‘kilogram’ is a unit. But then, other people in other parts of the world measure their weights in pounds. So, what gives? Why do we have two separate units for the same thing?

There’s something fishy going on here, right? Oh, but wait! It gets worse. Let us now suppose that someone convinced everyone to measure their weights in kilograms.

At this point, a chef would object to it whilst wagging his finger. All his life, he has measured the weight of his food ingredients in grams, not kilograms! Are you mildly frustrated at this point? Let me push that button one more time.

Imagine that you bought 12 apples from your local grocery store. To your horror, by the time you reach home, you find out that all 12 apples are rotten. Given this situation, which of the following…