Dear Thinkers,

A few weeks ago my family bought a car, and I had to do a boatload of math. I suppose I didn’t have to do it. I could have just paid whatever price was on the sticker. But I wanted to make sure I got what I wanted at the price I wanted.

And that’s what real math is all about: we’re not just getting the right answer, we’re solving the problems that help us navigate the world.

Because never in my adult life has someone handed me a sheet of math problems and told me to solve them. In this complex world of ours, you have to make up your own math problems.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck