A Day without Math

The teens of 2012 thought that the world might end was their biggest issue. As a teen of the twenty second century, I know how ridiculous their thoughts were. Of course, the world would not end., and it didn’t. However, the people of 1818 had a better reason to panic. You see, ever since that fateful year, the people of planet earth have lived without a subject known as math. Although there are several theories explaining the loss of math, I have been taught by my parents that the loss of math was because of a miscalculation.

In January of 1899 while the American government was experimenting with ammunition, there was a catastrophe. A bomb was misfired and penetrated the troposphere. The weeks following the incident, several reports of severe migraines were filed. When the town of Seattle, Washington reported a dramatic change in math scores, the world began to realize the possible effects of the explosion. By the time the best scientists and doctors were told that recent serious migraines might cause loss of math skills, they, too, had been effected.

However, a few of the scientists who hadn’t been effected yet tested the air. They found a mysterious gas atom attached to the oxygen atom. They predicted that if they lost their math abilities too, then the epidemic was caused by the particle in the air. Sure enough, a few weeks later they, too, didn’t understand the concept of math and simple numbers. This is the story my family believes because this is what has been orally passed down to each generation.

Another story I have been told is about my great-great-great-great grandmother, Eleanor, and her husband, Alexander soon before and after the disappearance of math. They were newly-weds, both in their early twenties when they woke up one January morning to a neighbor knocking on their door. “Breaking news, there is toxin in the air from the ammunition explosion this past winter that has been rumored to erase people’s knowledge of math. I would suggest staying in your house as long as possible, so you don’t inhale any bad air.

”I’m so frightened. What will happen if numbers cease to exist? Our posterity is doomed!” exclaimed Mr. Fredrick. They did as they were told. They did their best, but eventually they succumbed to the migraines. It was very unfortunate because they thought it was a new chapter in their life, but it turned out to be the end of a chapter that had just begun.

In the following weeks and months, Eleanor, Alexander, and their community had to adapt to the major changes in their lives. The subject math was eventually dropped from schools’ curriculum. They had to learn how to live without money and reverted to the barter system. For directions, they started to use landmarks instead of using math to calculate the distance between two places.

More people became farmers, so they could have fresh vegetables and meat that they could no longer buy at a local store. Appliances that kept food cool or made food hot weren’t able to operate. Towns across America started to look like the towns in the medieval times. There were huge adjustments, but eventually people became used to living without math. The people of the twenty second century live similar lifestyles and don’t even think twice about living without math.

I reside in the Bahamas on a banana plantation. We have some chickens, dogs, cows, goats, mules, and horses. I always wake up long before the sun appears on the horizon. I change and get ready for the day. Then, I head to the barn to do my chores involving the animals. When my chores are completed, I grab the basket of fresh eggs. After I return, I sit down to eat breakfast. As usual my meal was eggs, bacon, cheese, and milk. They are all products produced on my family’s farm. Once excused from breakfast, I hop on my bike and ride to school. I pass seven land marks before arriving at school. I know whether I arrive to school on time because the school bell rings every time the sun lines up with something on campus, like the soccer field or gymnasium.

My first class is geography. We learn about places we can never visit. We can’t communicate with people outside of our town, so all the information we are taught has been passed down from the time when people could communicate internationally. I hope it’s correct because geography is my favorite subject. As the day progresses, I go to six more classes : english, survival class, agriculture class, p.e., animal care and safety, and socializing class. We have lunch after p.e. School lunch is different everyday, but it’s always something grown on a local farm. I don’t think
school is terrible. From what I have been told, school was a lot harder when math existed.

After school, I do my second round of chores. I never have homework because the teachers at school know that if students thrive and return the next day, they have applied what they have been taught. Following my chores, I usually ride my bike down to the library once a week to grab a new book to read. Then I typically head over to a friend’s house to hang out. We usually do chores and talk. When I return home, I’m exhausted and get ready for bed. Before I finally get some rest, I pack my school bag for another successful day.

As far as the mysterious particle that is still believed to be lingering in the air that erased human’s ability to perform complicated math problems, I don’t think it will ever vanish magically. If it did, I think society is so used to life without math that people wouldn’t even consider trying to re-learn math. It would be like trying to learn a new language, but no person would know the rules or simple concepts of it. It would have to evolve over centuries as it did before.