What is quantitative reasoning

Many people envision something super complex when they hear the term "quantitative reasoning." However, you use it every day without even noticing!

Think about the times you have used quantitative reasoning in a typical day at work or at home. Many times we use historical data (data that we have gathered from past experiences) to build mental models. Here are some examples of ways that to use quantitative reasoning in a typical day:

1. Creating my grocery list and buying groceries - This task requires A LOT of quantitative reasoning. You have to estimate the amount of each item that you need for a given time. You have to make sure the total of all items fit into your budget. If you are a comparison shopper or a person who is taking advantage of sales, that requires quantitative reasoning as well.

2. Estimating what time to leave your house to get to a certain location - If you're like me and live in a city, this is a task that is performed several times a day at a minimum. For me, I must consider the weather, road conditions, number of accidents, etc., to make my forecast.

3. Hearing/reading/seeing the weather report - The weather report each day contains all kinds of quantitative information that must be interpreted so you will know how to dress, what activities might be appropriate for the day, and even how to operate a business.

4. Setting a meeting - Each time you set a meeting, you must estimate how long the meeting will take. This is how you know how much time to block off on your calendar at work.

Isn't it amazing what your brain does? Most of us don't even notice that we are constantly making calculations in our heads about everything around us!