Saturday, January 23, 2010

Research Task--How it Relates to Math

The topic I chose to pursue for the research task is Child Soldiers in Africa. This choice is very interesting and has key relations to math. For instance, the people who study children soldiers have calculated that over eighty-six countries still used child soldiers as of 2008. Also, there is another aspect, such as finding out how it affects the adolescents in Africa mentally. Researchers had to use observations and calculations to figure out that watching loved ones die before their eyes could cause post traumatic stress disorder and depression. Further, in order to conclude that carrying heavy equipment on the children's growing spines would deform it, the analyst would have to calculate how their backs changed over time. In addition, another way the topic Child Soldiers in Africa could relate to math is that recordings and calculations would be the only way for them to find out that illness and infection come from malnutrition and exposure to bad weather. Lastly, analysts can study the irregular behavior from adolescents who are forced to take habit-forming drugs. All in all, the choice Child Soldiers in Africa can clearly connect to math due to the calculations and observations needed to find the affects on the children when fighting in battle and the number of countries that are currently using them.

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