Real-Life Math
Diabetes is a disease that affects people around the globe. People who have the most common form of diabetes have trouble absorbing sugar and starch from their bloodstream.
The incidence of diabetes around the world is on the rise. The World Health Organization estimates that over the next 25 years, the number of people with diabetes will double, going from 140 million to 300 million.
Pharmacologists, along with other scientists, are searching for ways to treat and cure this condition. Recently, scientists discovered a new treatment that may mean people who are insulin-dependent will no longer have to inject themselves daily.
The search continues for a cure. In this and other searches, pharmacologists are continuously using math on the job.
"You need to have very strong math skills," says James Hammond. He is a pharmacologist. "This is a research field that uses math constantly. I don't think students at a high school level realize how important math is in many of these professions. We use it all the time."
A pharmacologist beginning to look at diabetes may first examine statistics about the disease. Do other factors such as race, income levels, age or geographic placement affect the prevalence of diabetes?
Here are some figures from the World Health Organization, for people diagnosed with diabetes in San Antonio, Texas, during the study period 1979 to 1988. All of the people are aged between 25 and 64.
White population with diabetes:
Middle income: 549
Upper income: 929
Hispanic population with diabetes:
Middle income: 581
Upper income: 791
Questions:
- In the white population: What percentage of middle income earners (out of the total middle and upper income white population section) had diabetes?
- In the Hispanic section: What percentage of middle income earners (out of the total middle and upper income Hispanic population section) had diabetes?