Real-Life Math -- Solution
In order to determine how many newspapers can be recorded on 1 disk, we need to find out how many bytes 1 newspaper contains.
Since there are about 5,000 bytes of information on 1 page and the paper is about 100 pages long, we can determine the amount of bytes in the whole newspaper by simply multiplying 5,000 bytes by 100 pages.
5,000 bytes x 100 pages = 500,000 bytes
That was easy. Now we simply divide the 2.6 billion by 500,000 to determine how many newspapers will fit on the disk.
2.6 billion / 500,000 = 5,200 newspapers
The disk will hold 5,200 newspapers. How many years is that? A simple division of 5,200 by 365 -- the number of days in a year -- gives us our answer.
5200 / 365 = 14.25
You can get a whopping 14-plus years on 1 disk. Now that's technology!
High-level mathematics skills are not essential if you want to be a MIS specialist. You won't need the math skills of a software programmer, for example. Yet this is not to say you don't need any math skills!
"The ability to think logically and analytically is a great asset," says Yair Wand, chair of the MIS division at a university.
Some MIS programs require students to take some computer science courses. These are helpful in that they improve the technical knowledge of the MIS person. Completing these courses usually requires first-year university math.