Whenever you shoot a basketball or a hockey puck, pass a football or play a game of pool, you are using knowledge of lines, arcs, vectors and angles. Golf is another example of using knowledge of geometry. In fact, professional golfer James Leitz, one of the top 100 teachers in America, according to "Golf Magazine," attributes his success to knowledge of both physics and geometry.
Even if you don't realize it, geometry is very common in real life, especially when working in and around the house. Whenever you need to decide how much paint to buy to color your walls, fill your flower box with soil, estimate the materials you need to build a fence, or decide how much carpet to buy for your floors, you are using geometric principals, such as surface area, volume and perimeter. You also use geometry when you sew a quilt, cut up a pie, share treats with friends, or fill measuring cups while making dinner.
Many careers rely on the use of geometry on a daily basis. Architects use geometry to design buildings, carpenters use it to build houses, and engineers need geometry to design bridges. Fashion designers need geometry to design patterns for clothes and interior designers incorporate their knowledge of lines and angles when they design the layout of a room. Plumbers use the concepts of angles and space to fit pipes and artists use the idea of proportion to create eye-catching paintings.
The skills needed in a geometry class can be transferred to many other subjects. Geometry requires students to think critically, analyze, observe and make conclusions, which are important skills for all academic areas. Geometry is also used in other branches of mathematics, such as algebra and calculus, and science courses like physics and astronomy.