Why is calculus never used in real life?

My answer on Quora: Why is calculus never used in real life?

Quora is on Internet, and since you submitted your question to Quora, you have access to the Internet, hence have something with Internet connection, say, a smartphone. Mathematics hardwired in your smartphone (or even ordinary, non-smart mobile phone) is beyond understanding of 95% percent of graduates from mathematics departments of British universities (and American universities, too, I think). Signal processing of electromagnetic waves in the communication channel between the phone and the mobile company mast is all about some sophisticated form of calculus. I’ve seen a claim that there are more mobile phones in the world than toothbrushes. Of course, there is absolutely no reason why the users of mobile phones should know calculus.

You are absolutely right: calculus is never used by ordinary people in their life. Moreover

a whole country can now exist and be fully functional without anyone in the country having any knowledge of calculus.

Indeed, what for? All stuff which has calculus hardwired or coded in is made elsewhere, in countries like China.

This is a new form of colonialism.

Perhaps it could be called high tech colonialism. A high tech colony is not an independent country, it can be at any moment switched off from outside.

If you are happy to live in this brave new world, it is your choice. If not – perhaps you should start learning mathematics, this would give you some chance to become sighted in the land of blind.

 

•  Mathematics for makers and mathematics for users, in Humanizing Mathematics and its Philosophy: Essays Celebrating the 90th Birthday of Reuben Hersh (B. Sriraman ed.), Birkhauser, 2017, pp. 309–327. bit.ly/2qYHtst
•  Calling a spade a spade: Mathematics in the new pattern of division of labour, in Mathematical Cultures: The London Meetings 2012-14 (B. Larvor, ed.). Trends in the History of Science. Springer, 2016, pp. 347-374.  goo.gl/TT6ncO .