This course is designed to help students gain an understanding of fundamental numerical and quantitative skills and their applications to everyday life. The focus will be on applying basic mathematical concepts to solve real-world problems, and to develop skills in interpreting and working with data in order that students become able to function effectively as professionals and engaged citizens. Topics will include problem-solving and back-of-the-envelope calculations, unit conversions and estimation, percentages and compound interest, linear and other models, data interpretation, analysis and visualization, basic principles of probability, and an introduction to quantitative research and statistics. Another important objective of the course is a clear introduction to and a development of appropriate working knowledge of MS-Excel as well as some of the software’s most common applications in a variety of contexts.