Mathematician Gareth Rowlands: At the touch of a button

If we don't press the keys or buttons we come across in our daily lives we remain static or just get plain stuck!

And then when you do press or tap them we hope for best to get the expected result to enable us to progress and get what we wanted.

You can't escape it! We are surrounded by keys and buttons! You've just got to keep on pressing those buttons to get on to the next stage.

Calculators, mobile phones, tablets, computer key pads are some of the modern devices which are crammed with buttons and keys, some displaying symbols or words, staring at us and inviting us to press or tap away blindly.

I am often reminded of our dependency on the growing number of electronic devices and gadgets which provide more and more information that help us along at the touch of a button or swipe of a screen.

I came to the conclusion recently that if you want something you can get it more or less at the press of a button or key.

I was reminded recently of the press button world we live in when I sat in my car and was immediately faced with an array of buttons and keys on the dashboard, on the steering wheel and at other various vantage points.

Naively, I became fully aware of some buttons that I may never need to use but could always become advantageous in the future.

Obviously I realised that without pressing some of them in the right sequence I would not be able to start the car and proceed on my journey.

But buttons and keys are all around us and pressing them is a means quite often of progressing to the next stage to make vital decisions in our daily lives.

But I recently discovered how problems can arise by pressing the wrong buttons or keys. An elderly relative regularly telephones me for help with her television remote control and is confused when trying to remember the need to press the right keys in the right order.

I was able to help to some extent by programming her favourite four channels so that the only buttons she has to press were the off/on and up and down keys.

I also recollect a while ago entering a lift on the ground floor of a 20 floor high rise building and in a hurry pressing the button for the 16th floor instead of the desired 10th floor.

Upon reaching the 16th floor I pressed the appropriate key only to find that someone else has beaten me to it and had pressed the button for the fifth floor. I eventually got to my required destination but quite late after an up and down lift ride.

I have also found that pressing the wrong keys or buttons can be quite problematic which can require a number of steps to correct the situation.

When I recently visited my local bank to withdraw money from the cash machine I incorrectly keyed in my pin number not just once but three times which meant that my pin became locked.

To unlock my pin I had to resort to using the pin services provided but at some banks the plastic card can be retained by the cash machine.

Having rectified my pin problems at the bank I proceeded to cross the road but before doing so had to press the traffic light button to ensure a safe crossing.

I then proceeded to the local coffee bar to purchase a coffee and various items but not before having to key in the order on the menu board. I received my order and proceeded to use my lap top to key in an email to a friend.

I became very much aware that from the time I had entered the bank, withdrawn money from the cash machine, crossed the road, ordered items at the coffee bar and then sat down to key in an email, that I had pressed so many keys and buttons and would have made no progress at all without doing so.

I have often taken for granted the number of buttons I need to press in the correct order when I use my household appliances.

To be on the safe side I have written in the correct order the buttons or keys to press for each appliance as to remember the key sequences for appliances such as the microwave oven, the main oven, the washing machine, the dishwasher can be quite a task.

This is particularly true for people living with memory problems.

I often look at my electronic calculator and marvel at the number of keys and their functions and how it is possible to obtain so many solutions by just pressing buttons in the right sequence.

But during my work in mathematics I often reminded students to take the utmost care when pressing buttons and to first of all work out a rough answer for their calculation in case they press the wrong buttons.

I believe that care should also be taken when using the computer keyboard and I am reminded of the many times I have pressed the 'delete' button instead of the 'save' button with drastic consequences.

Perhaps we should bear in mind that when we press buttons and keys we always expect the required or favourable outcome but things can go wrong if we press the wrong buttons or press them in the incorrect order.