&#62;<i>And there's the rub. Having studied math in grad school, I'd say at least 99% of mathematics research has little or no connection to anything tangible in the real world.</i><p>I'd be surprised if it were that high a percentage. But, I'd agree with your statement with one alteration: "yet".<p>I find your last para quite persuasive but if you compare it to how you might consider your own knowledge of cardio-pulmonary chemical processes to be irrelevant to your need to and ability to breathe then I think a Googlers argument that maths is irrelevant to them still wins.