>> I don't think I had any ideas one what was going on until it was mentioned in physics several years later.
This is where kids with an engineer parent have an advantage. Such a parent can offer examples of how some of the math is used in the real world. Once relevance is established it's OK to point out that this stuff is often buried in software but someone had to put that math into code form so we can all benefit from it. "You may never use it, but you use tools that use it under the hood" can be motivating when they're wondering if it's all just weird busy work.
This is where kids with an engineer parent have an advantage. Such a parent can offer examples of how some of the math is used in the real world. Once relevance is established it's OK to point out that this stuff is often buried in software but someone had to put that math into code form so we can all benefit from it. "You may never use it, but you use tools that use it under the hood" can be motivating when they're wondering if it's all just weird busy work.