Michael has a Bachelor's in Environmental Chemistry and Integrative Science. He has extensive experience in working with college academic support services as an instructor of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.
Math is necessary to the operation and progression of much that we hold dear as a society. We not only use it to solve problems in academia, in problems in physical and natural sciences, social science, and philosophy, but we also use math in real-world problems in fields such as engineering, applied chemistry, and biology.
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Furthermore, we see math applied in industry--such as construction and business--as well as in day-to-day life, e.g. in home economics, from sewing to cooking. In fact, math is so integral to our society that it even permeates our culture, whether deliberate or not, into that which we deem art.
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We see math applied in many areas of academics, from physical and natural sciences to the social sciences and philosophy.
Whether we are looking at the study of genetics in biology or quantum theory in physics, we see math as necessary to further our understanding of the subject matter. We might use calculus to model rates of change in the movement of sub-atomic particles. We might use statistics to further our understanding of DNA sequencing. In terms of academic articles, we only need to peruse them to see that math is implemented in the scientific process through hypotheses, general theory, experimentation, and conclusions. In other words, our very arguments are based in mathematics.
Again, as with the hard sciences, statistics and probability are often essential in making coherent and empirical arguments in academia. Often, statistical analysis is applied for empirical results, as seen in psychological and sociological experiments containing control and test groups with multiple possible hypothetical outcomes (for example, as seen in the Chi-Squared Test, which is used to model degrees of freedom or relevance of data). We see logic applied in areas of philosophy. More specifically, we might see propositional logic used to form an argument or to prove or disprove a current argument.
In probably no other field, aside from physical science, is math as necessary as it is in engineering. For instance, we see math applied in civil engineering and mechanical engineering through statics and dynamics, i.e., the study of structural and material integrity in building and design. We may see advanced linear algebra or matrices applied in computer engineering through software development and programming.
In industry, such as construction and business, application of math is also unavoidable. Starting with architecture, geometric concepts, such as the Pythagorean Theorem and other concepts involving side/angle relationships, are used in the creation of structures. Trigonometric concepts may be applied as well when building more complex structures, as seen in architecture. Regarding business, we might see exponential, power or logarithmic functions applied to compounding interest or reducing balance loans. We may see statistics applied in the calculation and interpretation of data like seasonal indices.
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Math is so very important to our society that we find its use not only in academia, hard and soft sciences, and in applied sciences and industry, but in everyday life.
If you've taken a home economics course, covering topics like sewing and cooking, you can see math's consistent application. We may need to calculate the length of thread needed to make a stitch or the surface area before obtaining fabric. In cooking, for instance, we may need to convert between units of liters and gallons or we may just need to find how many quarts, pints, or cups are in a gallon.
It cannot be debated how integral math is to our society, as we have inserted math or math has inserted itself (depending on how we look at it) into that which we deem art or that which we simply deem beautiful. For instance, we can see how M.C. Escher applies fractals to his tessellations, or patterns, in his work.
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Likewise, the Fibonacci sequence or the Golden ratio permeates the work of da Vinci and other Renaissance artists. An interesting note is that the Fibonacci sequence can also be seen in nature when looking at something as simple as a seashell. We attribute this ratio to what we collectively view as aesthetically pleasing.
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We see that math is so important to us as a culture or society that we use and perceive it, not only in art, but in nature itself. We use math as a means of progressing through science and industry. We also use it in academia as a means of not only intellectualizing problems or concepts, but also for sharpening our skills for future problem-solving in the real world, such as in problems in applied physical science and biology. Math is integrated into construction and into principles in business. We even apply math on a day-to-day basis in domestic tasks such as cooking.
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MTLE Mathematics: Practice & Study Guide54 chapters | 515 lessons | 20 flashcard sets
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