GE 4:

Mathematics in the
Modern World

Module 2:
Mathematics
in our World
(Part 2)

Prepared by:
ROTCH GERTRUDE B. BAGOLBOL
Faculty, Institute of Arts and Sciences
Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this week, the students are expected to:

• Argue about the nature of mathematics, what it is, how it is expressed,
represented and used;
• Discuss the role of mathematics in some disciplines;
• Express appreciation for mathematics as human endeavor.

Preliminary Activity: (Answer This)

Cite the mathematical application that you commonly do in each of the following
stations and state your appreciation.
Application and Appreciation for
Stations
Mathematics
1. Market
2. Jeepney / tricycle
3. Church
4. Club meeting
5. Clinic
6. Court
7. Laboratory
8. Birthday party
9. Watching games
10. Police station

Content:

“Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” – Albert Einstein

Importance of Mathematics in Life

According to Katie Kim (2015), mathematics is a subject that makes students either
jump for joy or rip their hair out (it’s mostly the latter). However, mathematics is inescapable
as you become an adult in the real world. From calculating complicated algorithms to counting
down the days till the next Game of Thrones episode, math is versatile and important, no
matter how hard it is to admit. Before you decide to doze off in math class, consider this list of
reasons why learning math is important to you and the world.

1. Restaurant tipping

After you have finished eating at a restaurant, it is common courtesy to pay your waiter
a generous tip. You need to have the most basic math skills to calculate how much a
15% or 20% tip would be. Tipping your waiter shows your appreciation for his service
and ultimately benefits the restaurant, too.
2. Netflix film viewing

Let’s say you have approximately one hour until you have to leave to go somewhere
important, like your job or your grandmother’s birthday party. You really want to fit a
couple of Netflix episodes before you leave, but you don’t know how many will you be
able to watch. You need math to figure that out. For example, an episode of Friends
on Netflix is about 20 minutes… so you would be able to fit 3 episodes in that hour. As
simple as it is, math just made your hour 100 times better.

3. Calculating bills

If you aren’t already, we will all be home-owners and car-owners one day. With
ownership comes the major responsibility of staying on top of mandatory payments
like taxes, mortgage and insurance. Math is required to calculate these payments and
subtract them from your savings.

4. Computing test scores

It is towards the end of May, and for all high school students, the school year is coming
to an end very soon. That also means final report cards will be coming out. In order to
finish with an A in that tough class, you need to know what to get on the next test to
keep your average up. You need math to calculate that test score (and maybe even
ace the test) to know what your final grade can be.

5. Tracking career

Math is needed for almost every single profession in the world. If you want to be a
CEO, a real estate agent, a biologist, or even a rocket scientist, it is without a doubt
that numbers will be utilized. Basically, you will never be able to escape math and you
might as well accept it and have fun learning it while your career does not depend on
it.

6. Doing exercise

Getting in shape and staying fit means achieving your health goals. Maybe you want
to meet a personal goal by the end of the month. You need math to know how many
more reps to curl, or how many seconds to cut off your mile time, or how many more
pounds to lose to achieve that goal.

7. Handling money

Another aspect of growing into a young adult is opening and managing a bank account.
It is important to be accurate in math to care for your precious savings, making sure
there are no mistakes.

8. Making countdowns

For many, this will be the most important reason on this list to know math so you can
countdown the days until school is over and summer starts.
 9. Baking and cooking

Baking and cooking are hobbies enjoyed by many. In order to prevent unexpected
results, you have to know the difference between a quarter of a cup from a quarter of
a teaspoon. Baking + cooking = fractions = math.

10. Surfing internet

Ultimately, without math, how could you be reading this article online at the exact
moment? How would you be able to tweet to your friends or post an Instagram from
last night? We have math to thank for establishing technology and the social media
that consumes our lives.

Nature of Mathematics

It is important to further discuss the nature of mathematics, what it is, how it is

expressed, represented and used.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990),

mathematics relies on both logic and creativity, and it is pursued both for a variety of practical
purposes and for its intrinsic interest. For some people, and not only professional
mathematicians, the essence of mathematics lies in its beauty and intellectual challenge.

1. Patterns and Relationships

Mathematics is the science of patterns and relationships. As a theoretical discipline,

mathematics explores the possible relationships among abstractions without concern
for whether those abstractions have counterparts in the real world. The abstractions
can be anything from strings of numbers to geometric figures to set equations.

2. Mathematics, Science and Technology

Mathematics is abstract. Its function goes along well with Science and Technology.
Because of its abstractness, mathematics is universal in a sense that other fields of
human thought are not. It finds useful applications in business, industry, music,
historical scholarship, politics, sports, medicine, agriculture, engineering, and the
social and natural sciences.

3. Mathematical Inquiry

Normally, people are confronted with problems. In order to live at peace, these
problems must be solved. Using mathematics to express ideas or to solve problems
involves at least three phases: (1) representing some aspects of things abstractly, (2)
manipulating the abstractions by rules of logic to find new relationships between them,
and (3) seeing whether the new relationships say something useful about the original
things.
 4. Abstraction and Symbolic Representation

Mathematical thinking often begins with the process of abstraction – that is, noticing a
similarity between two or more objects or events. Aspects that they have in common,
whether concrete or hypothetical, can be represented by symbols such as numbers,
letters, and other marks, diagrams, geometrical constructions, or even words. Whole
numbers are abstractions that represent the size of sets of things and events or order
of things within a set. The circle as a concept is an abstraction derived from human
faces, flowers, wheels, or spreading ripples; the letter A may be an abstraction for the
surface area of object of any shape, for the acceleration of all moving objects, or for all
moving objects, or for all objects having some specified property; the symbol +
represents addition, whether one is adding apples or oranges, hours, or miles per hour.
Abstractions are made not only from concrete objects or processes; they can also be
made from other abstractions, such as kinds of numbers (the even numbers, for
instance).

5. Manipulating Mathematical Statements

After abstractions have been made and symbolic representations of them have been
selected, those symbols can be combined and recombined in various ways according
to precisely defined rules. Typically, strings of symbols are combined into statements
that express ideas or propositions. For example, the symbol A for the area of any
square maybe used with the symbol s for the length of the square’s side to form the
proposition A = s2. This equation specifies how the area is related to the side – and
also implies that it depends on nothing else.

6. Application

Mathematical processes can lead to a kind of a model thing, from which insights can
be gained about the thing itself. Any mathematical relationships arrived at by
manipulating abstract statements may or may not convey something truthful about the
thing being modeled.

For example, if 2 cups of water are added to 3 cups of water and the abstract
mathematical operation 2 + 3 = 5 is used to calculate the total, the correct answer is 5
cups of water. However, if 2 cups of sugar added to 3 cups of hot tea and the same
operation is used, 5 is an incorrect answer, for such an addition actually results in only
slightly more that 4 cups of very sweet tea.

Sometimes common sense is enough to enable one to decide whether the results of
the mathematics are appropriate.

The Role of Mathematics in Some Disciplines

Mathematics is offered in any college course. It is found in every curriculum because

its theories and applications are needed in any workplace. That’s why students can’t stay away
from attending math classes. There has to be mathematics in the real world. This subject
always brings life to any person or professional. Every second of the day needs mathematical
knowledge and skills to perform academic activities and office routines. If ordinary people have
to use math, then much more for students to know and master it so they will succeed in class
in the school.

As posted by Angel Rathbanai (2014), mathematics is not only number work or

computation, but it’s more about forming generalization, seeing relationships, and developing
logical thinking and reasoning.
Here are some main disciplines in which the role of mathematics is widely accepted:

1. Mathematics in Physical Sciences

In physics, every rule and principle take the mathematical form ultimately. Mathematics
gives a final shape to the rules of physics. It presents them in a workable form.
Mathematical calculations occur every at step in physics.

The units of measurements are employed to substances in physics as frequently as in

mathematics. The Chare’s law of expansion of gases is based upon mathematical
calculations. Graduation of the stem of thermometer and then the conversion of scales
is also a mathematical work. The concept is involved in Fluid, Dynamics,
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Physical Oceanography.

2. Mathematics in Chemistry

Math is extremely important in physical chemistry especially in advanced topics such

as quantum or statistical mechanics. Quantum relies heavily on group theory and linear
algebra requires knowledge of mathematical/physical topics such as Hilbert and
Hamilton operators. Statistical mechanics relies heavily on probability theory. Other
fields of chemistry also use a significant amount of math. For example, most modern
IR and NMR spectroscopy machines use the Fourier transform to obtain spectra. Even
biochemistry has important topics which rely heavily on math, such as binding theory
and kinetics.

3. Mathematics in Biological Sciences

Biomathematics is a rich fertile field with open, challenging and fascination problems
in the areas of mathematical genetics, mathematical ecology, mathematical neuron-
physiology, development of computer software for special biological and medical
problems, mathematical theory of epidemics, use of mathematical programming and
reliability theory in biosciences and mathematical problems in biomechanics,
bioengineering and bioelectronics.

4. Mathematics in Engineering and Technology

The use of mathematics in engineering is very well known. It is considered to be the

foundation of engineering. Engineering deals with surveying, levelling, designing,
estimating, construction, etc., in all these processes, application of mathematics is very
important. By the application of geometric principles to design and constructions, the
durability of things constructed can be increased. With this help, results can be often
be verified in engineering.

Mathematics has played an important role in the development of development of

mechanical, civil, aeronautical and chemical engineering through its contributions to
 mechanics of rigid bodies, hydro-dynamics, aero-dynamics, heat transfer, lubrication,
turbulence, elasticity, and others.

5. Mathematics and Agriculture

Agriculture as a science depends extensively on mathematics. It needs a direct

application of mathematics, such as measurement of land or area, average investment
and expenditure, average return or income, production per unit area, cost of labor, time
and work, seed rate etc. Progress of the farm can be judged by drawing graphs of
different items of production.

6. Mathematics and Economics

The level of mathematical literacy required for personal and social activities is
continually increasing. Mastery of the fundamental processes is necessary for clear
thinking. The social sciences are also beginning to draw heavily upon mathematics.
Mathematical language and methods are used frequently in describing economic
phenomena. According to Marshall – “The direct application of mathematical reasoning
to the discovery of economic truths has recently rendered great services in the hand
of master mathematicians.” Another important subject for economics is Game Theory.
The whole economic situation is regarded as a game between consumers, distributors
and producers, each group trying to optimize its profit.

7. Mathematics and Psychology

The great educationist Herbart said, “It is not only possible, but necessary that
mathematics be applied to psychology.” Now, experimental psychology has become
highly mathematical due to its concern with such factor as intelligence quotient,
standard deviation, mean, median, mode, correlation coefficients and probable errors.
Statistical analysis is the only reliable method of attacking social and psychological
phenomena. Until mathematicians entered into the field of psychology, it was nothing
but a flight of imagination.

8. Mathematics and Actuarial Science, Insurance and Finance

Actuaries use mathematics and statistics to make financial sense of the future. For
example, if an organization embarks on a large project, an actuary may analyze the
project, assess the financial risk involved, model the future financial outcomes and
advise the organization on the decisions to be made. Much of their work is on pensions,
ensuring funds stay solvent long into the future, when current workers have retired.
They also work in insurance, setting premiums to match liabilities, areas of finance,
from banking and trading on the stock market, to producing economic forecasts and
making government policy.

9. Mathematics and Archeology

Archeologists use a variety of mathematical and statistical techniques to present the

data from archeological surveys and try to distinguish patterns in their results that shed
light on past human behavior. Statistical measures are used during excavation to
monitor which pits are most successful and decide on further excavation. Finds are
analyzed using statistical and numerical methods to spot patterns in the way the
 archeological record changes over time, and geographically within a site and across
the country. Archeologists also use statistics to test the reliability of their interpretation.

10. Mathematics and Logic

D’ Alembert says, “Geometry is a practical logic, because in it, rules of reasoning are
applied in the simplest and sensible manner.” Pascal says, “Logic has borrowed the
rules of geometry; the method of avoiding error is sought by everyone. The logicians
profess to lead the way, the geometers alone reach it, and aside from their science
there is no true demonstration.” C.J. Keyser – “Symbolic logic is mathematics;
mathematics is symbolic logic.” The symbols and methods used in the investigation of
the foundation of mathematics can be transferred to the study of logic. They help in
the development and formulation of logical laws.

11. Mathematics in Music

Leibnitz, the great mathematician said, - “Music is a hidden exercise in arithmetic of a

mind unconscious of dealing with numbers.” Pythagoras said – “Where harmony is,
there are numbers.” Calculations are the root of all sorts of advancement in different
disciplines. The rhythm that we find in all music notes is the result of innumerable
permutations and combinations of SAPTSWAR. Music theorists often use
mathematics to understand musical structure and communicate new ways of hearing
music. This has led to musical applications of set theory, abstract algebra, and number
theory. Music scholars have also used mathematics to understand musical scales, and
some composers have incorporated the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci numbers into their
works.

12. Mathematics in Arts

“Mathematics and art are just two different languages that can be used to express the
same ideas.” It is considered that the universe is written in the language of
mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures. The
old Goethe Architecture was based on geometry. Even the Egyptian Pyramids, the
greatest feat of human architecture and engineering, was based on mathematics.
Artists who strive and seek to study nature must therefore first fully understand
mathematics. Appreciation of rhythm, proportion, balance and symmetry postulates a
mathematical mind.

13. Mathematics in Philosophy

The function of mathematics in the development of philosophical thought has been

very aptly put by the great educationist Herbart, in his words, “The real finisher of our
education is Philosophy, but it is the office of mathematics to ward off the dangers of
philosophy.” Mathematics occupies a central place between natural and philosophy
and mental philosophy. It was in their search of distinction between fact and fiction that
Plato and other thinkers came under the influence of mathematics.
14. Mathematics in Social Networks

Graph theory, text analysis, multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis, and a
variety of special models are some mathematical techniques used in analyzing data
on a variety of social networks.

15. Mathematics in Political Science

In mathematical political science, we analyze past election results to see changes in

voting patterns and the influence of various factors on voting behavior, on switching of
votes among political parties and mathematical models for conflict resolution. Here we
make use of Game Theory.

16. Mathematics in Linguistics

The concepts of structure and transformation are as important for linguistic as they are
for mathematics. Development of machine languages and comparison with natural and
artificial language require a high degree of mathematical ability. Information theory,
mathematical biology, mathematical psychology etc. are all needed in the study of
Linguistics. Mathematics has had a great influence on research in literature. In deciding
whether a given poem or essay could have been written by a particular poet or author,
we can compare all the characteristics of the given composition with the characteristics
of the poet or other works of the author with the help of the computer.

17. Mathematics in Management

Mathematics in management is a great challenge to imaginative minds. It is not meant

for the routine thinkers. Different mathematical models are being used to discuss
management problems of hospitals, public health, pollution, educational planning and
administration and similar other problems of social decisions. In order to apply
mathematics to management, one must know the mathematical techniques and the
conditions under which these techniques are applicable.

18. Mathematics in Computers

An important area of applications of mathematics is in the development of formal

mathematical theories related to the development of computer science. Now most
applications of mathematics to science and technology today are via computers. The
foundation of computer science is based only on mathematics. It includes logic,
relations, functions, basic set theory, countability and counting arguments, proof
techniques, mathematical induction, graph theory, combinatory, discrete probability,
recursion, recurrence relations, and number theory, computer-oriented numerical
analysis, operation research techniques, modern management techniques like
simulation, Monte Carlo program, evaluation research technique, critical path method,
Development of New Computer Languages, study of Artificial Intelligence,
Development of Automata Theory etc. Cryptography is the practice and study of hiding
information. In modern times, cryptography is considered a branch of both
mathematics and computer science and is affiliated closely with information theory,
computer security and engineering. It is the mathematics behind cryptography that has
enabled the e-commerce revolution and information age. Pattern recognition is
 concerned with training computers to recognize pattern in noisy and complex situations,
e.g., in recognizing signatures on bank cheques, in remote sensing etc.

19. Mathematics in Geography

Geography is nothing but a scientific and mathematical description of our earth in its
universe. The dimensions and magnitude of earth, its situation and position in the
universe the formation of days and nights, lunar and solar eclipses, latitude and
longitude, maximum and minimum rainfall etc. are some of the numerous learning
areas of geography which need the application of mathematics. The surveying
instruments in geography have to be mathematically accurate. There are changes in
ecology which have to be mathematically determined, in order to exercise desirable
control over them.

Indeed, mathematics exists everywhere in any program, course, or subject. It is

something that we can never do away with. It is always a part of human endeavor.
Mathematics is universal.

Appreciating Mathematics as a Human Endeavor

In order to appreciate mathematics much better, every person should have the
thorough understanding of the discipline as a human endeavor. Mathematics brings impact to
the life a learner, worker, or an ordinary man in society. The influences of mathematics affect
anyone for a lifetime. Mathematics works in the life of all professionals.

Mathematics is appreciated as human endeavor because all professionals and

ordinary people apply its theories and concepts in the office, laboratory and marketplace.
According to Mark Karadimos (2018), the following professions use mathematics in their scope
and field of work:

1. Accountants assist businesses by working on their taxes and planning for upcoming
years. They work with tax codes and forms, use formulas for calculating interest, and
spend a considerable amount of energy organizing paperwork.

2. Agriculturists determine the proper amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, and water to

produce bountiful amounts of foods. They must be familiar with chemistry and mixture
problems.

3. Architects design buildings for structural integrity and beauty. They must know how
to calculate loads for finding acceptable materials in design which involve calculus.

4. Biologists study nature to act in concert with it since we are very closely tied to nature.
They use proportions to count animals as well as use statistics/probability.

5. Chemists find ways to use chemicals to assist people in purifying water, dealing with
waste management, researching superconductors, analyzing crime scenes, making
food products and in working with biologists to study the human body.
6. Computer Programmers create complicated set of instructions called
programs/software to help use computers to solve problems. They must have a strong
sense of logic and have critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

7. Engineers (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial, Material) build

products/structures/systems like automobiles, buildings, computers, machines, and
planes, to name just a few examples. They cannot escape the frequent use of variety
of calculus. Geologists use mathematical models to find oil and study earthquakes.

8. Lawyers argue cases using complicated lines of reason. That skill is nurtured by high
level math courses. They also spend a lot of time researching cases, which means
learning relevant codes, laws and ordinances. Building cases demands a strong sense
of language with specific emphasis on hypotheses and conclusions.

9. Managers maintain schedules, regulate worker performance, and analyze productivity.

10. Medical Doctors must understand the dynamic systems of the human body. They
research illnesses, carefully administer the proper amounts of medicine, read
charts/tables, and organize their workload and manage the duties nurses and
technicians.

11. Meteorologists forecast the weather for agriculturists, pilots, vacationers and those
who are marine-dependent. They read maps, work with computer models, and
understand the mathematical laws of physics.

12. Military Personnel carry out a variety of tasks ranging from aircraft maintenance to
following detailed procedures. Tacticians utilize a branch of mathematics called linear
programming.

13. Nurses carry out detailed instructions doctors given them. They adjust intravenous
drip rates, take vitals, dispense medicine, and even assist in operations.

14. Politicians help solve the social problems of our time by making complicated decisions
within the confines of the law, public opinion, and (hopefully) budgetary restraints.

15. Salespeople typically work on commission and operate under a buy low, sell high
profit model. Their job requires good interpersonal skills and the ability to estimate
basic math problems without the need of paper/pencil.

16. Technicians repair and maintain the technical gadgets we depend on like computers,
televisions, DVDs, cars, refrigerators. They always read measuring devices, referring
to manuals and diagnosing system problems.

17. Tradesmen (carpenters, electricians, mechanics and plumbers) estimate job costs
and use technical math skills specific to their field. They deal with slopes, areas,
volumes, distances and must have an excellent foundation in math.
Summary:

Mathematics can be a great aid in all our activities in the world and deserves huge
appreciation and therefore everyone realizes the following:
1. Mathematics helps organize patterns and regularities.
2. Mathematics helps predict the behavior of nature and phenomena in the world.
3. Mathematics helps control nature and occurrences in the world for our own
ends.
4. Mathematics has numerous applications in the world making it indispensable.

Assessment: (Answer this)

From the ten (10) reasons why mathematics is important, state five (5) additional
reasons with clear description of application. State disadvantage if a person does not know
and understand mathematics.
REASONS SETBACKS

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.