The Important Role of Mathematicians in Society

1649 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about significance of mathematics in society

The Important Role of Mathematicians in Society
Thesis Statement
This report will focus on the professional field of mathematicians. It will highlight some of the history, responsibilities, opportunities, and requirements of this occupation.

Outline
I. Introduction
A. A condensed history of mathematics
B. Famous mathematicians and their accomplishments
II. Body
A. Opportunities for mathematicians
B. Education and training
C. Requirements
D. Earnings
III. Conclusion
A. Good mathematicians are problem solvers

Mathematicians: Making numerous contributions
A mathematician is described as someone who uses logic or theory to solve problems. Mathematicians and their craft have been making milestones in history ever since the Neanderthal man became homo - sapiens and began communicating, with the use of speech.
The first period of time in the history of mathematics is known as the Chinese / Egyptian / Babylonian Period. This era starts in 50,000 B.C., and reaches to 601 B.C. During this primitive age, man used notches in bones, and clay tokens for counting. Sundials were used as a method of telling time and keeping track of the days. The most infamous mathematician from this time was Ahmes of papyrus. Ahmes was the author of the Egyptian scribe “The Rhind papyrus”; it is one of the oldest mathematical documents in existence.
The Greek Period (600B.C. – 499 A.D.) took mathematics far beyond the realm of counting and measuring time. The Greeks brought a variety of great minds to life, including Thales of Miletus, Archimedes, Apollonius, Euclid, and Democritus. They began using logic to explore new mathematical concepts. Pythagoras of Samos was one of the foremost logical minds of this age. He is the inventor of abstract mathematics, and the founder of the “Pythagoras Theorem”. This theorem is still used today, in modern geometric equations
The Hindu / Arabian Period (500A.D. – 1199A.D.), gave us Aryabhata the Elder and Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khowarizmi. Al-Khowarizmi wrote a very important Egyptian book titled “Al-jabr” His book helped to advance the study of algebra, and is re...

... middle of paper ...

... salary for a government mathematician is $62,000; for mathematical statisticians, $65,660
In conclusion, “Good mathematicians do not rush in to apply a formula or an equation. Instead, they try to understand the problem situation; they consider alternative representations and relations among variables. Only when satisfied that they understand the situation and all the variables in a qualitative way do they start to apply the quantification.”

Bibliography
 Mathematics its power and utility Sixth Edition Karl J Smith
 Math & Mathematics The history of Math Discoveries around the World
 Vol. 1&2 Leonard C. Bruno
 Career Discovery Encyclopedia Volume 5 Ferguson Publishing company
 Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance- Eleventh Edition VOL. 1 & 3 Ferguson Publishing Company
&#61656; A History of Mathematics –Midair MacCormaic <http://ai.eecsumich.edu/people/charles/research/math_history.html

Show More
Related

  • Greek Influences on Western Civilization

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    Geometry, a cornerstone in modern civilization, also had its beginnings in Ancient Greece. Euclid, a mathematician, formed many geometric proofs and theories [Document 5]. He also came to one of the most significant discoveries of math, Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle.

    Read More

  • The Nile River's Impact On Ancient Egypt

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Nile River helped shape Ancient Egypt into the civilization we know of today. There were a lot of contributing factors that the Nile had on Egypt. For example, the Nile allowed for transportation between the surrounding cities. The Nile River could be navigated all year long, and this was a way that the cities could communicate. Egypt is located in Northeastern Africa and has the Libyan and Arabian deserts surrounding the river. Without the river, Egypt would have remained a desert and not been transformed into the civilization that we know it as. The Nile River was truly considered “the gift of Egypt” because the Nile economically, socially, and spiritually provided support for Egypt; without the Nile, Egypt would have remained a desert

    Read More

  • The History of Mathematics in Africa

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    Due to archeological evidence we know that the African people were the first people in the world to use counting to keep track of their things, or time. Around 35,000 BC, in South Africa the earliest known tally stick was made, and was left in Lebombo Cave. 29 notches were cut into the stick. We don't know exactly what they were counting. Some people think they were counting the days from one moon phase to the next, but it could have been something else. Just as well. Now, what we do see is that by 35,000 BC people in South Africa had the idea of keeping records by making marks. “The Lebombo bone is a baboon fibula with a set of 29 notches carved in it. Archeologists believe these marks are evidence of a primitive calendar, measuring either the lunar or the menstrual calendar. This artifact is incredibly important for unders...

    Read More

  • The Role of Science, Ethics, and Faith in Modern Philosophy

    3618 Words  | 8 Pages

    Wigner, Eugene P. 1960. The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics 13: 1-14.

    Read More

  • Archimedes

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Archimedes (287BC-212BC) was truly one of the greatest mathematical minds of all time. The discoveries and inventions of Archimedes formed the basis of many of the fundamental concepts of modern physics and mathematics.

    Read More

  • Bernoulli Essay

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    Born in the Netherlands, Daniel Bernoulli was one of the most well-known Bernoulli mathematicians. He contributed plenty to mathematics and advanced it, ahead of its time. His father, Johann, made him study medicine at first, as there was little money in mathematics, but eventually, Johann gave in and tutored Daniel in mathematics. Johann treated his son’s desire to lea...

    Read More

  • Essay About Problem Solving Problems In Mathematics

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    To the students, the result of this study can help them be aware of their own difficulties and serve as their guide to have a better result in solving mathematical problems.

    Read More

  • Statement Of Purpose In Computer Science

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am a person who has always had a profound passion and fascination for areas requiring an analytical approach. Right from early days at school, Mathematics has intrigued me. The most challenging of all problems were my favorites and obtaining solutions to them would leave me with a sheer feeling of ecstasy. I always did and always would thrive on solving the most challenging problems. With a compelling desire to excel, hard work became my second nature. My aspiration for a technical career prompted me to take up one of the most coveted undergraduate program in Computer Engineering at SR Engineering College, the best of such institutions. My own systematic & methodical towards finding a solution to any problem best suits this field.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Bakery

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is the heart of the company. The backstage is out of the eye of the audience, and is where the controlling, planning, advising, outlining, and creation occur (Fisk, Grove, John, 2014, p. 26). This is a place where employees don’t have to act, and are able to collect themselves and prepare for the frontstage. The backstage of Oak Mill Bakery is where the creation of the desserts is completed. The orders are place onto the calendar and the bakers are busy creating the regular desserts for the front counter, as well as the desserts that they have on order. The bakery must have been busy or incompetent when I had called to place my order, since it was not actually placed. The bakery needs to have an organized way of making sure the orders get placed to make sure that their customers walk out happy and satisfied. They should also have a back-up-plan for instances like I had experienced. Though you cannot cover every specific possible problem in a company, you can have a general mediation that satisfies both sides.

    Read More

  • The Role Of The Architect

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The role of the architect is a question that evokes a spectrum of answers from Norman Foster’s definition; ‘Architect is an expression of values… the way we build is a reflection of the way we live.’ [Foster, cited in Tholl, 2014: Online] This debate of who and what an architect should be and do is not a recent one to emerge but has lead many architects and designers as far back as Vitruvius [15BC] to produce documentation on what they believed to be the make-up of an architect. In Vitruvius’ ‘The Ten Books On Architecture’ he quickly establishes two fragments that make an architect, the manual skill and the theory and scholarship.

    Read More

  • The Development of the Concept of Irrational Numbers

    1403 Words  | 3 Pages

    Burton, D. (2011). The History of Mathematics: An Introduction. (Seventh Ed.) New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

    Read More

  • Egyptian Mathematics

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    The foundations of mathematics are strongly rooted in the history and way of life of the Egyptian people, dating back to the fourth millennium B.C. in Egypt. Egyptian mathematics was elementary. It was generally arrived at by trial and error as a way to obtain desired results. As such, early Egyptian mathematics were primarily arithmetic, with an emphasis on measurement, surveying, and calculation in geometry. The development of arithmetic and geometry grew out of the need to develop land and agriculture and engage in business and trade. Over time, historians have discovered records of such transactions in the form of Egyptian carvings known as hieroglyphs.

    Read More

  • Role Of Mathematics, Science And Technology In Modern Life

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    This means that math work with numbers, symbols, geometric shapes, etc. One could say that nearly all human activities have some sort of relationship with mathematics. These links may be evident, as in the case of engineering, or be less noticeable, as in medicine or music. You can divide mathematics in different areas or fields of study. In this sense we can speak of arithmetic (the study of numbers), algebra (the study of structures), geometry (the study of the segments and figures) and statistics (data analysis collected), between

    Read More

  • The History of Math

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    The history of math has become an important study, from ancient to modern times it has been fundamental to advances in science, engineering, and philosophy. Mathematics started with counting. In Babylonia mathematics developed from 2000B.C. A place value notation system had evolved over a lengthy time with a number base of 60. Number problems were studied from at least 1700B.C. Systems of linear equations were studied in the context of solving number problems.

    Read More

  • The Nature of Mathematics

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The abstractions can be anything from strings of numbers to geometric figures to sets of equations. In deriving, for instance, an expression for the change in the surface area of any regular solid as its volume approaches zero, mathematicians have no interest in any correspondence between geometric solids and physical objects in the real world. A central line of investigation in theoretical mathematics is identifying in each field of study a small set of basic ideas and rules from which all other interesting ideas and rules in that field can be logically deduced. Mathematicians are particularly pleased when previously unrelated parts of mathematics are found to be derivable from one another, or from some more general theory. Part of the sense of beauty that many people have perceived in mathematics lies not in finding the greatest richness or complexity but on the contrary, in finding the greatest economy and simplicity of representation and proof.

    Read More

More about The Important Role of Mathematicians in Society

Open Document