Applications of Mathematics

Predicting the Weather

Mathematics and supercomputers can help predict one of the most complex systems on planet Earth.

MRI and Tomography

Advanced mathematical techniques allow us to reconstruct three-dimensional images for solid objects like your head.

Internet and Phones

The internet consists of millions of conneted computers and devices. We need mathematics to navigate this network!

Epidemics Analysis

Equations can help us predict how the outbreak of a new disease might spread over time, and evaluate different responses.

Maps of the Earth

How can we represent the spherical surface of the Earth on a flat, two-dimensional map?

Reading CDs and DVDs

Mathematics can fill in the gaps caused by scratches and dust on the surface of CDs or DVDs.

Glacier Melting

Mathematical models can predict how quickly glaciers are melting.

Public Key Cryptography

Whenever you send an email or use a credit card online, prime numbers help you keep your information safe.

Satellite Navigation

Codes and Communication

Sending digital messages relies on different fields of mathematics to ensure transmission without interference.

Building Bridges

Engineers need mathematics to construct stable bridges that can withstand wind, as well as vibrations caused by driving or walking.

Digital Music

Mathematical codes allow the waveforms of sounds and music to be converted into numbers that can be stored on digital devices.

Cosmology

Can mathematics help us understand the origin and future of the universe?

Gambling and Betting

How do you calculate the probability of winning games with cards or dice, or determine the best strategy?

Breaking the Enigma

Wars often force advances in technology. World War II is no exception. The need to encode and decode messages lead to one of the first computers.

Search Engines

Search engines like Google are built using enormous matrices.

Finance and Banking

Computers

Supply Chains

Every day millions of containers boxes letters and parcels are transported around the world. A logistical task impossible without mathematics.

Construction

How can we build skyscrapers that can withstand storms and even earthquakes?

Automotive Design

From the shape of the body to the engine, the materials to the colors, math touched nearly everything in car design.

Neurology

Navigation

Navigation tools have changed throughout history, but they have always depended on math.

Speech Recognition

Probability drives the technology behind speech-to-text

Robotics

Football Scoring

Volcano Monitoring

When will a volcano erupt?

Lottery

Roller Coaster Design

Roller coasters are math in motion.

Public Transportation

Operations research studies, among other thing, the logistical elements of scheduling, vehicle capacity, and routes.

Crowd Control

How are crowds like water? Large groups of people move and interact in much the same way as fluids.

Insurance

Space Observations

Computer Games

Carbon Dating

Carbon dating tells us the age of formerly living things.

Computer Circuits

Making Music

Movie Graphics

Computer-generated imagery uses a combination of 3D coordinates and complex numbers to create the illusion of reality.

Defence and Military

Traffic Optimisation

Rockets and Satellites

Artificial Intelligence

Crime Prediction

Mathematical modelling can identify crime hot spots.

Search for Alien Life

What do prime numbers have to do with finding alien life?

Fraud Detection

How can math help financial institutions detect fraud?

Data Analysis

Wildfire Modelling

Tectonic Plate Motion

Data analysis can open our eyes to things we cannot see directly like the Earth's core.

Microwaves

Microwaves cook food at the molecular level.

Image Compression

Pharmacy and Medicine

Swimsuit Design

Pricing Strategies

We think of prices as fixed values outside our control. But, is there a way consumers can change the price of a good?

Polling and Voting

Music Shuffling

Game Theory

Population Dynamics

Coral Reef Growth

Coral reefs are declining. Mathematical modeling can give us clues about why.

Erosion and Coastlines

Sea level rise continues to affect erosion of coastlines around the world.

Plastic Surgery

Diffusion of Liquids

Measuring Time

Cooking and Baking

Surveying

Loans and Interest

Skate Park Design