Reflection

Did this project change the way I think about how math can be applied to the real world? In a way, it did. I previously thought that math was like a foreign language. I figured that if I could learn the terminology, and plug it into what I already know about speaking in general, I could successfully communicate within the mathematical community. Now that Ive learned how to do this project, I see math as more of a tool that can be used for so much more than communication. I can have concrete answers to concepts that were mysteries to me before. But, I can use those concrete answers to more specifically communicate ideas. So, that brings me back around to my original theory. I guess that instead of being another language, math can help me to communicate more accurately. Before I learned these concepts, I would have said, The plane goes to a certain height, then arcs back down. For 10 to 20 seconds along the highest part of its arc, zero gravity is achieved. Now, I would say: The plane arcs from 23,645 feet to a summit of 34,046 feet, then arcs back down at slope that matches the same slope that it ascended. Zero gravity is a condition that occurs within a range of between 29-39 seconds into the flight to 2444 seconds into the flight. I can communicate information that is much more specific, and it can help to create a more vivid picture.