Gallegos

Stephanie Gallegos

Cesar Melo

MATH 1210

04/22/2021

Signature Assignment: Reflection

Mathematics is used more often than most people would assume. In fact, that is how

math and sciences are in general. They are all interconnected and have dependencies on one

another. Though, there is a reason math is considered its own subject separate from sciences and

that is because all sciences rely on math to solve problems. Sciences seek to understand aspects

of a specific phenomena and is based on empirical observations, while math seeks to use logic to

understand and prove relationships between objects and quantities in an undefined phenomenon.

The theorems discovered in math are then applied to the sciences to aid them in understanding

relationships in a defined phenomenon.

One science that is frequently used in calculus to apply theorems is physics. In physics

we are often looking at how things change over time. We use derivatives to understand the

relationships between the position, velocity, and acceleration of a particle. The velocity is the

derivative of the position with respect to time. The acceleration is the derivative of the velocity

with respect to time.

There is an immense number of applications for derivatives such as calculating profit and

loss, determining the speed or distance covered by a vehicle, the rate of change of chemical

reactions. To say calculus is useful is an understatement – it is necessary for our lifestyles,

achievements, and goals as a society. We could not have made it to the moon without calculus.

One could easily make the argument that calculus is one of human’s greatest discoveries.
 Gallegos

To add to the long list of real-world applications of calculus, the field of study I have

chosen utilizes it as well. I am a computer science major with an emphasis in software

development. The computer science class I am presently taking, Data Structures and Algorithms,

briefly talks about how calculus is used to determine the efficiency of the programs we design. I

find this so fascinating and hope that I can one day understand it more in-depth. As of now, we

are only learning the algorithms that have already been designed and calculated.

Knowing that calculus is applicable to a plethora of real-world problems makes me feel

very privileged to have the opportunity to learn it. In the process of learning calculus, I feel that I

have mastered the skills I learned in algebra and trigonometry. Of course, I have learned new

topics such as derivatives and limits. It is just necessary to use trigonometry and Algebra so

solve apply calculus theorems. Thus, I have developed a foundational understanding of calculus

topics and mastered the skills I learned in trigonometry and algebra. I am excited to learn much

more.