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3 Uses of Mathematics

We have witnessed in the preceding lesson how mathematics is evident in the natural world
- specifically in how the patterns that we observe in nature follow logical and mathematical
structures. It is therefore of great importance that you students learn mathematical concepts
and procedures and apply them in solving our problems, from our individual concerns to
matters that affect the rest of the world.

Mathematics for organization

So many events happen all around us. In the blink of an eye, several children have already
been born, so many liters of water have been consumed, or several thousand of tweets have
been posted. For us to make sense of all of these
data, we need mathematical tools to help us
make sound analysis and better decisions. A
particular store could gather data on the
shopping patterns of their customers and adjust
their prices or product placements to help drive
sales. Scientists could plot bird migration routes
to help endangered animal populations. Social media analysts could crunch all the online
postings using software to gauge the netizens’ sentiments on particular issues or personalities.

Mathematics for prediction

It is sometimes said that history repeats itself.
As much as we can use mathematical model
using existing data to generate analysis and
interpretations, we can also use them to make
predictions. Applying the concepts of
probability, mathematics could calculate the
chances of an event occurring. The weather is
a prime example. Based on historical patterns,
meteorologists could make relatively
accurate forecasts to help prepare us for our day-to-day activities, or warn us of weather
systems that could affect entire populations for weeks or months. Astronomers could also use
these regular patterns to predict the occurrence of meteor showers or eclipses. In 2017,
announcements were made regarding when heavenly phenomena such as the Draconid Meteor

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Shower and “The Great American Eclipse” would occur and where would be the best places to
view them.
Mathematics for control
We have demonstrated by means of examples around us the patterns are definitely present
in the universe. There seems to be an underlying mathematical structure in the way that natural
object and phenomenon behave. While photographers could capture a single moment through a
snapshot, filmmaker could record events live as they unfold, painters and sculptors could create
masterpieces in interpreting their surroundings, poets could use beautiful words to describe an
object, and songwriters could capture and reproduce sounds that they hear, these observations
of nature as well as their interactions and relationships could be more elegantly described by
means of mathematical equations. As stated by astrophysicist Brian Greene, “With a few symbols
on a page, you can describe a wealth of physical phenomena.”
It is interesting then to ponder on how mathematics, an invention of the human mind, seems
to permeate the innate laws that hold the universe together. There have been instances when
natural phenomenon have been predicted to exist because the mathematics says it, but have
proven after many years when advancements in technology have allowed us to expand our
horizons and view a little more into the abyss.
Though the use of mathematics, man is also able to exert control over himself and the effects
of nature. The ongoing threat of climate change and global warming has been the subject of
much debate over the years. It is believed that unless man changes his behavior, patterns are
said to indicate that sea levels could rise to catastrophic levels as the polar caps melt due to the
increase in global temperature, fueled by deforestation and the release of pollutants into the
atmosphere. To ensure that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are kept at levels
that would not interfere with the climate system, the United Nations Framework Conventions
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed in 1992 and has 97 parties as of December 2015.

Mathematics is indispensable.

How it is possible that mathematics, a product of human thought that is

independent of experience, fits so excellently the objects of reality?
- Albert Einstein

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 Republic of the Philippines
SOUTHERN LEYTE STATE UNIVERSITY – TOMAS OPPUS
San Isidro, Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte

ACTIVITY IN THE USES OF MATHEMATICS

Name: __________________________________________________ Date: _______________________

Course & Section: _________________________ Score: _________________
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General Instructions:
a. Write all your answers in a clean sheet of bond paper.
b. Take a picture of your answer and send it through messenger.
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Discuss briefly the mathematics present or used in each of the following aspects of human life.
1. Information and Communication
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2. Banking and Commerce
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3. Physical Beauty
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4. Transportation
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5. Family Planning
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