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Math Central - mathcentral.uregina.ca
Math Beyond School
math beyond school

Articles suitable for students from grades 10 to 12:

 

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Accident Reconstruction
Specialist use complex formulas and advanced mathematics to find out the series of events leading up to, during, and after a traffic accident. Their opinions and findings are used as influential evidence in court.
Airlines and Linear Programming
Airlines use linear programming to maximize profits on ticket sales, organize pilot schedules, and to make money!
The art of Hamid Naderi Yeganeh
Hamid Naderi Yeganeh is a student of mathematics at University of Qom in Iran. He likes to create beautiful images by basic mathematical concepts.
Carbon 14 Dating
Carbon 14 Dating is an example of how specialists use exponential decay to find dates of death for various organic organisms.
CAT Scans
CAT scans use tomography, which is the detailed imaging of sections, to find a more in depth, three-dimensional view of an internal organ, most commonly the brain.
The Challenger Rocket
The devastating explosion of the Challenger rocket in 1986 led to an important investigation to understand the cause of the failure. Probability aids in explaining the malfunction of the shuttle.
Chemotherapy Drug Combinations
The Cross Cancer Institute (Edmonton, AB) wanted to optimize chemotherapy treatments to help block cancerous proteins from proliferating throughout a patient’s system. Specifically, they are looking to provide the best possible combination of chemotherapy drugs to block cancers from proliferating – by knowing the optimal combinations, we can reduce the amount of drugs the patient needs to take, which in turn should reduce the side effects that they experience.
Chess
The game of chess has many mathematical applications, other than the obvious concepts of problem solving and logic.
Construction and Design
Architects, engineers, design professionals, and everyday people use math in construction and design. Math can be seen in architecture and design through symmetry, frieze patterns, bridges, and construction problems that are encountered by people everyday.
Earthquakes and Math
Earthquake scientists (seismologists) use circle geometry to locate the epicenter of a quake and logarithms to classify its severity using the Richter scale.
Epicenter of an Earthquake
The epicenter of an earthquake is located by using circle geometry and special devices called seismometers.
Expected Value of an Outcome
Expected value is an estimate of how much a player can expect to win or lose when placing the same bet over and over again.
Exponential Decay
Exponential Decay describes a rapid decrease. Exponential decay can be seen in a variety of places, including radiocarbon dating and the decay of dangerous chemicals.
Gambling and the Odds
Mathematics explains why casinos and lotteries make money. Math also enables players to make bets based on probability and numbers.
Games of Strategy
The strategy behind particular games, such as chess, sudoku, or mancala, can be mathematically analyzed as Combinatorial Game Theory.
The Global Positioning System and Circles
The Global Positioning System is based on common mathematical equations of distance and speed. Trilateration enables GPS receivers to find the latitude, longitude, and altitude of a receiver, anywhere on the earth.
IPSW
PIMS article
Knowledgeable Gambling: Independent vs Dependent Events
Math allows players to make knowledgeable bets when playing games of dependent events, such as Poker or Blackjack. Independent events remind gamblers that there is no guarantee of winning.
Linear Programming
Linear Programming is using linear equations and inequations to maximize profits and minimize costs. Linear Programming is an important part of operations research.
Lithotripsy - A Medical Application of the Ellipse
Lithotripsy is the process of fragmenting painful kidney stones. The lithotripter is successful because of the reflective property of an ellipsoid.
 

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