“Mathematics Organizes, Predicts and Controls”

By Helenah Gracia Ingcog

According to William Paul Thorston, “Mathematics is not about numbers,

equations, computations or algorithms; it is about understanding.” How is math essential
to our way of life and the environment? How can we readily foresee and manage
anything or a phenomenon with simply calculations? How can math protect us from
harm and rescue the environment? As I read Stewart's book Nature's Walk and the
additional materials I had discovered. Stewart claims that mathematics is useful for
giving scientists the instruments they need to grasp what nature is doing and for posing
fresh theoretical problems for mathematicians to go deeper into. Thus, the existence of
both pure mathematics, concepts that have their roots in real-world problems and
applied mathematics, the application of mathematical methods by various fields such as
physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and
industry. Additionally, there are concrete proofs that shows how math may improve our
quality of life and make the planet safer. In this synthesis, we will understand the
connections between mathematics and the patterns and regularities in the world in
which we live, how it can forecast behavior and phenomena to protect our safety and
health, and how it can regulate the world's natural processes and occurrences for the
benefit of all living and nonliving things.

When it comes to organizing patterns and regularities in the world, mathematics

plays a key role. According to Stewart, the reason humans continue to notice patterns
everywhere is because nature uses every pattern that it can find. Nature uses patterns,
shapes, and possibilities rather than the numbers that we humans employ to express or
characterize these patterns. The regular patterns or "rhythms" created by animals
scuttling, walking, flying, and swimming are just a few examples of the many patterns
that nature displays. Other examples include the sixfold symmetry of snowflakes, the
stripes on tigers and zebras, the spiral of a snail's shell, the reason why nearly all
flowers have petals arranged in one of the following numbers: 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, and
89. Therefore, without mathematics, none of these beautiful things that we see every
day or from time to time would be organized, feasible or accessible as they do. The
numbers we considered patterns should be nurtured through the patterns and
regularities we see and hear in our environment by not taking each for granted.
Besides such idea is the behavior of nature and global phenomena that can be
predicted with the use of mathematics. In addition to performing analyses, mathematics
can also forecast how various systems will function, including the aerodynamics that
keep airplanes in the air, the quantity of fertilizer needed to increase crop yields, and the
intricate calculations that keep communications satellites in orbit around the earth which
supports our internet and mobile phone networks. Based on a presentation from Prezi
website, although it is practically hard to predict the scale, location, and timing of natural
hazards, we can foresee disasters like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, wildfires, and landslides with the use of mathematics. With the aid of
mathematical tools, mathematics contributes to the development of models that reflect
what we can measure and observe in the actual world, such as Doppler radar, satellite
data, radiosondes, automated surface observing systems, supercomputers, and AWIPS
(Advanced Weather Information Processing System). Now that we can predict things
like hazards and disasters, we may use mathematics to prepare for what is about to
happen and to keep ourselves safe and healthy.
On the other hand, nature and global events can be influenced by mathematics
to serve our purposes. Stewart spoke on the constant of change; according to his book,
Newton's fundamental discovery was that natural changes may be accounted for by
mathematical procedures. Calculus was developed by Newton to assist in formulating
solutions for moving bodies. Because of its two fundamental operations, integration and
differentiation, that is determined from a single force, mass, or acceleration.
Differentiation is a method for determining rates of change, and integration is a method
for 'undoing' the effects of differentiation to focus on the beginning variables.
Additionally, according to a website, Asia Society, algebra can explain how rapidly water
becomes contaminated and how many individuals who consume that water in a third-
world nation might get sick every year. The science behind all the world's architecture
may be explained through a study of geometry. The number of people killed in
earthquakes, wars, and other global tragedies can be estimated using statistics and
probability. It can also forecast financial success, the spread of ideas, and the potential
repopulation of once-endangered species of animals. As a result, we cannot use
mathematics to control anything for our own ends without also being able to predict it. It
functions as a control mechanism to prevent something from getting worse and thereby
ensuring our safety and health.

We, students have a better understanding of global issues by studying

mathematics. Mathematical concepts aid us in developing global competency, which
includes the ability to communicate effectively and act appropriately while
understanding various viewpoints and global realities. Recognizing the value of other
cultures' contributions like learning about number systems with roots in different
cultures, such as the base-20 Mayan and base-60 Babylonian systems is a part of
understanding the world. Therefore, to understand the world, we need to understand
mathematics. Through mathematics, we can develop mathematical models that reflect
the complexity and interconnectedness of global situations and events, problem-solving
techniques, and explanations of how to apply a particular mathematical concept in a
broad context using the appropriate mathematical tools. More importantly, after
experiencing COVID19 and major disasters, math people will be able to use facts to
supportable findings and employ mathematical knowledge and abilities to make real-life
effect. Math is an effective tool for health, communication, innovation and understanding
across cultures. We may use it to make sense of the world and resolve challenging
situations. We can get a new perspective on the standard material by rethinking
arithmetic in a global context, which increases the relevance and significance of the
math itself. Thus, we should always keep this quote in mind by Betrand Russel,
“Mathematics rightly viewed, possesses not only truth but supreme beauty. ”