• Question: How does science and mathematics apply to your everyday tasks?

    Asked by 795canj26 to Chris, Gina, Jack, Laura, Tom, Yetty on 9 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Yetunde Kolawole

      Yetunde Kolawole answered on 9 Jun 2017:

      Hi 795canj26,

      Physics and Mathematics are very important to my work. Everyday I write equations and work with angles. For example, when I need to calculate how fast a system will be , I write equations . So It’s important to take those subjects seriously if you want to study my kind of engineering- Telecommunications.

      Yetty

    • Photo: Tom Rooney

      Tom Rooney answered on 9 Jun 2017:

      oh yes!
      Google “least squares matrices” or “Fast Fourier Transforms”, our systems use these all the time and the maths will blow your mind! Luckily we have computers to do the number crunching these days, but I still do the occasional Pythagoras or algebra by hand.

    • Photo: Christopher Bullock

      Christopher Bullock answered on 10 Jun 2017:

      Mathematics and physics are really important to every type of engineering. I think that what separates a mechanical engineer from a car mechanic, for instance, is the scientific understanding of how things work. For example, if a car breaks down because of the build-up of gunk in the cylinders of its engine, an engineer working for the car company might use mathematical modelling to understand how the fuel and air is moving inside the cylinder and then use that information to design a new type of cylinder so that the problem never happens again. A mechanic would think about how to replace the part that was broken.

      I think in may case with biomedical engineering, I probably have to be a bit more of a scientific all-rounder as I find myself doing a lot of chemistry and biology on a daily basis as well.

    • Photo: Laura Walker

      Laura Walker answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      Hi, I have a piece on my desk with the most common equations i use. most of them are to calculate the current draw’s of a system – this uses a mixture of Ohm’s law with other equations (i.e trigonometry) in some cases. Or working out frequesncy’s of inverters using the max fan speeds. Sometimes you have to make your own equations.

    • Photo: Jack Irwin

      Jack Irwin answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      Measuring forces and distances and tensions and times and speeds and numbers and significant figures. Maths is everywhere.

      “1 and 1 makes 2 its destiny” Tenacious D

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