Brian Schmidt is a Nobel laureate and Australian National University professor. He delivered a compelling speech at the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute forum in Canberra on Tuesday 7 February. Here are some of the main points he raised; “Everyone in Australia – and I mean everyone – needs to be mathematically literate, or numerate as […]
In 2009, Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google and emeritus professor at the University of California, predicted, “I keep saying the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians…The ability to take data – to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualise it, to communicate […]
Mathematics contributes in many ways to the process of converting wind power into usable energy. For example, mathematical weather models are used to find suitable locations for wind farms, while other models specify how to place individual turbines within a farm. Finally, Mathematics (through the use of fluid dynamics) describes air flow and drag around […]
Earlier this week, Mathematician Terry Speed was declared the overall winner of the $300,000 Australian Prime Minister’s Prize. Mr Speed’s statistical expertise has been used in several high-profile court cases, including that of O.J.Simpson in the USA. Part of this Court Case work involved calculating the odds of a chance DNA match, verses a real match […]
The most common question students ask their Mathematics teachers at every level is “When will I use math?” WeUseMath.org is a non-profit website that helps to answer this question. This website describes the importance of mathematics and many rewarding career opportunities available to students who study mathematics.
Click on the following quote to access an excellent summary pdf of career options involving Mathematics. Has a USA focus but lots of practical examples. “My advice to mathematics students is to develop both a breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding of fundamental areas of mathematics. Do your best to take courses from other […]
Wasn’t Toy Story 3 the coolest family film of the year? According to When Will I Use Math? an Animator uses linear algebra to show the way that an object is rotated and shifted and made larger and smaller. As well as prized jobs at Disney and Pixar, animators can work in computer and console game development, […]
