Mathematics is known as the language of the universe and its applications in academia are endless. Anything from computer science to quantum mechanics utilizes the operations and processes of mathematics. The major forces behind the expansion of mathematics are contributed to the large accessibility of computers and the exponential increase in the collection and creation of data (National Research Council, 2013). This has resulted in dependence on models, simulations, and code in modern science and technology. The language of math allows discoveries and expansions on existing ideas. Without math, science as we know it would cease to exist.
There are many examples of the dependent relationship between science and math throughout history. Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz are both credited with the independent discovery of a branch of mathematics known as calculus (Edwards, 2012). However, Newton was also knowledgeable in the field of physics and astronomy, more specifically mechanics, motion, and gravity (Westfall, 2021). He is well known for his formulation of equations pertaining to universal gravitation and the three laws of motion in 1687 (Anon, 2017; Rodriguez, 2020). He noticed that as an object fell, its speed increased; at the time there was no explanation for this “rate of change” (Anon, 2017). It was Newton’s invention of calculus in 1676 that pushed him to formulate the fundamental physics derivations based on those calculus rates of change.
Physics is not the only scientific discipline whose development relied on mathematics. Logarithms were invented in 1614, by a Scottish mathematician by the name of John Napier (Murray, 2018). These logs were then used in 1909 to derive the pH scale (Petrucci et al., 2017). This was done by a Danish biochemist named Søren Sørensen, who termed pH as the “potential of hydrogen” since acids release hydrogen atoms when in solution. Sørensen used the logarithms developed by Napier to formulate the scale; he expressed the pH of an acid to be the negative log of its H+ ion concentration (Petrucci et al., 2017; Murray, 2018). Up until this time, there was no numerical method to express how acidic or basic a solution was. The pH scale built the foundation for other acid-base calculations and began to characterize acids and bases themselves; without mathematical logarithms, this would not have been possible.
Without a basic comprehension of mathematics, it would be nearly impossible for scientists to further their understanding and research in almost every discipline. Math forms the platform on which new ideas are formulated and proven. You could say math is the independent variable and scientific calculation is the dependent variable in a function defining both math and science!
References
Anon, 2017. How Isaac Newton Changed the World with the Invention of Calculus. [online] Math and Science.com. Available at: <https://www.mathtutordvd.com/public/How-Isaac-Newton-Changed-the-World-with-the-Invention-of-Calculus.cfm> [Accessed 22 Jan. 2021].
Edwards, C.H.J., 1979. The Historical Development of the Calculus. [e-book] Springer Science & Business Media. Available through: Google Books <https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Historical_Development_of_the_Calcul.html?id=D2SWE_iZjYsC&redir_esc=y> [Accessed 22 Jan. 2021].
Murray, F.J., 2018. logarithm | Rules, Examples, & Formulas. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/science/logarithm> [Accessed 26 Jan. 2021].
National Research Council, 2013. The Mathematical Sciences in 2025. [online] Washington DC: The National Academies Press. Available at: <https://www.nap.edu/read/15269/chapter/5> [Accessed 22 Jan. 2021].
Petrucci, R.H., Herring, F.G., Madura, J.D. and Bissonnette, C., 2017. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. 11th ed. New York, NY: Pearson.
Rodriguez, E., 2020. Newton’s laws of motion. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/science/Newtons-laws-of-motion> [Accessed 23 Jan. 2021].
Westfall, R.S., 2021. Isaac Newton English physicist and mathematician. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isaac-Newton> [Accessed 22 Jan. 2021].
Comments
11 Responses to “The Language of the Universe”
Hello everyone,
My inspiration for this post came from a overlap between a math an physics lecture. The physics lecture was on rotational motion and the moment of inertia. At first, I had no idea what was being written out in front of me, but as soon as I realized that it had to do with antiderivatives, it made much more sense. We had just had a lecture on integrals and antiderivatives a few hours earlier and I could already see an example of its relevance in physics. This made learning about integrals in math even more useful.
I hope you enjoy it!
-Aunika
Hello Aunika,
Great blog post! It was really fun to learn a bit more about some interesting scientific advancements, their history, and the mathematics involved. I especially love the use of the quote to start off the blog post.
I have a couple of suggestions for your post:
1. In the last sentence of your fourth paragraph, I think “began” should be used instead of “begun”. Normally “begun” would need another verb in front of it to be grammatically correct.
2. I would also suggest splitting the last sentence of your fourth paragraph into two. For example, you might say “The pH scale then built the foundation for other acid-base calculations and began to be used to characterize acids and bases themselves. This would not have been possible without mathematical logarithms.” Also consider changing “define” to “characterize” in this sentence as I think it might be closer to what you mean.
3. In your second last sentence, I think “…platform on which…” is more correct than “…platform to which…”
4. Also for the fourth paragraph, consider double-checking that you have included in-text citations for every sentence that you have borrowed ideas from other sources from. In general, it is also better to avoid websites or online encyclopedias when possible. McMaster gives us access to a variety of online databases that might be helpful, including those focused on history and other subjects.
Overall, I think that you have presented your blog post in a very unique way and pulled together ideas from different disciplines well. Happy editing!
Cheers,
Shannon
Hello Shannon,
I have made all the changes you suggested and thank you for catching some problems with my wording. As for the sources, I replied to Jonathan’s comment explaining the reason behind my sources.
Thank you,
-Aunika
Hi Aunika,
Great post, I love that you gave specific examples of how math can be used in other disciplines. One thing you could consider is including equations relating to each example you mention in your post. I think it would be beneficial if you could find specifically what “the work Newton performed in calculus in 1676” was that helped him explain rate of change.
Another note I have is that you could maybe rearrange the section on chemistry and arithmetic to go in a chronological order to give it a better flow. Prehaps mention John Napier’s idea of logarithms and then proceed to say how Sørensen was able to use that information to derive the pH scale.
I can’t wait to read your final edits!
Maia
Hello Maia,
The “work” that Newton did in calculus was simply creating calculus; I will alter that sentence to make more sense. I also like your idea about rearranging the chemistry section.
Thanks,
-Aunika
Hi Aunika,
This was a really cool topic! I just have a few suggestions for you.
1. I believe you need to cite your quote from Galilei. I would recommend looking at the Anglia Ruskin Harvard citation style to see how this is done.
2. I would recommend removing the headings from your post to improve flow. If you do this, make sure you include an introductory sentence for the paragraphs.
3. I also agree with Shannon, try to find papers rather than websites. And make sure you include more in-text citations.
I look forward to reading your final version, happy editing!
Mya
Hello Mya,
I have removed the headings and explained above to Jonathan why I could not find sources. As well, I removed the quote. I have used in text citations where ever I used information from a source. If there were multiple sentences in a row from the same source after the first in-text citation, those sentences did not have an in-text citation (it is assumed they are from the same source until the next in-text citation). I have asked Professor Symons about this and she said that was appropriate.
Thank you,
-Aunika
Hi Aunika,
This is a really cool blog post, and certainly something that is quite relevant for iSci. I just have a few suggestions for you.
– Your start is a bit repetitive, I don’t think you need the quote and your first sentence.
– I would suggest taking out the headers and instead try to make your paragraphs flow into one another. This would make it feel more like a scientific blog post.
– Try to add a figure to help engage readers more.
– Be careful with the sources you pick, generally peer-reviewed papers are better than websites like Brittanica.
Happy editing,
Jonathan
Hello Jonathan,
I can see how the start of my post is repetitive, I will take out the quote. As well, I like your suggestion about taking out the headings, I wasn’t sure about those. I don’t think adding a figure is necessary since the only point I am trying to get across to the reader is that math and science are heavily connected and I am not sure a figure could help anymore with this. As for the sources, I searched the McMaster Database, Google Scholar, and just Google, but those websites seemed to be the only ones I could find pertaining to what I was looking to discuss.
Thank you,
-Aunika
Hello,
This is an interesting blog post! I thought the ending was cute. I have a few suggestions for the editing process:
– I think the subtitles were an interesting touch but I have never seen this in a blog post before, and they make it seem slightly choppy.
– I would also expand the two examples that you mention in the first paragraph, they seem rather “mathy” to me so it might be better to demonstrate that you can use math for things that you would not expect.
– I would add the tiny paragraph at the beginning into the one above it, just because it is quite smaller than the rest of your paragraphs.
– Typically, we don’t use anonymous sources so I would see if you could find a source with an author for that information.
– Lastly, it would be nice if you could find a bit more connection between your paragraphs as they seem rather unrelated right now.
Good post and happy editing!
Ariana
Hello Ariana,
I have taken out the subtitles, and I do think it is a good idea to add the small paragraph to the one above it. The idea of the post was more to say that science needs math to develop rather than math is used for things you wouldn’t expect. As for the sources, I have replied to similar comments above.
Thank you,
-Aunika