Do numbers fascinate you? Is solving complex mathematical problems an easy task for you? Are you interested in making a career in applied mathematics? Then this article will prove very useful to you. Here you will find all the important details that you need to know about various career options in applied mathematics.
What is Applied Mathematics?
You can easily make out from the name that applied mathematics is the application of various mathematical theorems in different fields of life. Mathematics is combined with other subjects like science, business, computer science, engineering, and industry and applied in various places. Mathematicians work on different complex mathematical models by applying the theorems related to the subject. This helps them in solving various problems related to different fields.
Research on pure mathematics has brought in many applications of it. These applications are then used by the mathematicians in solving complex equations. The application of mathematical theories in other disciplines is not a very easy task. A lot of practice combines with profound knowledge in the subject is highly required. Along with the knowledge of theory it is also important you gain practical knowledge as that will take you ahead in your career.
What do you need to learn to make a career in Applied Mathematics?
A BS degree in applied mathematics is the basic educational qualification needed for anyone who wants to pursue a successful career in applied mathematics. In a BS program, you will be helped to form a strong base in mathematics. Apart from that other advanced topics like modeling, partial differential equations, computational mathematics, calculus, and operations research will also be taught.
Students will get to learn all the complexities of discrete mathematics and design neutral networks. They will also be provided detailed knowledge on developing web search algorithms. This will help the students in solving various intricate problems related to traffic jams, inflation, climate change, underground water pollution, etc.
After completing your BS degree, you can go for higher studies like a Masters Degree and Ph.D. You can choose areas like Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or Applied Mathematics to pursue your Ph.D. Degree. Many students also prefer going to a research program on the subject to solve more complex problems that still need to be addressed.
Various problems an Applied Mathematician needs to work on
The main task of an Applied Mathematician is to solve complex problems. No matter what career option you are pursuing, you will have to tackle complex problems and solve them. Some of the very common problems that an Applied Mathematician has to solve in his everyday life are mentioned below:
- Designing execution plans for a clinical trial where knowledge of statistics and design of experiments is required
- Reducing the cost of the maintenance and parking of aircraft and suggesting the best solutions for operations to increase profit
- Predicting climate change and dealing with various alterations related to various components of the ecosystem
- Suggesting the best alternative to fossil fuel that might control pollution and optimizing the use of biofuels for cost-effectiveness
- Helping pharmaceutical companies in conducting proper research on various drugs
- Planning the testing programs of newly-built aircraft to check their safety standards and efficiency
- Researching various impacts of social media
- Drafting the controlling process of an epidemic disease
- Chalking out the model for the spreading and controlling of forest fires
- Designing robots
- Analyzing the risks related to investments of a business organization
- Finding out effective ways to maximize the profit of a finance company
- Guiding the designing procedure of chips for computers in the most affordable manner
- Improving the ratings of e-commerce systems and helping them keep a track of the earlier purchases of the customers
- Calculating the possible rise of coastal sea level in the future years
Fields Applied Mathematicians find a place in
Finance and Economics
The knowledge of applied mathematics is widely used in this field. Mathematics related to various theories of finance is developed by combining quantitative techniques and computational models. These are called financial mathematics which finds a huge number of applications in the financial industry.
All the banks, insurance companies, investment firms, utility firms, multinational corporations, regulatory bodies of the government, and all other industries employ applied mathematicians. The mathematicians will have to use the knowledge of financial mathematics and solve complex problems related to finance in the organization.
Intricate models of mathematics and computational methods are required to be used here. The correct implementation method of these techniques is also a key requirement for making accurate financial decisions.
The mathematicians will have to analyze the risk that may threaten any investment and manage them efficiently. They will have to decide the price of the securities and also manage the portfolio of clients. The profit and loss of an organization mostly depend on the capabilities of the applied mathematicians in taking financial decisions.
Systems Biology
Biology does not involve mainstream use of mathematics. But still, in this field the application of various mathematical and computational methods are employed. The countable parts of life are highly accounted using applied mathematics. Here mathematical theorems are used to represent the biological systems accurately and thus it can also be named as mathematical biology.
Mathematical biology is used extensively in carrying out various researches on biological elements. The mathematicians need to create mathematical models using various equations and formulas. These mathematical models help in predicting the behavior and population of several species and how they change with time.
The models developed help the scientists in evaluating numerical records that are collected in the research. They also provide adequate information about the pattern of the changes that take place in living organisms with respect to time and climatic conditions.
Data Mining
Data mining involves a lot of data which needs to be sorted according to the required pattern. This sorting of data would not be possible if the proper implementation of mathematics could not be done. Intricate linear algebra is used to sort data and find the hidden patterns out of them.
Mathematicians have also developed matrix factorization algorithms that can be applied in solving various problems that occur while parsing large sets of data. Several techniques of factorization are also implemented to solve problems related to complicated data. The output yielded by the factorization technique applied help in determining the relationships in data like groups, communities, and hierarchies.
Several algorithms are developed to solve the symmetric square matrices that often appear with data but are not easy to handle. There are also mathematical theorems developed for addressing the nonsymmetrical square matrices. In short, data mining is impossible with the proper application of mathematics.
Civil Engineering
Almost all forms of mathematics are applied by the civil engineers in their whole career and so they need to have their base very strong in the subject. They swear by algebra in their day to day works. Differential equations, calculus, and statistics are widely used by each and every civil engineer. Raw materials that are used for various constructions are also selected with the proper implementation of mathematics.
Trigonometry is used for surveying any form of structures as the various angles and elevations could not be estimated otherwise. While the project is in its planning phase, statistics and accountancy are applied to check its feasibility. For evaluating the project’s financial portion, it is only mathematics that acts as the last resort for these civil engineers. Investments and returns are counted accordingly based on the feasibility of a particular construction.
Mechanical Engineering
It is a known fact that mechanical engineers deal with various form of machines. But they would be clueless about any machine’s functionality if they would lack knowledge on the basics of mathematics. Any mechanical engineer should have a very strong foundation in mathematics to apply various theorems accurately. This will increase their efficiency and save time in solving complex problems related to machines.
Any mechanical engineering study curriculum includes an extensive amount of mathematics. A mechanical engineer has to use mathematics along with his ability to solving critical problems. This will help him in repairing old machines and developing new ones. Mathematics will enlighten them in various ways like how the machine can be made more efficient, how their cost can be reduced, etc.
Mechanical engineers also use mathematics in designing the hardware of the machines. The measurements of different parts of a machine cannot be determined if correct equations are not applied.
Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear engineers have to use various formulas of mathematics in different courses of their work. In their engineering college, they are taught various forms of mathematics which find a huge amount of application in their practical jobs. Mathematics like college algebra, trigonometry, geometry, algebra, differential equations, integrations, linear algebra, and statistics are taught to those students who are pursuing nuclear engineering.
All types of jobs related to nuclear engineering demand the use of mathematics in the most appropriate way. Theorems and formulas are used for coding various computer programs. In areas of instrumentation and operation, mathematical algorithms are implied. For transferring heat, fluids, neutron, and other nuclear elements safely, mathematical formulas are widely applied by nuclear engineers.
Astronomy
Physics is the branch of science that is highly used in various projects related to astronomy. But that does not eliminate the use of mathematics in this field by any means. Various observations related to astronomy are calculated and evaluated using mathematics. The theorems and formulas applied in astronomy are termed as astronomical mathematics.
A very basic example of the application of mathematics in astronomy is viewing the celestial bodies in the sky using a telescope. The telescope is adjusted to capture those heavenly bodies applying various equalities of mathematics. And the observations that are recorded are also evaluated using mathematics.
Exponential equations and logarithms are widely used in solving large and complex problems involved in astronomy. These models of mathematics help in solving problems extremely fast and accuracy can also be achieved. Formulas are also used to calculate the weight, dimensions, distance, and other factors that are related to the heavenly bodies residing in the universe.
Pharmaceutical Industry
Each and every medicine is prepared after combining certain components in the accurate proportion. And without the proper application of mathematics, finding the appropriate proportion of each and every component would be impossible. The mathematics used in the pharmaceutical industry is termed as pharmaceutical mathematics.
Students studying pharmacy are taught to distribute medicines correctly. They should be well-learned in measurements, fractions, decimals, ratios, and conversions. Here mathematical formulas are integrated into chemical equations and that gives birth to various useful medicines.
Several types of algebraic equations are involved in analyzing the correct raw material that should be used for preparing any medicine. Conversion plays a very important role in this field as metric measurements are needed to convert into traditional ones very often.
Market Research Analysis
A Market Research Analyst has to work with statistical data extensively. He has to analyze the pricing, sales, and profits constantly and for this he needs to have a good knowledge of mathematics. Trigonometry, geometry, algebra, statistics, calculus, and mathematics related to economics are very much important in this field.
For analyzing the data related to sales the analysts have to apply mathematics. Various formulas are used to compare the growth in the sales of a particular company along with predicting those that are awaiting the future. Market distribution is also based on mathematical equations and formulas.
This article enlightens all those areas that you need to reflect on if you are planning to pursue a career in applied mathematics. Hope you find the information relevant.
Author Bio:
The author of this article is Faith Hamilton. He is currently pursuing his higher studies in Mathematics from the University of California. Faith is also a research assistant in Mathematics at the same university. He has been working with a high school for the past three years and helps students online in completing their mathematics assignments.