• Question: How has maths helped you with your job?

    Asked by anon-196308 to Sebastian, Paddy, Lee, Jennifer, Fiona, Eleanor on 12 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Lee Steinberg

      Lee Steinberg answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      I use mathematics every day in my job. From doing simple calculations, to writing down equations, to trying to understand results. In my view, it is important to understand the explanation of experiments, and often that requires being able to do some maths!

      People are often scared of maths in school – the only cure is to practice, and try to understand the logic behind what you’ve learnt.

    • Photo: Fiona Scott

      Fiona Scott answered on 12 Mar 2019: last edited 12 Mar 2019 10:16 am

      Yes, I use maths all the time! I use maths to calculate how much of each chemical reagent I need and how much product I should expect to get. When I scale reactions up I multiply the conditions I used before by a factor. We express how well a reaction has worked by calculating a % yield out of 100 and I need to be able to add up quickly in my head how much the total volume of chemicals is in my reaction flask so I choose pieces of glassware in the lab that are big enough to transfer them too. Basic arithmetic a lot of the time. I have an electronic lab book which does most of those calculations for me but I like to double check because sometimes there’s a bug and it gets it wrong!

      I also do a little bit of computational chemistry which calculates lots of angles between chemical bonds and works out how much energy is required to hold the atoms in that particular arrangement but that is all done for me on a computer!

    • Photo: Sebastian Cosgrove

      Sebastian Cosgrove answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      Maths is the language of science! I think it is important at school because even if you don’t think that working out different equations and things seems like something you might use in the real world, it teaches you to think in an analytical and critical way. Being able to solve problems is essential not only in science, but in every walk of life! Being good at maths will only help you get better at problem solving!

    • Photo: Jennifer Harris

      Jennifer Harris answered on 14 Mar 2019:

      Maths has helped the research I did during my Masters and PhD, as I would do data analysis and calculations during my experiments. In my current role, I also do data analysis, so mathematical logic is important.

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