Agda, Rhie Angelique P. Bastez, Liezel P. Gole Cruz, Anna Marice G.C.

ES 104 Assignment March 12, 2012

Relationship of Math Proficiency to Engineering Practices

I.

Introduction
Mathematics has always been considered as one of the essential skills that students

need to successfully complete an engineering course. Engineering students need a strong mathematical background to succeed in the fields of their major, which are mostly quantitative; thus, mathematical proficiency which includes both mathematical skills and knowledge is a critical factor in the achievement of engineering students.

II.

Definition of Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of numbers, and counting, and measuring, but that is only the

beginning. Mathematics involves the study of number patterns and relationships, too. It is a way to communicate ideas, and perhaps more than anything, it is a way of reasoning that is unique to human beings. Moreover, mathematics is needed in situations that require an analytical approach. To be a knowledgeable mathematician or even more generally to be able to use mathematics as a tool for technology studies, it requires not only certain human abilities but also diligent studying. (Read Periodicals, 2010) It is divided into pure or theoretical mathematics, and applied mathematics. Applied mathematicians focus on how to apply mathematical principles to questions people have about the world around them and other practical problems (The New Book of Knowledge, 2006). It is the study of relationships between numbers, between spatial configurations, and abstract structures. Traditionally the subject is divided into arithmetic, which studies numbers; geometry,

which studies space; algebra, which studies structures; analysis, which studies infinite processes (in particular, calculus); and probability and statistics, which study random processes (Universal Encyclopedia, 1996). Since then, Mathematics has been regarded as essential to a liberal education at least since Plato maintained that proficiency in Mathematics was a prerequisite for the study of philosophy. Until today, a good education in mathematics is important because of its usefulness in careers such as environmental studies, business, medicine, psychology, as well as in the biological, mathematical, and physical sciences, and specially engineering courses.

III.

Definition of Math Proficiency

According to Kilpatrick et al. (2001), Mathematical proficiency, has five components, or

strands:

conceptual understandingcomprehension of mathematical concepts, operations, and relations

procedural fluencyskill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately

strategic competenceability to formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems adaptive reasoningcapacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation, and justification productive dispositionhabitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and ones own efficacy. These strands are not independent; they represent different aspects of a complex whole.

IV.

Relationship of Mathematical Proficiency to Engineering Practice

It is an accepted fact that mathematics is the queen of all sciences. As noted by Eric

Bell, a Scottish American mathematician, mathematics is the Queen and servant of the

sciences (Talictic et.al, 2008). It has application in almost all the fields of scientific as well as non-scientific study. Mathematics is applied in subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Biology, etc as well as in complex studies like genetic analysis, cryogenics, etc. Both Mathematics and Applied Mathematics have a significant role in the first two years of any engineering degree course. The main topics in the first year are statics and dynamics of a particle, integration, and differentiation. In the second year, the importance is on differential equations and linear algebra. Engineering can be defined as a specialized branch of science which constantly monitors the changing needs of the world. It also deals with the designing and manufacturing of the products that could make life simpler, fast and efficient. From the definition itself it is clear that the application of mathematics becomes indispensable for engineering. It is impossible to engineer something without the help of mathematics. Since the applications of mathematics in engineering are so vast and varied, it is not possible to summarize them. The most important areas of Mathematics in Engineering are trigonometry, differential equations, geometry, and integral mathematics. The Civil Engineering depends greatly on the trigonometric and geometric logics. The Computer Science Engineering is largely dependent on numeric analysis, combinatorics, logic analysis, and algebra. Electrical Engineering entails a lot of critical analysis, crypto analysis, operation research and management. This branch of engineering heavily utilizes the mathematical principles, logic, formulae, and calculations. Thus, it can be concluded that in order to be a good engineer one should be capable of handling mathematical problems efficiently For every field of engineering there is a necessary mathematics required. Here are some examples according to the website http://commons.bcit.ca/math/examples/: In Electrical Engineering, logarithms and exponents are used. For instance, the Bode plot is used for graphing the non-linear relationship of the voltage gain of a passive or active filter, as a function of frequency.

In Civil and Structural Engineering, Linear Algebra is used quite heavily because of a very simple reason. The analysis of a structure in equilibrium involves writing down many equations in many unknowns. Often these equations are linear, even when material deformation (i.e. bending) is considered. This is exactly the sort of situation for which linear algebra is the best technique. In Mechanical Engineering, logarithms and exponents, Integral calculus, Differential Equations, and Statistics and Quality Control are applied. In Chemical Engineering, mathematics is a pre-requisite in the core courses of chemistry and physics. According to the College Board website, www.collegeboard.com, students who are enrolled in a Chemical Engineering program must enjoy solving math problems and be able to collaborate with others while working on a project. In Electronics Engineering, mathematical techniques and the likes are too relevant. These include Algebra and Geometry, Linear Algebra and Matrices, Trigonometry and Vectors, Logs and Exponents, Differential and Integral Calculus, and Differential Equations. However in the case of software engineering it is all about abstraction. Every single concept, construct, and method is entirely abstract. Of course, it doesn't feel that way to most software engineers. But that is the point. The main benefit they got from the mathematics they learned in school and at university was the experience of rigorous reasoning with purely abstract objects and structures. Moreover, mathematics was the only subject that gave them that experience. It is not what was taught in the mathematics class that was important; it's the fact that it was mathematical. In everyday life, familiarity breeds contempt. But when it comes to learning how to work in a highly abstract realm, familiarity breeds a sense of, well, familiarity -meaning that what once seemed abstract starts to feel concrete, and thus more manageable. Actually, there are some common misconceptions about the use of mathematics in the applied sciences, like engineering: most engineers actually spend a very small portion of their

time carrying out mathematical calculation. But that does not mean that mathematics is not important to engineering. In fact, mathematics is indispensable.

V.

Engineering Students and Math Proficiency

Why mathematics is important to engineers? What in mathematics is most important?

The dialogue about mathematics for engineering students must not be confined just to engineering faculty at four-year universities. Many undergraduate engineering students transfer from two-year colleges, where they took all of their mathematics classes. And all engineering students receive their mathematics "basic training" (in algebra, trigonometry, and analytic geometry) in high school. According to Standler (1990), there are three keys reasons why mathematics is important for engineers. First is the law of nature such as, Maxwell's equations for electromagnetics, Kirchhoff's Rules for circuit analysis) are mathematical expressions. Mathematics is the language of physical science and engineering. Second, Mathematics is more than a tool for solving problems; mathematics courses can develop intellectual maturity. It is critical that engineering students learn to visualize abstract concepts. Many students believe that the way to solve a problem is to search for the proper formula, and then substitute numbers into the formula. This may be all right for solving quadratic equations (except when the factors are obvious), but this is not a good general attitude. Doing derivations helps the student develop a logical thought process, a discipline of problem solving that is essential for solving engineering problems of many kinds. Few problems can be solved immediately. It is critical that engineering students develop persistence at solving problems. Often the "best" way does not come instantly or even easily; one must try various methods and see what happens. The experience of working large numbers of homework problems, of diverse kinds, seems to build a personal collection of approaches and tools, and add to an

understanding of mathematics. Many students need more practice in how to start solving a problem, including translating "word problems" into mathematical expressions. Last is the numerical simulation on a digital computer is a powerful and effective tool that is being used by an increasing number of engineers. However, computers do not make traditional mathematical analysis obsolete! The following three reasons support this belief:

Computer programs contain mathematical relations; understanding and fluency with manipulation of these relations is still necessary.

Debugging computer programs is a difficult art. One of the best ways to validate a program is to compare the computer simulation of simple situations to the analytical solution for the same situation. Knowledge of traditional mathematical analysis is essential for this method of validating computer programs.

It is relatively easy to write brute-force computer code that requires a long runtime and produces significant error, owing to accumulation of errors from the limited resolution of machine numbers. Great increases in both speed and accuracy can be obtained by using analytical solutions for parts of the problem, or by careful development of appropriate algorithms. Knowledge of traditional mathematics is highly relevant to this task. The following remarks concern students majoring in engineering. Students majoring in

mathematics or computer science would be expected to have different needs. Here is a provocative comment, sometimes heard among professor of engineering:
"Proofs of theorems and discussion of axioms, postulates, etc. should receive minor treatment (but not be eliminated!). For example, few successful engineers are able to state Rolle's Theorem in Calculus. Is such material really critical?"

While most engineers do few, if any, proofs, they do many derivations and mathematical operations. Students should receive extensive practice in doing derivations. For example,

students should know techniques for expressing sin(a+b) as a function of sin(a), sin(b), cos(a), and cos(b). Engineers usually consult tables of identities for such relations, but learning how to do such derivations is an important intellectual skill. This skill is required in courses on electromagnetic field theory, signal processing, semiconductor physics, etc. We hope that every mathematics examination includes some derivations. There should be more unknown parameters (e.g., A, B, omega, phi) in problems and exercises, and fewer numerical values. In other words, mathematics courses should be abstract and general. Extensive treatment of techniques for evaluation of integrals may not be a good use of time. Nearly every engineer or scientist uses tables to evaluate analytical expressions for integrals. But change of variable and integration by parts are essential techniques, even when integral tables are used. Students need practice in algebraic manipulation to put the solution in a form that is easy to appreciate. It is difficult to state specific criteria for "easy to appreciate," but people who are fluent in mathematics seem to be able to agree that some expressions are "simpler" or more "easy to appreciate" than others. For example, it is important to be able to note easily the asymptotic behavior as the independent variable goes to zero or infinity. It is also important to be able to find the poles and zeros of a function. Many problems in engineering and applied science involve the solution of either a quadratic equation or a set of N independent linear equations in N variables. Students should be able to solve these equations without difficulty. Some students seem to think that Cramer's rule is the best, or even the only, way to solve a set of linear equations! Gaussian reduction (Gaussian elimination) should also be taught. The ability to write a differential equation for a particular applied problem should receive little attention in mathematics classes, as that topic is emphasized in engineering and physics classes.

VI.

Conclusion High proficiency in mathematics could simply represent one dimension of a student's

overall intellectual capacity, as students who do well in one subject can easily excel in other fields. Thus, the relationship between proficiency in mathematics and academic success may not be a causal one, but may be determined by other factors, such as the student's general academic commitment. Although engineers do have technical aspects of their jobs which require specialized mathematical skills and high proficiency, they also have many other aspects of their jobs which require more knowledge about theories and concepts applicable on their respective fields, which should not be underestimated.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A Study of Mathematics Proficiency. (November 1, 2010). Read Periodicals. March 3, 2012. From file:///F:/advmath/2241240311.html#ixzz1oaqd243C

Do software engineers need mathematics?. (October 2000). Devlins Angle. March 3, 2012. From http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_10_00.html

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