Every aspect of our modern lives is affected by mathematics. Without mathematics, smartphones wouldn’t work, aeroplanes wouldn’t fly and many common activities such as applying for a credit card would look completely different. When a new technology emerges, few people think about the mathematics that made it possible. The reality is that most innovation simply couldn’t happen without mathematics research.
The Mathematics Matters Case studies were developed by the IMA over a ten-year period to shine a light on the benefits of modern mathematics research, as it was felt that few people outside the scientific community understood its widespread influence.
Mathematics research doesn’t just impact new technologies, it affects society as a whole, with major mathematical innovations happening in healthcare, the environment and even the arts, with the production of most films and video games only made possible due to mathematics. During the Covid-19 crisis, politicians based their decisions on evidence from mathematical modellers, and mathematical terms such as the R number became common place. Even the rise of video calling platforms such as Zoom wouldn’t have been possible without the mathematics underpinning the software.
Mathematics is everywhere – this is why over 60 different Mathematics Matters Case Studies have been produced in conjunction with mathematicians who are experts in their field. Each individual case study is a fascinating insight into one particular application of mathematics, but it is when you look at the whole collection that you start to see the bigger picture and the wide-reaching impact of mathematics.
The economic benefit of mathematics research is also startling – for every £1 invested, there is a £588 return for the economy (compared with Engineering £88, Physics £31, and Chemistry £246[1]). It has also been found that an astounding 10% of jobs are linked to mathematical research in the UK[2]. Mathematics not only affects how we live on a daily basis; it is also an economic powerhouse.
Below are some highlights from the series, and a link to the full set of Mathematics Matters Case Studies can be found at the end. Mathematical research is never finished and in the future the IMA will continue to expand the Mathematics Matters Case Studies with cutting edge applications of mathematics.
Health and Medicine
Mathematics is driving big advances in many areas of medicine, but what is surprising is the sheer diversity in its applications. From modelling cancer to developing clearer scan images; even to growing new organs from scratch; mathematics is now fundamental to a lot of healthcare research.
Fighting Cancer With Maths
Mathematicians at the University of St Andrews have developed important new models of how cancer spreads, thereby enabling clinicians to have a better understanding of how to provide more effective treatment for patients.
Tissue Engineering
Scientists are trying to grow replacement organs in the laboratory and mathematics is playing a key role.
Environment
Environmental concerns are high up the agenda, with people around the globe being affected on a daily basis by problems such as flooding and air pollution. Mathematicians are working to address many of these issues, often by using advanced mathematical models.
Natural Flood Management: How Mathematics Can Help Manage the Risks
Academic mathematicians, engineers and environmental scientists have worked with researchers from industry to examine the impact of low-cost nature-based flood defences.
Cleaning up the Air We Breathe: Using Statistics to Understand the Impact of Air Pollution
Air pollution is one of the most important environmental threats to human health. Statisticians at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde have been working to examine the potential impact of the new Glasgow Low Emission Zone.
Architecture and the Built Environment
Mathematics is helping to push the boundaries of modern architecture, not only by creating visually stunning designs, but also addressing other factors such as the effect on the environment and the comfort and safety of the people who live and work in these urban spaces.
Designing the Future: How Mathematics Is Redefining Architecture
Mathematics is revolutionising modern building design. Parametric Models have now been used in the design of many famous buildings such as Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and the roof of the British Museum’s Great Court.
Following the Crowd
London’s annual New Year celebrations are just one example of where the mathematics of crowd dynamics is used. Keeping people safe at large events wouldn’t be possible without the mathematics of crowd control.
Space and Technology
Space technology has always been more easily associated with mathematics, with popular images of rocket scientists working at NASA. The Mathematics Matters Case Studies highlight thriving examples of UK space research which are happening right on our doorstep.
Satellite Communications
Without mathematics, satellites would quickly move out of formation rendering our communications systems useless.
Maths in Space: Mission to Jupiter
Researchers have been using complex mathematical techniques in order to design protection for instruments on board a Jupiter bound spacecraft.
Art and Entertainment
The Arts are often depicted as being far removed from mathematics. The modern reality is that mathematics is helping artists to achieve results which could have only been dreamed about in the past. From film making to art restoration, mathematics is helping the creative industries to produce ever more realistic images.
Maths in the Movies
Maths is used to create many of the special effects that modern films rely on so much. As an example, the Lord of the Rings trilogy used 263 special effects artists, all of whom used a vast amount of maths to do their work.
Filling in the Gaps: The Hidden Role of Mathematics in Art Restoration
Digital restoration offers the only hope of viewing some manuscripts like they might have looked originally. This ‘in-painting’ technique also has a number of other useful applications beyond the world of art restoration, for example in the analysis of fingerprints.
Link to the full series of Mathematics Matters Case Studies
Acknowledgements
The IMA would like to thank all of the experts and writers who have contributed to the production of the Mathematics Matters Case Studies. In particular they would like to thank Professor Chris Budd OBE, Dr Alan Stevens, Jacob Aron, Colin Stuart and Hazel Lewis.
References
1. https://epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/pubs/era-of-maths/
2. https://epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/pubs/deloitte-measuring-the-economic-benefits-of-mathematical-science-research-in-the-uk/
