tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post2078963726991644867..comments2023-06-07T09:04:36.390-04:00Comments on More Grumbine Science: Do I have to be good in math to be good at science?Robert Grumbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783453972811796911noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-10185024949814518952010-03-08T08:58:49.493-05:002010-03-08T08:58:49.493-05:00Horatio:
I agree that the more math students learn...Horatio:<br />I agree that the more math students learn, the better.<br /><br />Certainly there are areas, general relativistic cosmology is probably one, where you need a lot. Then again, I've been surprised at times. A coworker was doing some cosmology of just that sort with his college age daughter on a recent break. She doesn't know tensor calculus. But, it turned out, some interesting and important things can be approached by way of straight geometric considerations.<br /><br />So I can't be as prescriptive as I used to be about even what math you need for any particular field.Robert Grumbinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10783453972811796911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-40835818821426481422010-02-24T14:39:55.704-05:002010-02-24T14:39:55.704-05:00That really depends on what is meant by "good...That really depends on what is meant by "good". <br /><br />Math really is the 'language' of science. <br /><br />Most areas of science require (at a minimum) basic (working) knowledge of algebra, geometry and (very basic) statistics.<br /><br />Whether one needs to be <i>really</i> "good" at math depends on the field and even sub-field.<br /><br />In fields like cosmology, for example, it is really hard to see how anyone could make a significant contribution these days without understanding the tensor math of general relativity.<br /><br />But, certainly, there are fields that are much less math intensive.<br /><br />When Horatio was teaching secondary (physical) science, he used to tell his students that the more math they took, the better prepared they would be for a career in science.<br /><br />While telling people that they need to know math to do science may discourage some from pursuing science as a career, it can also be counterproductive to tell young adults that they don't need to know a lot of math because it can essentially "cut them off" from certain scientific career paths.Horatio Algeranonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988805467080448954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-52379986159953993862010-02-20T20:27:10.013-05:002010-02-20T20:27:10.013-05:00We are at the HP calculator moment for math. Symb...We are at the HP calculator moment for math. Symbolic algebra programs are better than 99.99% of scientists (and faster than 100%) at computation. What a student has to learn is using mathematics to formulate a problem.EliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-68769353248508801182010-02-18T20:36:33.880-05:002010-02-18T20:36:33.880-05:00Thank you for the comments folks, more welcome!
I...Thank you for the comments folks, more welcome!<br /><br />I'll add that Chris Nedin is a paleontologist who blogs at <a href="http://ediacaran.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Ediacaran</a>.<br /><br />If there were any field that has a reputation for (demanding!) mathematics, it would be physics, but see here that two physicists have written in, with agreement on their own paths in the science.Robert Grumbinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10783453972811796911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-47874072588241474202010-02-18T18:02:48.416-05:002010-02-18T18:02:48.416-05:00Thanx for bringing this up. I was all right at mat...Thanx for bringing this up. I was all right at math in school, but I didn't really like anything but geometry. Then I discovered I also really liked physics. I learned more math reading physics than reading math, because I wanted to understand physics. Today, after a loooong time in the physics world, I have discovered that I quite like math.<br /><br />siddAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-65612338064269492802010-02-18T05:21:52.141-05:002010-02-18T05:21:52.141-05:00I'm a physicist - an experimentalist. I work w...I'm a physicist - an experimentalist. I work with some heavy duty Russian mathematicians who generally do the mathematical/theoretical heavy lifting in our group. <br /><br />I've noticed that among physicists there are some who approach the subject very much using maths as their 'medium' for thinking about physics and others (like me) who have a more 'intuitive' sense of the physical processes and start from the 'intuition' to work out the maths (when we have to!). Both types have their strengths and weaknesses and we work best in combination IMHO.<br /><br />Incidentally I was almost bottom in my class at doing times tables at 9 years of age. When it came to rote learning I sucked! I was pretty good at the more abstract types of maths I learned later though.<br /><br />There are many areas of science which are not at all maths intensive. There are certainly mathematical types working in some subsections of those fields but there are many other folk doing great work who would rarely need to venture beyond ordinary arithmetic. The working scientist these days has access to loads of great tools and software that take a lot of the mathematical sweat out of our day!SCMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-48622288421225478752010-02-17T00:28:17.111-05:002010-02-17T00:28:17.111-05:00No. No you don't have to be good at maths to d...No. No you don't have to be good at maths to do science. You just have to know someone who is good at maths.<br /><br />I managed to sail through my science degrees while believing that double differentiation was the ability to tell twins apart.<br /><br />Just avoid the dirtyfithlystinkingrotten math-heavy subjects and you'll be fine. Just have a tame mathematician on call.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06816839471520467992noreply@blogger.com