Q. When will I ever use all this mathematics I'm studying?

A. Mathematics and quantitative thinking are prevalent in our society, hobbies, and careers. This page provides specific examples A-Z of mathematics applications in life. Check them out!

 

Explore the applications by:
  1. Scroll the list. What interests you?
  2. Alphabetically. Jump to a letter:
    [ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ]
  3. Search by mathematical topic (eg. #parabola, #period, #probability)
  4. Surprise me! (coming soon)

Example:

Astronomy

Azimuth Bearing: Navigation by Compass
http://geology.isu.edu/wapi/geostac/Field_Exercise/topomaps/bearing.htm

Sketch of earth describing azimuth along with horizon, observer, altitude, star, zenith, and celestrial meridian.

Fun Fact: The name of this website, AZiMATH, is a pun on AZIMUTH. The azimuth is the angle between a celestial object (eg. sun, moon) and north, measured clockwise around the observer's horizon. With altitude it is used to give the direction to the celestial body. May these applications navigate you to interesting mathematics!

 

A

Agriculture

Agricultural Science
https://plus.maths.org/content/great-eight#agri
#beehive #energy #tomography

Architecture

The Golden Section in Architecture
http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibInArt.html#arch

A Moebius Building
https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~sequin/moebius/moebius.html

Art

Art Gallery Theorem
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ArtGalleryTheorem.html
#floorfunction

Pattern: Mandalas, Symmetry, More (a Dartmouth course)
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.pattern/lesson1art.html
#line #shape #symmetry

Automobiles

Mathematics in Automobile Production
https://www.maa.org/programs/faculty-and-departments/curriculum-department-guidelines-recommendations/teaching-and-learning/examining-how-mathematics-is-used-in-the-workplace#automobile
#bestfit #ratios

Aviation

Navigational Vectors
http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/vectorproj/
#trig #vector

 

B

Balloons

Mathematical Models for Candle Balloon Design
http://www.overflite.com/power.html
#doubling #exponential #growth #sequence

Why do Helium-Filled Balloons Float?
https://www.balloonhq.com/faq/whyfly.html
#dimensionalanalysis #formulas

Banking

Modeling the Mathematics of Banking
https://www.maa.org/programs/faculty-and-departments/curriculum-department-guidelines-recommendations/teaching-and-learning/examining-how-mathematics-is-used-in-the-workplace#banking
#growth

Baseball

The Physics of Baseball
http://baseball.physics.illinois.edu
#angles #speed #spin

Basketball

Make a Basketball Jumpshot Every Time!
http://www.fearofphysics.com/Proj/proj.html
#angles #parabola #speed

Beauty

The Math Behind the Beauty
https://www.intmath.com/numbers/math-of-beauty.php
#ratio #symmetry

Betting

Math in Real Life: Playing to Win
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/playing.html
#chance #probability

Biology

Genomics and Synthetic Biology
https://plus.maths.org/content/great-eight#biology
#bigdata #networks

Mathematical Models as Seen by Biologists
https://www.maa.org/programs/faculty-and-departments/curriculum-department-guidelines-recommendations/teaching-and-learning/examining-how-mathematics-is-used-in-the-workplace#biologists
#growth #modeling

 

C

Calendars

Algebra Fun with Calendars
http://www.chihapauradellamatematica.org/MATE/Chihapauradellamatematica/Volume1/Complementi/MonPol/CalendarCynthiaLanius.htm
#linearequations

Cannons

What is the Optimal Launch Angle?
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/vectors/mr.html
#angles #parabolas

Cartoons

Mathematical Cartoons by Simon Singh
https://simonsingh.net/books/fermats-last-theorem/wacky-fermat-stuff/mathematics-cartoons/
#constant #equation #formula

Chaos

Chaos while Sledding on a Mogul-Infested Slope and other Chaotic Animations
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/topic.html?topic=Chaos+Theory
#exponential #function #logarithm #oscillation #phaseshift

Cooking

Math in Real Life: Cooking by the Numbers
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/cooking.html
#proportion #ratio

Crystals

Advanced Materials (liquid crystals, carbon fiber, more)
https://plus.maths.org/content/great-eight#materials
#modeling #transformation

 

D

Dance

Counting Contra Dances
http://www.larrycopes.com/contra/MAA.html
#combination #factorial

Math Dance Company
http://www.mathdance.org

Mathematics in the World of Dance (pdf)
http://archive.bridgesmathart.org/2012/bridges2012-453.pdf
#angle #geometry #translation

Matrices in Motion: An exploration of contra dance patterns
https://ida.mtholyoke.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10166/679/422.pdf?sequence=1
#matrix

Digital Audio

https://www.intmath.com/fourier-series/7-fast-fourier-transform-fft.php
#frequency #periodic #summation

 

E

Earthquakes

Mathematics of Earthquakes Activities
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/search.php?sendLevelID=11
#logarithms #statistics

The Latest Mathematical Models of Earthquake Ground Motion (pdf)
http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/26248.pdf
#formulas #logarithm #regression #standarddeviation

Seismic Waves and Mathematics (pdf)
http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/math/fzaman/Earthquake%20talk.pdf
#differential #exponential #wavelength

Electromagnetism

NRich’s Electromagnetism
https://nrich.maths.org/6659
#formulas #scientificnotation

Electromagnetic Spectrum
https://www.mathsisfun.com/physics/electromagnetic-spectrum.html
#frequency #periodic #phaseshift #wavelength

Energy

Energy and its Storage
https://plus.maths.org/content/great-eight#energy
#bigdata #linearsystems

Mathematical Modeling of Alternative Energy Systems: An Example of How Academic Mathematicians Can Contribute to the World
http://mpe.dimacs.rutgers.edu/2013/04/22/mathematical-modeling-of-alternative-energy-systems-an-example-of-how-academic-mathematicians-can-contribute-to-the-world/
#3Dsystems #modeling

The Math of Renewable Energy
http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/institute/lesson-clearinghouse/45-the_math_of_renewable_energy.html

Engineering

Electrical Engineering: Chaos in the Chua Circuit (pdf)
http://engineering.nyu.edu/mechatronics/Control_Lab/bck/VKapila/Chaotic%20Ref/Porfiri's/Biblio/chuades.pdf #differentialequations

 

F

Fiction

Mathematical Fiction
http://kasmana.people.cofc.edu/MATHFICT

Finance

Math in Real Life: Savings and Credit
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/savings.html

What is a Dollar Worth?
https://www.minneapolisfed.org/community/financial-and-economic-education/cpi-calculator-information

Fire Fighting

F.A.R.S.I.T.E.: Fire Area Forest Service by Mark A. Finney (pdf)
http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_rp004.pdf

A mathematical model for predicting fire spread in wild-land fires (pdf)
https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_int/int_rp115.pdf

Plume attachment thresholds for fire spread in canyon-like geometries
http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/science/research-highlights

Flying

The Mathematics of Aircraft Navigation
https://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/other/1-aircraft-navigation
#vectors

 

G

Genetics

https://plus.maths.org/content/category/tags/genetics

Geology

Flood forecasting: forecasts based on historic data and the “100-year flood”
https://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/methods/quantlit/floods.html

How Math Can Help Geologists Discover New Minerals
https://www.insidescience.org/news/how-math-can-help-geologists-discover-new-minerals

 

H

Horseback Riding

Mathematics of Horseback Riding and Dressage
https://mathematicsofhorsebackriding.wordpress.com
#circles #geometry

Humor

Handly High Math Department Humor Page
http://www.pleacher.com/handley/humor/mhumor.html

Princeton's List of Math Jokes
https://web.math.princeton.edu/~lshou/mathjokes.html

 

I

Ice Skating

Mathematical Eyes on Figure Skating (pdf)
https://archive.bridgesmathart.org/2012/bridges2012-623.pdf
#angles #vectors

Interior Design

Math in Real Life: Home Decorating
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/decorating.html

 

J

Juggling

The Mathematics of Juggling
http://www.juggling.org/papers/science-1/mathematics.html

 

K

Kayaking

Outer Space: Canoeing and Kayaking
https://sport.maths.org/content/canoeing-and-kayaking
#formulas #prediction #ratios

Knitting

Mathematical Knitting
http://www.toroidalsnark.net/mathknit.html

 

L

Lacrosse

Math Behind Lacrosse
https://mathbehindlacrosse.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/math-behind-shootingpassing/

Lottery

How Lotteries Work : Odds of Winning
www.howstuffworks.com/lottery1.htm

 
 
 

O

Optics

134 Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomenon
https://michaelbach.de/ot/

 

P

Photography

Mathematics of Photography
https://passyworldofmathematics.com/mathematics-of-photography

Poetry

Mathematical Poetry: A Small Anthology
http://katherinestange.com/mathweb

Poker

Counting Poker Hands: How many full house hands are possible? (pdf)
http://www.geometer.org/mathcircles/poker.pdf

 

Q

Quarks

Quark Fractional Charge Indicates a Substructure
http://starlight-publishing.com/Articles/FracCharge.html

Quilting

Mathematical Quilting
http://www.mathquilt.com

 
 

S

Sculpture

George Hart’s Geometric Sculpture
http://www.georgehart.com/sculpture/sculpture.html

Shopping

Leasing a Car Guide (or should you buy?)
https://www.leaseguide.com/

Social Media

Big Data and Networks
https://plus.maths.org/content/great-eight#data

Space

Satellites and Space
https://plus.maths.org/content/great-eight#space

Surfing

Mathematics of Ocean Waves and Surfing
http://passyworldofmathematics.com/mathematics-of-ocean-waves-and-surfing
#amplitude #period #wavelength

 

T

Technology

Examples of Math in Technical Fields from British Columbia Institute of Technology
https://math.commons.bcit.ca/

Theater

Math in Theater Arts (Prezi)
https://prezi.com/mkushjxq-ora/math-in-theatre
#geometry #pythagoreantheorem

Tides

Tide Prediction
http://www.math.stonybrook.edu/~tony/tides
#modeling #probability

Trivia

Number Trivia “What’s special about this number?”
https://www2.stetson.edu/~efriedma/numbers.html

 

U

Ultimate Frisbee

The Physics of Frisbee (pdf)
http://scripts.mit.edu/~womens-ult/frisbee_physics.pdf
#differentiation #vectors

Universal Language

Math in Real Life: The Universal Language
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/language.html

 

V

Violin

Why is the violin so hard to play?
https://plus.maths.org/content/why-violin-so-hard-play
#frequency #logarithms

Voltage

Complex Numbers in Real Life
http://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/questionCorner/complexinlife.html
#complex #differentialequations

 

W

Waves

Water Waves - An interactive introduction
http://users.dickinson.edu/~richesod/waves/index.html
#hyperbolic

Whales

Saving Whales Using Pythagoras
https://plus.maths.org/content/saving-whales-using-pythagoras
#pythagoreantheorem

Weather

Numerical Weather Prediction models
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/modelling-systems/unified-model/weather-forecasting
#modeling

Words

Ambiguously Defined Mathematical Terms
http://jeff560.tripod.com/ambiguities.html

World Population

Math in Daily Life: Population Growth
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/population.html
#exponential

 

X

X-Rays

Saving Lives: the mathematics of tomography
https://plus.maths.org/content/saving-lives-mathematics-tomography
#differential #integration #network

 

Y

Yarn

A Mathematical Yarn: How to Stitch a Hyperbolic Pseudosphere
https://www.scientificamerican.com/gallery/a-mathematical-yarn-how-to-stitch-a-hyperbolic-pseudosphere
#3Dsurfaces

Yoga

Math Relationships in Yoga Poses (Prezi)
https://prezi.com/lvxndo3keava/math-in-yoga-poses
#angles #geometry