Mathematics is an ever-present discipline having both pure and applied branches where numbers, graphs, and patterns are dissected and analyzed. Mathematics forms a foundation for scores of other fields such as business, information technology, and biology. In business, mathematics is used to model cost of productions, to calculate effects of inflation or deflation on foreign operations, or to create computer programs that dissect patterns and assess futures’ probabilities to make complex trades. In cybersecurity, mathematics is the critical defender of private communications, ensuring that personal information such as credit card and social security numbers can be safely used in online transactions. The applied use of mathematics can be found in nearly every industry and can be utilized to solve problems faced by potential employers.
Seeking new information and learning is a process that continues for the rest of a mathematician’s career. Mathematical skills are in constant use, being utilized and considered in new and innovative ways. Mathematicians look for the relations between different fields to harness their unique ability to scrutinize patterns and discover new solutions to the difficulties the world is facing. For instance, devices with low processing power, such as cell phones and later smartphones, drastically increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s and were used to access the internet. RSA encryptions used to safeguard the privacy of internet browsing on computers were rather inefficient and slow for these devices to do. Two mathematicians recognized the properties of elliptic curves and were able to create a public key cryptography system that provides equivalent protection of RSA, but required considerably less transmission and processing power.
Mathematicians are persistent problem solvers. Mathematicians accept that solving a problem can be a difficult task, and work patiently to overcome any difficulties. A mathematician also recognizes that being able to identify a problem is just as important as being able to solve it. And the process used to solve it is just as significant as the results so mathematicians can communicate their solutions to others. While mathematicians are analytical, they are also curious and creative. This curiosity leads to mathematicians asking questions, which are just as important as finding the answers. If no one asks questions, then why would anyone look for the solution? This is the mindset of a mathematician and what allows them to shape the world they see around them and influence the outlook of the future.
Seeking new information and learning is a process that continues for the rest of a mathematician’s career. Mathematical skills are in constant use, being utilized and considered in new and innovative ways. Mathematicians look for the relations between different fields to harness their unique ability to scrutinize patterns and discover new solutions to the difficulties the world is facing. For instance, devices with low processing power, such as cell phones and later smartphones, drastically increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s and were used to access the internet. RSA encryptions used to safeguard the privacy of internet browsing on computers were rather inefficient and slow for these devices to do. Two mathematicians recognized the properties of elliptic curves and were able to create a public key cryptography system that provides equivalent protection of RSA, but required considerably less transmission and processing power.
Mathematicians are persistent problem solvers. Mathematicians accept that solving a problem can be a difficult task, and work patiently to overcome any difficulties. A mathematician also recognizes that being able to identify a problem is just as important as being able to solve it. And the process used to solve it is just as significant as the results so mathematicians can communicate their solutions to others. While mathematicians are analytical, they are also curious and creative. This curiosity leads to mathematicians asking questions, which are just as important as finding the answers. If no one asks questions, then why would anyone look for the solution? This is the mindset of a mathematician and what allows them to shape the world they see around them and influence the outlook of the future.