- TECHNOl OGY lANGUAGE FOCUS
Ohne Mathematik geht gar nichts - weder im Brücken-und Flugzeugbau noch bei der Ermittlung der
Kosten für diese Konstruktionen. PAUL KAVANAGH gibt ei nen mathematischen Überb lick. n!f!.!JJ IA
eeording to Stan Gudder, a professor of math-
ematics at the University of Denver: "The
essence of mathematics is not to ma ke simple
things eomplieated, but to mOlke eomplicated
th ings simple." T he same ean be sOlid of em;ineerin~, for
wh ich mathematies is a fundamental tool, and various
engineering diseiplines use brauches of maths.
Algebra: T his is essential for all types of engineering.
In ci vii encineerjn~. we need tO determine qualities of a
building material. When we know eerrain yariables, we
can work with these to calculate the unknown oues. For
example, if we are build ing a bridge and we need tO
calculate t be strength of the concrete over time, we
would use an empiriea l algebraie cQuatjon. The strength
of the concrete as a funetion of time can be established
by the equation S = c(l-e-kt}, where S is the strength at
thc time t, and c, e and kare CQnSIams Telating to a spe-
eifie type of concrete being used.
Geometry: This branch of math s is a valua ble rool for
struetural engjneers. Sy using geometry, the weight dis-
tribution, directio n of ~ and possible moments cre-
ated in a building can be detcrmined. For example, if thc
columos of a hause oeed to be able to suppOrt a roof
that.extill a force of 2,500 kilonewtons pe r square me-
tre (knlm), and the concrete being used cao support 30
knlm, by using geometric equations, we eao figure out
the q uantity of steel needed. Trigouometry, the study of68 8usiness~t
the relationship between;,wg.ks a nd lengths of the sides
of a trianglt, is also useful when makiog structures.
Cornolex analysis: Aerooautical eo~inccrs usc this to
determine the effects that differenr cooditions may
have on a n ajrcraEt's aerodynamics. This helps them to
work out how beSt tO build the ae roplane. The first step
is to use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to constru ct a
model of the aircraft. Then, d ifferent conditions (ioclud-
ing iee, extreme heat or wind) can be simulated and the
eHects on th e ae roplane measured. The branch of maths
most eommonly used in complex a na lysis is calculus.
This is the study of c hange, wh i ch provides a fr.a..m.c..:
.illlI.k of fo rmulac to ~ the effects of ch anging con-
ditions on the system be ing developed and tested.
Arithmetic and statistical analysis: Financial con-
eepts such as "return on investment" and "break-eveo
l2Qi..nI" involve variations of arith metic. For example,
when Airbus calculated the price of the A380, many fac-
tors hOld to bc considered, such as the costs and the
probability of selling enough planes to provide an ac-
ceptable return on investment. Another example would
be of a ci vii engineer building a [oll brjdge. Determin-
ing how much to charge eaeh car for using the toll
bridge is done with statistieal analysis. We can ea!eulate
the amount to charge for eaeh ear o n the basis of the
average number of cars crossing the bridge pe r day and
the margin of error in our a nalysis. [J4 /2 010