Essential high school mathematics subjects for engineers

Teacher III, Congressman Ramon A. Arnaldo High School

MATHEMATICS is a central component to the education engineers receive in all major specialties before they begin their careers. Engineering courses will tell that engineers also use math extensively on the job. For these reasons, it is unlikely anyone would be successful in becoming an engineer with poor math skills. Thus, engineers are even stereotyped often as math enthusiasts who got bored with the abstract. Even though number crunching is significant to engineers’ work, math is no more than a convenient means to arrive at a physical end. The type of math an engineer uses will depend on the type of engineer he or she is and the type of project in which he or she is involved.

Obtaining an engineering degree requires you to successfully complete a multitude of math courses. I n the days before computers, engineers used slide rules and pencils to work out math problems, such as determining the stresses a dam must withstand, or the most efficient operating weight of an airplane. Although computers can solve many math problems, engineers still need a solid foundation in math and a good understanding of mathematical principles. As early as high school, teachers like me must already inspire our students and integrate in our lessons the value of studying math and developing the skills to learn faster and solve equations the simpler way possible.

When several of the factors of a problem are known and one or more are unknown, engineers use algebra, including differential equations in cases when there are several

unknowns. Because engineers work to arrive at a solution to a physical problem, geometry – with its planes, circles and angles – determines such diverse things as the torque used to turn a wheel, and reduces the design of a roadway’s curve to an accurate engineering or construction drawing.

Trigonometry is the science of measuring triangles. Engineers may use plane trigonometry to determine the size of an irregularly shaped parcel of land. It may also be used or to determine the height of an object based solely on the distance to the object and the angle, up or down, from the observer. Spherical trigonometry is used by naval engineers in ship design and

by mechanical engineers working on such arcane projects as the design of mechanical hand for an underwater robot.

We all love statistics. They tell us where we stand in the world, among our peers and even in our family. They tell us who is winning. The engineer uses them for the same reasons -- by statistical analysis of the design, the engineer can tell what percentage of a design will need armor or reinforcement or where any likely failures will occur. For the civil engineer, statistics appear as the concentration of rainfall, wind loads and bridge design. In many locations, engineers designing drainage systems must design for a 50- or 100-year storm in their calculations, a significant change from the normal rain concentration.

Calculus is used by engineers to determine rates of change or rates by which factors, such as acceleration or weight, change. It might tell NASA scientists at what point the change in a satellite’s orbit will cause the satellite to strike an object in space. A more mundane task for calculus might be determining how large a box must be to accommodate a specific number of things. An engineer who designs packaging, for example, might know that a product of a certain weight must be packaged in groups of no more than 10 because of their weight. Using calculus, he can calculate both the optimum number of objects per box, plus the optimum size of the box.

If our high school students today can only learn from and appreciate these i mportant subjects that have a great impact on engineering courses in college, then solving its mathematical equations will come handy for an engineering student. Many engineering students today fall out in college lessons because of a weak high school foundation. Learning the massive a subject like math is definitely not an overnight thing. The reason why math is massive and is spreading all throughout one’s education especially during an engineering course in college is that it simply is massive. Enhancing the skills in high school will pave way for a brighter future for a student. As teachers, we can make it happen. (