Mathematics

Before exploring mathematics, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/AJVNKHP5ijZx9PxX8

Mathematics, or math, is a science that studies logic, shapes, quantity, and arrangement. Math is used in just about every aspect of our lives and is a key component of every other science. Mathematicians may further explore our current knowledge of math by creating new principles or use math to create new models to help solve problems in the world. As with engineering, mathematics is a very broad field, so please keep exploring beyond this website by using the links provided.

While you will likely encounter math in every STEM field, some careers use math more heavily than others. Here are some careers that use math very often:

Data/research analyst
Data scientist
Economist
Statistician
Financial analyst
Mathematician
Aerospace engineer
Actuary

Meet Katherine Johnson: an Aerospace Technologist who worked for NASA

Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 in West Virginia and showed giftedness in math at a very young age. Where she lived, education was not offered to African Americans after eighth grade, so her parents decided to send her to a high school on the campus of West Virginia State College. Johnson was just 10 years old when she was enrolled. She graduated college when she was 18 (the same age most students would be entering college) and later became one of three students to integrate West Virginia University’s Graduate School.

Katherine Johnson: The Girl Who Loved to Count | NASA — Johnson receiving Presidential Medal of Freedom; Picture from NASA

In 1953, Johnson found a job at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (which later became a part of NASA) as a “computer.” Her work heavily consisted of computing very precise mathematical calculations and analyzing topics critical to aircraft. In 1958, she was reassigned to a new division where she worked as an aerospace technologist and calculated trajectories for astronauts such as John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Johnson was the only African American woman working in her division and often faced discrimination. For example, she would have to eat lunch and use the restroom away from her white colleagues. Johnson said that “she didn’t feel the segregation because everybody there was doing research.” She continued to work as an aerospace technologist until her retirement in 1986. Since then, her story has been featured in the 2016 movie Hidden Figures, and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Create a Hexaflexagon – a mathematical toy!

What is a hexaflexagon?

A hexaflexagon is a piece of paper folded into a hexagon that is able to “flex” or fold in on itself. In this activity, you will create your own hexaflexagon, learn about different kinds of hexaflexagons, and explore the math behind hexaflexagons.