Applied mathematics

Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods

by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology,
finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied
mathematics is a combination of mathematical science and
specialized knowledge. The term "applied mathematics" also
describes the professional specialty in which mathematicians work
on practical problems by formulating and studying mathematical
models.

In the past, practical applications have motivated the development

of mathematical theories, which then became the subject of study
in pure mathematics where abstract concepts are studied for their
own sake. The activity of applied mathematics is thus intimately Efficient solutions to the vehicle
connected with research in pure mathematics. routing problem require tools from
combinatorial optimization and
integer programming.

Contents
History
Divisions
Utility
Status in academic departments
Associated mathematical sciences
Scientific computing
Computer science
Operations research and management science
Statistics
Actuarial science
Mathematical economics
Applicable mathematics
Other disciplines
See also
References
Further reading
Applicable mathematics
External links

History
Historically, applied mathematics consisted principally of applied
analysis, most notably differential equations; approximation theory
(broadly construed, to include representations, asymptotic
methods, variational methods, and numerical analysis); and applied
probability. These areas of mathematics related directly to the
development of Newtonian physics, and in fact, the distinction
between mathematicians and physicists was not sharply drawn
before the mid-19th century. This history left a pedagogical legacy
in the United States: until the early 20th century, subjects such as
classical mechanics were often taught in applied mathematics
departments at American universities rather than in physics A numerical solution to the heat
departments, and fluid mechanics may still be taught in applied equation on a pump casing model
using the finite element method.
mathematics departments.[1] Engineering and computer science
departments have traditionally made use of applied mathematics.

Divisions
Today, the term "applied mathematics" is used in a broader sense.
It includes the classical areas noted above as well as other areas
that have become increasingly important in applications. Even
fields such as number theory that are part of pure mathematics are
now important in applications (such as cryptography), though they
are not generally considered to be part of the field of applied
mathematics per se. Sometimes, the term "applicable mathematics"
is used to distinguish between the traditional applied mathematics
that developed alongside physics and the many areas of
Fluid mechanics is often considered mathematics that are applicable to real-world problems today.
a branch of applied mathematics and
mechanical engineering. There is no consensus as to what the various branches of applied
mathematics are. Such categorizations are made difficult by the
way mathematics and science change over time, and also by the
way universities organize departments, courses, and degrees.

Many mathematicians distinguish between "applied mathematics”, which is concerned with mathematical
methods, and the "applications of mathematics" within science and engineering. A biologist using a
population model and applying known mathematics would not be doing applied mathematics, but rather
using it; however, mathematical biologists have posed problems that have stimulated the growth of pure
mathematics. Mathematicians such as Poincaré and Arnold deny the existence of "applied mathematics"
and claim that there are only "applications of mathematics." Similarly, non-mathematicians blend applied
mathematics and applications of mathematics. The use and development of mathematics to solve industrial
problems is also called "industrial mathematics".[2]

The success of modern numerical mathematical methods and software has led to the emergence of
computational mathematics, computational science, and computational engineering, which use high-
performance computing for the simulation of phenomena and the solution of problems in the sciences and
engineering. These are often considered interdisciplinary.

Utility
Historically, mathematics was most important in the natural
sciences and engineering. However, since World War II, fields
outside the physical sciences have spawned the creation of new
areas of mathematics, such as game theory and social choice
theory, which grew out of economic considerations. Further, the
utilization and development of mathematical methods expanded
into other areas leading to the creation of new fields such as
mathematical finance and data science.
Mathematical finance is concerned
The advent of the computer has enabled new applications:
with the modelling of financial
studying and using the new computer technology itself (computer
markets.
science) to study problems arising in other areas of science
(computational science) as well as the mathematics of computation
(for example, theoretical computer science, computer
algebra,[3][4][5][6] numerical analysis[7][8][9][10]). Statistics is probably the most widespread mathematical
science used in the social sciences, but other areas of mathematics, most notably economics, are proving
increasingly useful in these disciplines.

Status in academic departments

Academic institutions are not consistent in the way they group and label courses, programs, and degrees in
applied mathematics. At some schools, there is a single mathematics department, whereas others have
separate departments for Applied Mathematics and (Pure) Mathematics. It is very common for Statistics
departments to be separated at schools with graduate programs, but many undergraduate-only institutions
include statistics under the mathematics department.

Many applied mathematics programs (as opposed to departments) consist of primarily cross-listed courses
and jointly appointed faculty in departments representing applications. Some Ph.D. programs in applied
mathematics require little or no coursework outside mathematics, while others require substantial
coursework in a specific area of application. In some respects this difference reflects the distinction between
"application of mathematics" and "applied mathematics".

Some universities in the UK host departments of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics,[11][12][13]
but it is now much less common to have separate departments of pure and applied mathematics. A notable
exception to this is the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of
Cambridge, housing the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics whose past holders include Isaac Newton,
Charles Babbage, James Lighthill, Paul Dirac and Stephen Hawking.

Schools with separate applied mathematics departments range from

Brown University, which has a large Division of Applied
Mathematics that offers degrees through the doctorate, to Santa
Clara University, which offers only the M.S. in applied
mathematics.[14] Research universities dividing their mathematics
department into pure and applied sections include MIT. Brigham
Young University also has an Applied and Computational
Emphasis (ACME), a program that allows students to graduate
with a Mathematics degree, with an emphasis in Applied Math.
Students in this program also learn another skill (Computer
The Brown University Department of
Science, Engineering, Physics, Pure Math, etc.) to supplement
Applied Mathematics
their applied math skills.
Associated mathematical sciences
Applied mathematics is associated with the following mathematical
sciences:

Scientific computing

Scientific computing includes applied mathematics (especially

numerical analysis[7][8][9][10][15]), computing science (especially
high-performance computing[16][17]), and mathematical modelling
in a scientific discipline.

Computer science Applied mathematics has substantial

overlap with statistics.
Computer science relies on logic, algebra, discrete mathematics
such as graph theory,[18][19] and combinatorics.

Operations research and management science

Operations research[20] and management science are often taught in faculties of engineering, business, and
public policy.

Statistics

Applied mathematics has substantial overlap with the discipline of statistics. Statistical theorists study and
improve statistical procedures with mathematics, and statistical research often raises mathematical questions.
Statistical theory relies on probability and decision theory, and makes extensive use of scientific computing,
analysis, and optimization; for the design of experiments, statisticians use algebra and combinatorial design.
Applied mathematicians and statisticians often work in a department of mathematical sciences (particularly
at colleges and small universities).

Actuarial science

Actuarial science applies probability, statistics, and economic theory to assess risk in insurance, finance and
other industries and professions.[21]

Mathematical economics

Mathematical economics is the application of mathematical methods to represent theories and analyze
problems in economics.[22][23][24] The applied methods usually refer to nontrivial mathematical techniques
or approaches. Mathematical economics is based on statistics, probability, mathematical programming (as
well as other computational methods), operations research, game theory, and some methods from
mathematical analysis. In this regard, it resembles (but is distinct from) financial mathematics, another part
of applied mathematics.[25]

According to the Mathematics Subject Classification (MSC), mathematical economics falls into the Applied
mathematics/other classification of category 91:
 Game theory, economics, social and behavioral sciences

with MSC2010 (http://msc2010.org/mscwiki/index.php?title=MSC2010) classifications for 'Game theory'

at codes 91Axx (http://msc2010.org/mscwiki/index.php?title=91Axx) and for 'Mathematical economics' at
codes 91Bxx (http://msc2010.org/mscwiki/index.php?title=91Bxx).

Applicable mathematics

Applicable mathematics is a subdiscipline of applied mathematics, although there is no consensus as to a

precise definition.[26] Sometimes the term "applicable mathematics" is used to distinguish between the
traditional applied mathematics that developed alongside physics and the many areas of mathematics that
are applicable to real-world problems today.

Mathematicians often distinguish between "applied mathematics" on the one hand, and the "applications of
mathematics" or "applicable mathematics" both within and outside of science and engineering, on the
other.[26] Some mathematicians emphasize the term applicable mathematics to separate or delineate the
traditional applied areas from new applications arising from fields that were previously seen as pure
mathematics.[27] For example, from this viewpoint, an ecologist or geographer using population models
and applying known mathematics would not be doing applied, but rather applicable, mathematics. Even
fields such as number theory that are part of pure mathematics are now important in applications (such as
cryptography), though they are not generally considered to be part of the field of applied mathematics per
se. Such descriptions can lead to applicable mathematics being seen as a collection of mathematical
methods such as real analysis, linear algebra, mathematical modelling, optimisation, combinatorics,
probability and statistics, which are useful in areas outside traditional mathematics and not specific to
mathematical physics.

Other authors prefer describing applicable mathematics as a union of "new" mathematical applications
with the traditional fields of applied mathematics.[27][28][29] With this outlook, the terms applied
mathematics and applicable mathematics are thus interchangeable.

Other disciplines

The line between applied mathematics and specific areas of application is often blurred. Many universities
teach mathematical and statistical courses outside the respective departments, in departments and areas
including business, engineering, physics, chemistry, psychology, biology, computer science, scientific
computation, and mathematical physics.

See also
Engineering mathematics
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

References
1. Stolz, M. (2002), "The History Of Applied Mathematics And The History Of Society",
Synthese, 133 (1): 43–57, doi:10.1023/A:1020823608217 (https://doi.org/10.1023%2FA%3A
1020823608217), S2CID 34271623 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:34271623)
 2. University of Strathclyde (17 January 2008), Industrial Mathematics (https://archive.today/20
120804104748/http://www.maths.strath.ac.uk/applying/postgraduate/research_topics/industr
ial_mathematics), archived from the original (http://www.maths.strath.ac.uk/applying/postgra
duate/research_topics/industrial_mathematics) on 2012-08-04, retrieved 8 January 2009
3. Von Zur Gathen, J., & Gerhard, J. (2013). Modern computer algebra. Cambridge University
Press.
4. Geddes, K. O., Czapor, S. R., & Labahn, G. (1992). Algorithms for computer algebra.
Springer Science & Business Media.
5. Albrecht, R. (2012). Computer algebra: symbolic and algebraic computation (Vol. 4).
Springer Science & Business Media.
6. Mignotte, M. (2012). Mathematics for computer algebra. Springer Science & Business
Media.
7. Stoer, J., & Bulirsch, R. (2013). Introduction to numerical analysis. Springer Science &
Business Media.
8. Conte, S. D., & De Boor, C. (2017). Elementary numerical analysis: an algorithmic approach.
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
9. Greenspan, D. (2018). Numerical Analysis. CRC Press.
10. Linz, P. (2019). Theoretical numerical analysis. Courier Dover Publications.
11. For example see, The Tait Institute: History (2nd par.) (http://www.tait.ac.uk/History.html).
Accessed Nov 2012.
12. Dept of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics. (http://www.am.qub.ac.uk) Queen's
University, Belfast.
13. DAMTP Belfast ResearchGate page (https://www.researchgate.net/institution/Queens_Univ
ersity_Belfast/department/Department_of_Applied_Mathematics_Theoretical_Physics).
14. Santa Clara University Dept of Applied Mathematics (https://web.archive.org/web/20110504
005925/http://www.scu.edu/academics/bulletins/undergraduate/Department-of-Applied-Math
ematics.cfm), archived from the original (http://www.scu.edu/academics/bulletins/undergradu
ate/Department-of-Applied-Mathematics.cfm) on 2011-05-04, retrieved 2011-03-05
15. Today, numerical analysis includes numerical linear algebra, numerical integration, and
validated numerics as subfields.
16. Hager, G., & Wellein, G. (2010). Introduction to high performance computing for scientists
and engineers. CRC Press.
17. Geshi, M. (2019). The Art of High Performance Computing for Computational Science,
Springer.
18. West, D. B. (2001). Introduction to graph theory (Vol. 2). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
19. Bondy, J. A., & Murty, U. S. R. (1976). Graph theory with applications (Vol. 290). London:
Macmillan.
20. Winston, W. L., & Goldberg, J. B. (2004). Operations research: applications and algorithms
(Vol. 3). Belmont: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
21. Boland, P. J. (2007). Statistical and probabilistic methods in actuarial science. CRC Press.
22. Wainwright, K. (2005). Fundamental methods of mathematical economics/Alpha C. Chiang,
Kevin Wainwright. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill/Irwin,.
23. Na, N. (2016). Mathematical economics. Springer.
24. Lancaster, K. (2012). Mathematical economics. Courier Corporation.
25. Roberts, A. J. (2009). Elementary calculus of financial mathematics (Vol. 15). SIAM.
26. Perspectives on Mathematics Education: Papers Submitted by Members of the Bacomet
Group, pgs 82-3. (https://books.google.com/books?id=VgLZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA83&lpg=PA
83&dq=applicable+mathematics#v=onepage&q=applicable%20mathematics) Editors: H.
Christiansen, A.G. Howson, M. Otte. Volume 2 of Mathematics Education Library; Springer
Science & Business Media, 2012. ISBN 9400945043, 9789400945043.
27. Survey of Applicable Mathematics, pg xvii (Foreword). (https://books.google.com/books?id=-
sztCAAAQBAJ&pg=PR17&dq=survey+of+applicable+mathematics#v=onepage&q=applica
ble%20mathematics) K. Rektorys; 2nd edition, illustrated. Springer, 2013.
ISBN 9401583080, 9789401583084.
28. THOUGHTS ON APPLIED MATHEMATICS. (https://www.math.ust.hk/~mahsieh/APMATH.h
tm)
29. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPLICABLE MATHEMATICS (ICAM-2016). (http://
stellamariscollege.org/documents/icaml.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2017032
3142900/http://stellamariscollege.org/documents/icaml.pdf) 2017-03-23 at the Wayback
Machine The Department of Mathematics, Stella Maris College.

Further reading

Applicable mathematics
The Morehead Journal of Applicable Mathematics (https://web.archive.org/web/2014040710
3033/http://www2.moreheadstate.edu/mejam/index.aspx?id=5096) hosted by Morehead
State University
Series on Concrete and Applicable Mathematics (http://www.worldscientific.com/series/sca
m) by World Scientific
Handbook of Applicable Mathematics Series (https://web.archive.org/web/20140513162457/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?series_id=194353) by Walter Ledermann

External links
Media related to Applied mathematics at Wikimedia Commons
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (http://www.siam.org/) (SIAM) is a
professional society dedicated to promoting the interaction between mathematics and other
scientific and technical communities. Aside from organizing and sponsoring numerous
conferences, SIAM is a major publisher of research journals and books in applied
mathematics.
The Applicable Mathematics Research Group (https://web.archive.org/web/2013032913242
3/http://math.nd.edu/research/research-groups-in-mathematics/applicable-mathematics/) at
Notre Dame University
Centre for Applicable Mathematics (https://web.archive.org/web/20180401213544/http://ww
w.hope.ac.uk/research/researchcentres/researchcentredetails/centreforapplicablemathemati
cs/) at Liverpool Hope University
Applicable Mathematics research group (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194828/htt
p://www.gcu.ac.uk/ebe/aboutus/subjectgroups/applicablemathematics/) at Glasgow
Caledonian University

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Applied_mathematics&oldid=1042799394"

This page was last edited on 6 September 2021, at 20:45 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.