Maths – Language of science

If we look around there will be 7 out of 10 students who might be fearful of their Maths exams in their schools the most. My question would be why? Because we don’t know what is the use of that math we are studying. Because we can’t picture the science this math shows us.

Let’s see if I can help you in connecting to this weirdly fantastic subject.

We know language is a tool to communicate expressions and emotions. And when we read words or a sentence we build a picture in the back of our mind. Because that’s how it works. The brain remembers pictures, scents and sounds but not words. So reading a book will create an image like a scene playing with characters moving around.

Well, that’s how math helps us create the picture of science. The language of science is math. The rotation of a ball, the flying of birds, the falling of rain, etc. We can see them. But science finds its expression only in terms of math.

I know, my words might bounce off your head. But hey, I’ve got an example for you.

The phenomena of seeing the world with our eyes. The science of light and refraction and all that conversion to let us see the world as it is. For the thousands of shades and names of colors, the farthest of the distances, and the smallest of the details; all made possible by two small balls that sit in our head.

Wanna know how?

Eye, what we see as a part of our body, according to science is an optical instrument, or a camera in simple language. The eyelids can be compared to the shutter of the camera, and the cornea and crystalline lens to the lens of the camera. It’s the apparatus that focuses on the image we are trying to capture. And well the refractory system of our eye is far far advanced than the best iPhone’s camera. Almost fifty times more efficient.

Woooww, that’s surprising!!

The overall size of our eyeball is just 2.5 cm. And for images to fall on the retina (that is the screen or the reel inside the camera), and for us to see, there should be a great level of refraction of light. So you know, refraction is the bending of light due to a change in medium.

And the eye is a cocktail of changing mediums!

With math we tend to simplify the whole eyeball with a single convex lens. And to know the adjustments that lead us to see clearly we need to understand the lens maker formula.

1/f = 1/v + 1/u

Where, f is the focal length of eye lens

            u is the distance of object we want to see

            v is the distance of image formed by the lens

In the case of the eye, the image always needs to be formed on the retina, i.e. 17 mm from the lens. Thereby the focus of our lens changes with the help of the muscles in our eye, to let us see from the nearest to farthest objects. And this ability to adjust, if defected or lost, we take help of lens (i.e. glasses) to bring out the perfect combination of lenses with just the right focal length of our natural eye.

Also, Power of lens = 1/f

            Where distances are kept in meter

Therefore, natural power of lens(P) = 100(1/1.7 + 1/u)

So, power of the lens for far point of eye, that is infinite, is:

            P = 100(1/1.7 + 0)

            P = 58.82 Dioptre

Similarly, power of lens for near point of eye, that is 25 cm, is:

            P = 100(1/1.7 +1/25)

            P = 62.82 Dioptre

So can we picture a system of lenses adjusting in and out in a camera, to focus at objects of different distances. As when we focus on the farthest of the sky, the near objects get blurred. And isn’t it so beautiful to read these math equations and picture these beautiful eye clicking pictures of great moments? Does it make math a fearful subject? Or do we now know why math exists. Not just to shuffle with numbers and variables. It is for us to understand science.

Hope I got this point well for you. Enjoy math!!