How math really effect on Engineering

Thread Starter

micropad

Joined Dec 24, 2011
106
Hi Have a nice day

I am engineering students ( Electrical Electronics Engineering )
Our lecture teaching us following math subject this days
Polynomial
Remainder Theorem
Factor Theorem

I asked where the exactly use this theorem in the Engineering

I have no answer

Do you have please
Thanks in advanced
 

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,285
The theory of most engineering disciplines is largely applied mathematics.
Since you don't know which of the math subjects you may need in the particular specialty you end up working in, you need to get a good, general understanding of all branches of math.
That way when you run into a particular design problem in your engineering discipline, you will be familiar with the math tools to help solve the problem.
I know math can be somewhat of a pain (it certainly was for me) but it's a necessary pain.
If you skimp on the math then your understanding of engineering will be meager at best.
 

Papabravo

Joined Feb 24, 2006
21,159
If you could see the future you would only need to learn the things you would need. Since you can't see the future you must learn as much as you can so you will be prepared. It is beyond pointless to worry about the usefulness of a specific thing because it is all connected. If learning is too much trouble, then I would certainly advise you not to waste what precious time you have on something you find unsatisfying. The world will not be a better or worse place because of your decision.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,086
I love math
Can you give a single example please
Thanks in advanced
Stay safe
Designing hardware and writing software for specialized 3-phase motor drivers. Clarke and Park transforms, Space Vector PWM, etc ...

You don't need to be a math wizard but you do need to be familiar with the basic math concepts like Transformations Theory and tensor math. Understanding the math makes the engineering problem
easier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-quadrature-zero_transformation


https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/pic32mk-mc-qei-example.150351/post-1530400
https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/pic32mk-mc-qei-example.150351/post-1550621
 

rsjsouza

Joined Apr 21, 2014
383
Polynomials are incredible tools to aid in solving circuits and linear control systems, therefore are applicable to engineering in general. Nowadays, with the massive increase in computing power at the power of your hand, numerical methods to solve problems are becoming much more common and therefore give the impression the older tools are not as useful. I can tell that, solving a circuit or a system using math gives you a great sense of the various relationships between the elements of a system.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
I believe that real engineers don't use as much calculus as they do in mathematics. However, knowing some calculus and how it works is very useful for solving an engineering problem. For example, when a computer program needs to be modified to fit a new model.
Don’t you need calculus to determine the behavior of capacitors and inductors ???

This is mostly a rhetorical question…
 

sparky 1

Joined Nov 3, 2018
756
A research drone company for example needs to accomplish certain functions, the company has a few ideas but needs optimization to improve the prototype model for a production run for another company that was anxious to contract it if it would meet their specifications. So now they hand you a book that explains all that but you peeked inside and all the greek letters jumped out showing their nasty head. It was your job to hammer on all the bugs and do a makeover on electrical charecteristics which were in polynomials nested within a microcontroller which did hiccups.

Because Mr Wonka was feeling good that day when you showed him your drone that was out in your car so they decided to give you a try it might be fun and after all the book showed a bunch of test results on graphs but you had some experience with your own drone control system which impressed them. Since they are paying you to make their drone work this meant that you had to meet or surpass the specs that would involve having an understanding of what they wanted. Polynomials what ever. Good thing you had a diverse skill set in mathematics because the next board meeting would finalize the contract if your numbers and graphs convinced them your work was going to make them money.
 

Sice1945

Joined Nov 23, 2021
3
In my engineering work, I often use algebra, because a lot of what an engineer needs to work has already been proven, defined, calculated and presented in the form of tables or ready-made formulas (for example, in design codes). It remains only to substitute the correct values into these formulas. Sometimes you need to remember something from vector geometry. Knowledge, for example, in differential calculus and integration, I needed only in scientific activity. After completing work on the dissertation, I never returned to these questions.
 

Delta Prime

Joined Nov 15, 2019
1,311
Hello there :)
I am a not so humble electronic technician that uses algebraic equations and polynomial expressions everyday.
According to factor theorem, if f(x) is a polynomial of degree n ≥ 1 and 'a' is any real number, then, (x-a) is a factor of f(x), if f(a)=0.
A power factor meter tells you what the power factor is (a number between 0 and 1)
Key scientific formulas, including gravity equations, feature polynomial expressions. These algebraic equations help scientists to measure relationships between characteristics such as force, mass and acceleration.
 

MrSalts

Joined Apr 2, 2020
2,767
Don’t you need calculus to determine the behavior of capacitors and inductors ???

This is mostly a rhetorical question…
In detail, yes. But rules-of-thumb with simple time-constant calculations are often just as good since the tolerances of capacitors is generally quite poor.
 

sparky 1

Joined Nov 3, 2018
756
We did not know how to pinpoint an exact solution of all these mysterious charts.
We just collected empirical data and made charts of complex changing system.
Some had stumbled upon compact expressions that seem to work at least gave hope that an assumption might lead to a conclusion. Expanding these and making sense would take time. There were great efforts to show equalities backwards and forwards reducing terms and everytime navigating to an exact point. This had the effect of speeding up and giving precision to engineering problem solving however it became a distraction from why nature has such intelligent design.
 

MrSalts

Joined Apr 2, 2020
2,767
An engineering professsor from MIT (if I remember correctly) did a survey of engineers and found only some very small (single digit) percent used calculus in the past year in their job. Almost all engineers who were working in engineering roles (non-management roles) claimed to use math at least weekly.
Then he correlated that most engineering students that flunk out of engineering programs, flunk out because of calculus or calculus based physics classes. The professor was promoting a non-calc based engineering program and more time in applied mathematics and computer-based data analysis to overcome any shortage of engineers.
 
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