[MarkL]

You know, I think that it was touched on by some people here, but I think that a very interesting term paper could be done on mathematical applications in "normal life." I mean, every aspect of life. For instance, the AC current that lights your room requires imaginary numbers. The math required for use in microwave oven, and even the new inductive heat element ranges. The math involved in designing limited flow shower heads. The calculus required in painting oddly shaped structures. As has been posted, there are so many people who think that they never will need to use math. It seems that could be a very interesting project that could fill 10 pages, and at the same time, isn't just a paper of proofs.

Mark

[snowsislander]

You know, I think that it was touched on by some people here, but I think that a very interesting term paper could be done on mathematical applications in "normal life."

For the mathematics behind another very practical application, you could look at tiling also.

[The_Reader_David]

Require imaginary numbers? Not really. But describing AC current (or for that matter electromagnetism) succinctly requires either the use of complex numbers (sums of real numbers and imaginary numbers*) or something with the same algebraic structure.

You can dodge actually using them, if you really don’t like complex numbers, by using square matrices of real numbers whose diagonal entries are equal, and whose off-diaganal entries are negatives of each other. (Of course, under matrix addition and multiplication, these are just a copy of the complex numbers under their usual addition and multiplication.)

*I know *you* know this, but other readers of the thread might not.