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Sustainability & Mathematics Sara Jamshidi, Penn State University Slide 2 What exactly is a mathematician? Illustration by Brad Clark Slide 3 Picturing Professions Taken from brandoncole.com, thetimenow.com, stfc.ac.uk, and educationcareerarticles.com. Slide 4 Does a Mathematician Look Like This? Taken from thejournal.ie Slide 5 Is This Mathematical Research? Taken from Look Around You: Maths Slide 6 What Mathematicians Really Do Mathematicians study structure, both physical and hypothetical Recognize Patterns Extrapolate (Make Predictions) Devise Efficient Methodologies Classify Provide Different Aggregate Perspectives And So On Slide 7 An Example of An Analogy Taken from Mark Levis Classical Mechanics with Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control \\ Slide 8 An Example of Structure Slide 9 Mathematicians Study Structure Develop a Language Describe Relations Make Deductions Form Analogies Embeddings Question: Is that what you learned in your math class? Taken from math.utah.edu Slide 10 Problems in the Classroom Real Math Isnt Taught Classrooms focus on calculations Logic & proof are de-emphasized Exploration is virtually non-existent Math instructors often have fixed mindsets Math Anxiety Discouragement This is not a system that encourages mathematical thinking. Slide 11 What is Sustainability ? A sustainable system is one that can endure and remain diverse and productive Taken from UNESCO.org Slide 12 Sustainability is Mathematical Sustainability asks: what happens to a system as time goes to infinity? Dynamical systems, an area of mathematics studies this exact question Not just for biological systems, but all systems Slide 13 Misunderstanding the Issue Climate change is the *best* understood topic related to sustainability. There is still much room for improvement The government cant change the weather. (Sen. Marco Rubio) Carbon dioxide, Mister Speaker, is a natural byproduct of nature. Carbon dioxide is natural. It occurs in Earth. It is a part of the regular lifecycle of Earth. In fact, life on planet Earth cant even exist without carbon dioxide. (Rep. Michele Bachmann) Slide 14 Summary Argument 1. We do not teach math effectively. 2. Sustainability is a mathematical topic. 3. People struggle to understand sustainability. My Claim: If real math was effectively taught, people would understand the concept better thereby creating a stronger impetus for action. Slide 15 Common Counter Arguments This is how math has always been taught. A person could learn this on their own. A math class needs to prepare people for other disciplines, which require knowledge of calculation Engineering Statistics Computer Science Physics People calculate everyday. There isnt enough time to do both. Not everyone is cut out for real math. Slide 16 Two Examples How We Might Think about Everyday Decisions Slide 17 Example 1: DEATH Lets play a game called Cash Roulette. Every time you go grocery shopping, you have the option of pressing a button. 99.99999% of the time, you save 30% on your bill 0.00001% of the time, 40% of your community dies. Would you play? What if your neighbors played? Taken from moma.org Slide 18 The Real Game Taken from mikenv.hubpages.com, salon.com, minimalistmum.blogspot.com, nytimes.com Slide 19 Example 2: TAXES How do we make a two box water fountain efficient? We can adjust the system by: 1. adjusting the pump, and 2. widening the hole. Slide 20 Tax Fountain This is simplified economy is just another fountain. We can adjust the fountain by adjusting the tax rates. The water for this fountain is money. Slide 21 What Do You Think? I claim that mathematical understanding allows us to Understand large systems Make better personal decisions Have better conversations Teaching math this way Is difficult: Teacher transition Takes time away from learning calculation Might not make a difference Slide 22 Thank you for listening! Disclaimer: Math may not actually exist