HOW MATHS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Chris Budd

Degree opportunities in

Mathematics and Statistics

SOME COMMON VIEWS OF MATHEMATICS

• MATHS IS HARD

• MATHS IS BORING

• MATHS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL LIFE

• ALL MATHEMATICIANS ARE MAD!

None of this is true!

Mathematics and statistics are great subjects to study at university and lead to a huge number of careers

INCLUDING HOLLYWOOD!!!!!!!!!

MATHS AND CRIME

A short mathematical story

• Burglar robs a bank

• Escapes in getaway car

• Pursued by police

• GOOD NEWS Police take a photo

• BAD NEWS Photo is blurred

Original

Blurred

SOLUTION

Take the photo to a mathematician

Original

f(x)

Blurring

h(x) = f(x)*g(x)

• Maths gives a formula for blurring convolution

• By inverting the formula we can get rid of the blur

g(x)

Processed image : Image Processing

Maths has made the modern world possible ….

None of the following would work without maths …

Mobile phones

GPS

Ipods

SATNAV

CDs

Radar

Digital TV

Linear algebra, graph theory, SVDGoogle:

Error correcting codes: Galois theory

Internet: Network theory

Security: Fermat, RSA

Mathematicians really have made the modern world possibleMathematicians really have made the modern world possible

Medical imaging: Radon Transform

Communications: FFT, Shannon

Medical Statistics: Nightingale

A few other examples ….

This could be you: Maths is important in a huge number of careers including:

Finance and banking

IT

Management

Insurance+Risk

Weather forecasting

Environmental science

Code breaking

Medical imaging

Teaching

Transport planning

Government

Social services

Supermarkets and Food

Computer Games

Film industry!

So .. Why might you want to study maths at university

• Because you like doing maths, maths is fun!!! This is the best reason

• Because the challenge of doing hard mathematical problems teaches you problem solving and logic skills which are of great value to employers

• Because you want to be a leader in the technology of the future

• Because you want to get a great job …

70% of all jobs want people with good mathematical skills

Mathematicians have greater earning potential than nearly all other degrees

What to expect in any university maths degree

Lots of maths!!!! Pure, Applied and Statistics

Computing and IT

Possible industrial placement

Possible placement overseas

Training in thinking logically, to construct careful arguments and to use abstract ideas

Key skills: Presentations, reports, team work

€

x 2

a2+y 2

b2=1

Bath Degree: Typically 4 years long

2 years study + one year in industry + 1 years study (BSc) : most popular

2 years study + one year study overseas + 1years study

4 years study (Mmath)

After your degree you can:

Get a job (Maths students are very employable)

Travel the world

Do further study: MSc eg. In Climate Science

Do research in maths: PhD eg. In differential equations

Courses in the first year (Most maths courses are like this)

All students do 5 courses per semester, two semesters

Each course = 3 lectures + one tutorial per week

20 Contact hours + Personal tutor time

100 hours per course including personal study

• Algebra: Sets, groups, numbers

• Analysis: Series, limits, continuity

• Methods + Applications: Calculus and mechanics

• Probability + Statistics

• Programming + Discrete Maths: All in Matlab, Codes

Algebra and Analysis are new material with heavy emphasis on PROOF

Huge choice of courses in years 2,3 and 4 (other universities are similar)

Modular assessment

Geometry Mechanics Discrete maths

Group Theory

Mathematical Biology Computing

Numerical Analysis

Mathematical Finance Cryptography

Chaos Theory Topology

Fluid mechanics

Partial Differential Equations

Probability Control Theory

Medical Statistics Galois Theory

Logic

You can nearly always do courses in other subjects too, eg. Economics, Chinese

Assessment: Most universities are very similar

Weekly: Problem sheets in each course

Each Semester: Exam for each course

Some courses have some course work eg. Programming

Some final year courses are ALL course work

Eg. Final year project

Usually have opportunities for retaking exams or doing extra work

After 3 or 4 years you get a degree!!

Your degree is managed by a Director of Studies team

You are also assigned a Personal Tutor

What if I get stuck?

• Lots of other students to ask

• Tutorial sessions: Groups of about 10

• Drop in help sessions: Informal, varying in size

• On line notes and guidance and email to lecturer

• Personal tutor help: Individual

• Student Counseling + Student Support: Individual

How Do I Apply?

All students apply through UCAS Entry Grades vary

Bath: A* (Maths), A (Further Maths), B (other), and 2 in STEP

A* A A (other) and no STEP

A* A*,A (other) and 2 in STEP

Other universities may or may not require Further Maths and/or STEP

But ALL will require a good performance in A level Maths

You MUST check on the University website

Also .. DO go on Open Days and ask lots of questions

Personal Statement:

We want to see evidence of raw mathematical ability and a genuine interest in doing maths at university

Not much else matters

What Happens Next?

If you stay on at university then you can go on to do research in mathematics in a PhD.

Lots of students do this!

Many universities spend a huge amount of their effort doing research

My own current research is into the mathematics of weather and climate

But you could do number thoery, differential equations, financial maths, networks, ….

Maths: Limitless possibilities and unlimited career opportunities

http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/

To find out more .. Have a look at