Sustainability & Mathematics
Sara Jamshidi, Penn State University
What exactly is a
mathematician?
Illustration by Brad Clark
Picturing Professions
Taken from brandoncole.com, thetimenow.com, stfc.ac.uk, and educationcareerarticles.com.
Does a Mathematician Look Like This?
Taken from thejournal.ie
Is This Mathematical Research?
Taken from Look Around You: Maths
What Mathematicians Really Do
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Mathematicians study structure, both physical and
hypothetical
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Recognize Patterns
Extrapolate (Make Predictions)
Devise Efficient Methodologies
Classify
Provide Different Aggregate Perspectives
And So On…
An Example of An Analogy
Taken from Mark Levi’s Classical Mechanics with Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control \\
An Example of Structure
Mathematicians Study Structure
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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
Problems in the Classroom
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Real Math Isn’t Taught
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Math instructors often have fixed mindsets
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Classrooms focus on calculations
Logic & proof are de-emphasized
Exploration is virtually non-existent
Math Anxiety
Discouragement
This is not a system that encourages mathematical
thinking.
What is Sustainability?
A sustainable system is
one that can
endure and remain
diverse and productive
Taken from UNESCO.org
Sustainability is Mathematical
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Sustainability asks:
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what happens to a system as time goes to infinity?
Dynamical systems, an area of mathematics studies this
exact question
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Not just for biological systems, but all systems
Misunderstanding the Issue
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Climate change is the *best* understood topic related to
sustainability.
There is still much room for improvement…
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“The government can’t 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 can’t
even exist without carbon dioxide.”
(Rep. Michele Bachmann)
Summary Argument
1.
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We do not teach math effectively.
Sustainability is a mathematical topic.
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.
Common Counter Arguments
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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
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Engineering
Statistics
Computer Science
Physics
People calculate everyday.
There isn’t enough time to do both.
Not everyone is cut out for real math.
Two Examples
How We Might Think about Everyday Decisions
Example 1: DEATH
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Let’s play a game called “Cash Roulette.”
Every time you go grocery shopping, you have the option
of pressing a button.
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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
The Real Game
Taken from mikenv.hubpages.com, salon.com, minimalistmum.blogspot.com, nytimes.com
Example 2: TAXES
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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.
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.
What Do You Think?
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I claim that mathematical understanding allows us to
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Understand large systems
Make better personal decisions
Have better conversations
Teaching math this way
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Is difficult: Teacher transition
Takes time away from learning calculation
Might not make a difference
Thank you for listening!
Disclaimer: Math may not actually exist…