How is math related to science?

Math, as an independent field of study, is the foundation of science and makes modern technological advances possible. Consequently, every student majoring in science is required to have basic knowledge of math. While there is no absolute answer to how math affects the development of science, in my opinion, I think that math is related to science in two ways.

To begin with, science substantially leverages inductive reasoning, a bottom-up approach to advancing knowledge from a series of observations. Inductive reasoning starts with data collection followed by insightful observation of any outstanding patterns where scientists can draw a conclusion. While the robustness of the conclusion is subject and vulnerable to the completeness of the observations, this research paradigm provides a big picture of mystery. Conversely, without the ability of inductive reasoning, scientific advancement could stagnate and stall. Inductive reasoning is especially helpful in exploratory science, where no obvious theories could guide the scientists. For instance, a company suffering from poor attendance among its employees may conduct exploratory research to unravel the cause. The scientist collects data from every aspect of the company and employees such as working hours, office cleanliness, health services, etc. From the collected data, a pattern may stand out and guide the company to address absenteeism.

Next, science is, likewise, considerably dependent on deductive reasoning, a top-down approach to deriving knowledge based on premises. On the basis of the premises, scientists take advantage of logical deduction to establish more sophisticated hypotheses, which are later tested using empirical observations and become theories. While this approach to science requires substantial knowledge of math, the resulting theories are usually breathtaking and groundbreaking. Take physics for example. Despite the complexity of our university, theoretical physicists are capable of conjecturing and hypothesizing the behaviors of space objects on a piece of paper. Their mathematical models are conducive to experimental physicists who collect the data using expensive instruments to verify the hypotheses. Together, under the paradigm of deductive reasoning, theoretical and experimental physicists broaden our knowledge of the universe.

To sum up, math is related to science in two ways, inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning, both of which scientists can take advantage of to advance science. Therefore, it is definitely worth spending time and putting effort into math for every scientist if they wish to accomplish a breakthrough in their research.