Netizens! You must be aware that Shakuntala Devi was called as the “human computer”, including being a writer and mathematician wrapped up into one. In fact, she strove really hard to simplify mathematics for her students. Her life and accomplishments have been inspiring for many and is being clubbed together in a biopic which is to be released on Amazon Prime on 31st July. Actress Vidya Balan will be essaying the role of the vibrant math wizard in the biopic.
To begin with, let’s take a stroll down the memory lane when many of us dreaded the thought of mathematics in school life. Remember, suffering a “math trauma”? Or you might have got thousands of panic attacks while sitting for a math exam!
Equations are an integral medium for describing elaborating how things in the natural world function and interact. But some equations tend to have had a more far-reaching influence than others.
Longest equations in the world?
According to Sciencealert, the longest math equation contains around 200 terabytes of text. Called the Boolean Pythagorean Triples problem, it was first proposed by California-based mathematician Ronald Graham, back in the 1980s.
Here we present 10 such equations, and also help answer some common questions about equations on the net.
Table of Contents
1. Pythagoras theorem
A typical school mathematics lesson, this equation stands as one of those equations that actually changed the world. It enabled us to formulate better maps and help find the shortest distance between things; amongst other things.
This equation is still utilised in architecture, woodworking, and many other fields.
2. Calculus
“Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or “the calculus of infinitesimals”, is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way, that geometry is the study of shape and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithmetic operations.” – Wikipedia.
Developed independently by the great Isaac Newton and Sir Gottfried Leibniz, it joined algebra and geometry as one of the pillars of mathematics after its inception.
3. Logarithms
Logarithms are another type of equation that is also of immense importance. They enabled to make strenuous calculations before calculators existed.
A logarithm is a quantity representing the power to which a fixed number (the base) must be raised to produce a given number. Using logarithm tables allowed the elimination of many tedious steps in calculations in fields such as surveying, navigation, and engineering.
4. Relativity
Einstein’s famous equations on Relativity secures a place firmly in our textbooks. It not only answered many previously unsolved questions, but it also helped changed our perspective towards time, space, and gravity.
It is used to assist in explaining everything from black holes to the big bang, to nuclear power, and also GPS on our phones.
5. Normal Distribution
Statistics enthusiasts! You are all familiar with bell curve graphs. They help to describe the distribution of data in a given set.
It is really helpful for anything from IQs within a population to the results of an exam amongst a group of students.
6. Schrodinger’s equation
Schrodinger’s Equation is an integral element for modern computer chips and lasers. It also helps keep cats in a form of suspended animation between life and death, apparently.
But seriously, this equation literally changed the face of quantum physics forever. It is a linear partial differential equation that elucidates the wave function of a quantum-mechanical system. Its discovery was a historic landmark in the development of quantum mechanics.
7. Newton’s Law of Gravity
“Newton’s law of universal gravitation states that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.” – Wikipedia.
Newton’s Law of Gravity is one of the most fundamental equations in physics. Without this, the knowledge on the entire functioning of action and reaction would seem meaningless.
8. Wave Equation
“The wave equation describes the behavior of waves — a vibrating guitar string, ripples in a pond after a stone is thrown, or light coming out of an incandescent bulb. The wave equation was an early differential equation, and the techniques developed to solve the equation opened the door to understanding other differential equations as well.” – businessinsider.com.
It effectively forms an essential component of electromagnetism, optics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer.
9. Second Law of Thermodynamics
“This states that, in a closed system, entropy (S) is always steady or increasing. Thermodynamic entropy is, roughly speaking, a measure of how disordered a system is. A system that starts out in an ordered, uneven state — say, a hot region next to a cold region — will always tend to even out, with heat flowing from the hot area to the cold area until evenly distributed.” – businessinsider.com.
It helps us, among other things, to understand the direction of heat transfer. Primary school physics will definitely comprise a smaller relevant portion of this concept.
10. Fourier Transform
Thıs equation is basıcally at the heart of modern sıgnal processıng. It is also essential for signal analysis and data compression.
“The Fourier transform is essential to understanding more complex wave structures, like human speech. Given a complicated, messy wave function like a recording of a person talking, the Fourier transform allows us to break the messy function into a combination of a number of simple waves, greatly simplifying analysis.” – businessinsider.com.