The role of mathematics in scientific development

Mathematics is to explore the mysteries of the universe. As we all know, the laws of planets and strata, heat and electricity, variation and existence all involve mathematical truth. If language reflects and reveals the voice of the creator, then mathematics reflects and reveals the wisdom of the creator, repeating the story of how things mutate into existence. Mathematics concentrates and guides our energy, self-esteem and desire for knowledge, so as to live in God's big family. Just as literature induces people's emotion and understanding, mathematics stimulates people's imagination and reasoning ability.

The foundation of high technology is applied science, and the foundation of applied science is mathematics. In this way, mathematics will surely become the most powerful accelerator for the rapid development of society and push the society forward; Mathematics will be the golden key to open the door of science hall and help us to have a treasure house of knowledge; Mathematics will give us the most powerful wings and let us fly to a brilliant tomorrow.

In the process of scientific development, the role of mathematics has become increasingly prominent. On the one hand, the foundation of high technology is applied science, and the foundation of applied science is mathematics; On the other hand, with the rapid development of computer science, mathematics has the dual identity of science and technology, and modern science and technology is increasingly manifested as a mathematical technology. The prominent feature of contemporary science and technology is quantification, and the symbol of quantification is the application of mathematical ideas and methods. Accurate quantitative thinking is the same requirement for contemporary scientific and technological personnel. The so-called quantitative thinking means that people abstract the mathematical problems in reality into a mathematical model, get the solution or approximate solution of this model through mathematical calculation, then go back to reality to test, modify the model when necessary, make it more practical, and finally compile the calculation software for solving problems in order to get a wider and more convenient application. The characteristics of high technology, such as high precision, high speed, high automation, high quality and high efficiency, are all realized by computer control and mathematical models and methods.

Electronic computer is the product of the combination of mathematics and engineering technology, and mathematics has played a key role in every historical juncture of its development.

A physicist wrote: "Throughout the tortuous history of physics, there is a constant factor, and that is the absolute importance of mathematical imagination. Every century has its own unique scientific foresight and unique mathematical style. The main progress of physical science in each century has been made under the guidance of the combination of empirical observation and pure mathematical intuition. For a physicist, mathematics is not only a tool for calculating phenomena, but also the main source for creating concepts and principles of new theories. "

China's tests to develop an atomic bomb are only one-tenth that of western countries. It took only two years and three months from the atomic bomb explosion to the successful development of the hydrogen bomb, which was much shorter than that in the United States. One of the reasons is that many outstanding mathematicians have been selected to participate in the development work.

The Three Gorges Project of the Yangtze River has attracted worldwide attention. According to the design, the total installed hydropower capacity of the Three Gorges Project is 65.438+07.68 million kilowatts, and the annual power generation is 84 billion kWh. When the Three Gorges Dam is completed, it will be a concrete dam with a height of 200 meters and a length of nearly 2000 meters, which is simply a concrete hill. There are countless problems to be solved in the construction of such a grand project, and the most important one is the heat generated by the chemical reaction of mass concrete during the setting process. This huge heat will endanger the safety of the dam. The computer software developed by scientists in China can dynamically simulate the temperature, stress and creep of mass concrete construction, can be used to analyze and compare various construction schemes, design the best construction process control, and can also be used to monitor the operation period after the completion of the dam to ensure the safety of the dam. It can be said that mathematics has played an important role in the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.

Mathematics plays an important role in modern war. Some people say that World War I was a "chemical war" (gunpowder). The Second World War was a "physical war" (machinery), and the modern war was a "mathematical war" (information and computers).

199 1 1 Before the United States launched the "Desert Storm" action against Iraq, the United States seriously considered the consequences if Iraq set fire to all oil wells in Kuwait. According to the American Supercomputing Review, the Pentagon asked Pacific Serra Research to study this issue. Using the theory of partial differential equation and mathematical model, the company has carried out a series of simulation calculations, and concluded that the smoke caused by fire may lead to major pollution events, which will spread to the Persian Gulf, southern Iran, Pakistan and northern India, but will not get out of control, causing global climate change and irreparable damage to the earth's ecological and economic systems. This prompted the United States to make up its mind to implement the "Desert Storm" action.

During the 1998 flood in China, in order to ensure the safety of large industrial cities such as Wuhan and Nanjing, the relevant departments faced the problem of Jingjiang flood diversion. 20 tons of explosives have been loaded and the countdown to blasting has entered, but this plan was abandoned at the last minute. According to the news report at that time, the water conservancy expert group composed of many experts used the finite element method in mathematics to calculate the volume leakage of Jingjiang levee and determined a safety factor. According to this result, even if the water level in Shashi rises to 45.3 meters, the Yangtze River levee can be strictly guarded against death without scoring.