Seeing further: the story of science & the Royal Society — 15 IAN STEWART

1. 1. Mathematics underpins much of today's technology, yet its role remains largely invisible to the public and even to many scientists.
2. 2. The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed on Mars in 2004 using airbags that bounced 27 times, relying on mathematics from Newton's laws to Einstein's refinements.
3. 3. George Boole's 1854 book 'An Investigation of the Laws of Thought' founded Boolean algebra, which became essential for digital computers and error-correcting codes like Reed–Solomon.
4. 4. Reed–Solomon codes, based on Galois fields, are used in NASA's Mars Rovers, CD players, and virtually all digital communications to correct transmission errors.
5. 5. JPEG image compression uses Fourier transforms, Huffman coding, and zigzag ordering to reduce file size, relying on mathematics from the 19th century.
6. 6. GPS relies on pseudo-random number sequences and mathematical calculations of satellite positions to determine receiver location.
7. 7. Computational fluid dynamics, used for aircraft design, Formula 1 cars, and medical blood flow analysis, relies on mathematical simulations that are more accurate than physical wind tunnels.
8. 8. Mathematics saves lives through medical scans, FBI fingerprint analysis using wavelets, and oil exploration via seismic echo analysis.
9. 9. The public and media are largely unaware of mathematics' role because it is embedded in chips and software, making it invisible even to users.