Introduction
Mathematics has played a large part in the military since 200 BCE and the military, in turn, has pushed Mathematicians to produce new theories to keep the leaders well-trained in artillery, cartography, and other areas of mathematics to maintain power. There are many well-known Mathematicians in our history, but how their work has shaped the military we know today is not always as clear. Archimedes designed fulcrums and pulleys, which made tasks more manageable and is more commonly thought of in conjunction with the construction trade. However, this Before Common Era advancement also played a large part in military fortification. Apollonius helped to determine the path a bomb would take when fired and Claudius Ptolemy created maps. The work of Galileo and Fermat during the middle ages led to trajectory and cartography. A military that took advantage of this information in their strategic planning would have an advantage over an enemy that did not understand this mathematical complexity. Modern times have seen the creation of robots, drones, and encryption which many would attribute to scientific breakthroughs but have deep roots in math. Euler and Robin have contributed to better artillery for the military as well. The military has been able to use new breakthroughs in Mathematics to its advantage by improving its strategic planning and being more exact in its calculations.
Task
Your task is to take one of the fantasy map locations below and describe how you would defend it and how those defenses use mathematics.
Process
Steps:
1. Use the following links to learn how math has helped to improve military defenses. Use your imagination, how else are pulleys and levers used in defense besides the items mentioned below? Research other ideas and provide a link to your source.
Pulleys:
Building shape:
https://www.mathscareers.org.uk/the-maths-of-castles-and-forts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastion_fort
Trajectory:
2. Then choose one of the fantasy map locations below.
https://inkarnate.com/m/dwpejM-city-map-1/
https://inkarnate.com/m/OLpzJj-city-map-2/
https://inkarnate.com/m/ZbG58X-city-map-3/
3. Study your map location and use the research you did on how the military has used math to develop their defenses and describe how you would protect your area from attack, or what counter-attack measures you would rely on.
4. Create a presentation outlining how a branch of mathematics impacted your decisions. You can create art to showcase what the defenses would look like, and give a short verbal description with written sources (drawing, animation, slide show with images, poster, or diorama), write a descriptive paper with works cited, or give an entirely oral presentation and explain where you found your information.. Whatever you are more comfortable with as long as it gives all the details required.
Evaluation
The math of defense (50 Points)
Organization (15 points) Criteria Total Points Score
Audience Appropriate 5
Logical Sequence 5
Quality References 5
Content (30 points)
Introduction is catchy and 5
explains what you are defending
Presentation contains 10
accurate information
Material remains relevant 5
Presentation is 5-7 minutes 5
Conclusion sums up all 5
necessary points
Sources (5 points) Sources are cited correctly 5
Conclusion
When we think of the military and the defenses of various locations in the world, and throughout history, math is not usually a subject that comes to mind. The purpose of this project was to learn more about the history of math and how things have progressed over time, as well as how we use math in our lives without being aware of it.
Credits
Knight, J. (2022, December 4). ." science and its times: Understanding the social significance of scientific discovery. . encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2022 . Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts…
Archimedes Claw. (2015). Youtube. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1YrueoGlbE.
Budd, C. (2020, September 24). The maths of castles and Forts. Maths Careers. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.mathscareers.org.uk/the-maths-of-castles-and-forts/
Gates, S. (2022). Create Fantasy Maps Online. Inkarnate. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://inkarnate.com/m/dwpejM-city-map-1/
Gates, S. (2022). Create Fantasy Maps Online. Inkarnate. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://inkarnate.com/m/OLpzJj-city-map-2/
Gates, S. (2022). Create Fantasy Maps Online. Inkarnate. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://inkarnate.com/m/ZbG58X-city-map-3/
Wikipedia. (2022, November 28). Bastion Fort. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastion_fort
YouTube. (2020). Lesson about Trajectory. YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuFd7QaG6Rs.
YouTube. (2021). Medieval Engineering | How Trebuchets Work. YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTBDc19eW2o.