Throughout my math career at Loras, I came into contact with many different

axes of mathematical understanding, including continuous and discrete, and

theoretical and applied. Although not always specifically stated, these axes were
present in courses throughout the last four years and helped me in developing
problem solving skills and a mathematical mind.
Continuous refers to a variable or function that can take on any value
between two specified values. For instance if you are surveying a group of students
for their GPA then the values would need to fall within the data range 0.0 to 4.0. We
say a function is continuous when there exist to gaps, breaks, or holes in the graph,
or the graph must always be defined for all possible values. Continuous objects vary
smoothly meaning that in between any two values we can find a third distinct
value also in the given set. Fields of mathematics that use continuous data include
calculus, and (?).
Discrete mathematics deals with variables with distinct, separate values.
Discrete sets are countable, ordered, and can contain natural numbers or integers
but not the set of real numbers. An example of a discrete variable would be flipping
a coin to count the number of heads. The number of heads obtained would be a
positive whole number, between 0 and infinity. Fields of mathematics that are
considered to be part of discrete mathematics include combinatorics, graph theory
and the theory of computation.
The term discrete is used in contrast with continuous, because they use
different sets of numbers. Continuous uses all real numbers, where discrete uses
integers and natural numbers. An illustration of this difference can be seen with
different types of clocks. A digital watch is considered discrete because no time in

between 12:12:01 and 12:12:02 exists. On an analog clock the hands move
continuously around the circle, there are infinitely many times in between 12:12:01
and 12:12:02 that can be represented. Discrete and continuous math were both
used in classes such as statistics depending on the object you were analyzing.
Two other axes I came into contact with were theoretical and applied.
Theoretical mathematics is almost every homework problem ever given. It is the
study of basic concepts and structures that underline each different field of
mathematics. Theoretical math is math for the sake of doing math. This type of
math is what is most encountered in classes because it is the building blocks of
understanding. Types of theoretical mathematics include differential equations,
calculus, abstract algebra and real analysis.
Applied mathematics is the mathematical study of general concepts, and
principles that occur (or can occur) in the real world. Applied math is math for the
sake of practical use. Examples of classes that used applied math are discrete,
numerical analysis, and computer science. Applied math is used in industrial jobs,
the sciences, and many different fields.
Theoretical math is needed to be able to do applied math because through
learning theoretical skills we are able to then apply them to practical uses. We often
do not see applied mathematics until we have mastered theoretical math because
the understanding of theoretical math helps us to solve the real world problems that
applied mathematics deals with. Both types of mathematics are important because
they can be found almost anywhere in society, and you cannot have applied without
theoretical first. One way I have experienced these two concepts intertwined was in

my Research Experience for Undergraduates called Bridging Applied and Theoretical

Mathematics at Winthrop University.
I had the opportunity to work for nine weeks on a set of seven non-linear
differential equations which represented the growth and decay of glioblastoma
multiforme brain cancer, cancer stem cells, treatment, and different cellular
reactions from compounds in the brain (MH Class I & II cells, IFN-Y, and TGF-B). At
the beginning of our project we spent a week doing a mini-course in non-linear
differential equations so that we would be able to work with the equations and
understand what we would find through stability analysis, eigenvalues, and
continuity. After we had a basic idea of the theoretical math behind our analysis, we
had to find biologically accurate representation of the type of cancer we choose
which is another way in which theoretical and applied math were intertwined. The
researchers who completed the study and collected the data had to come up with
equations that modeled the growth and decay of the cells. To do this they needed at
least a basic understanding of exponential, linear, and non-linear growth equations
which are all theoretical concepts. In our analysis we also got to do this because we
added in the parts and a whole equation which accounted for cancer stem
cells,which meant we had to understand how they interacted within the body, and
use the theory we learned the week before to find the equation that could be
applied correctly. This experience of applying the theoretical math that I not only
learned at my REU but in the classes I had taken at Loras showed me that math has
many more uses than I had previously thought. Mathematics can be applied to
almost anything in the world and help make it more efficient, stimulate outcomes,
and so much more.