Math Application : Usage of Derivatives Derivatives are very important for lots of things especially in Physics and Engineering. We use derivatives almost every day as an engineer. In my work, I study vibrations of underwater pipelines. We are largely worried about fatigue, where we are trying to figure out how to build underwater pipelines so that they do not break. We test a lot of pipes both in pools and in the ocean. We often measure strain when we are testing pipes; the strain is how much the pipe stretches when it vibrates divided by the total length of the pipe. Sometimes these vibrations are so small that you can not see them, but they can cause big damage to the pipe. To calculate the fatigue, I need to know how much the pipe is curved. It turns out that strain is the first derivative of curvature. So I can find the curvature and therefore I can solve for the fatigue, and then I can tell you when your pipe is going to break. This is just one example. Derivatives are used all the time by scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to solve all sorts of problems. -Doctor Susie, The Math Forum-
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 01:31:29 +0000