Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Industrial Mathematicians, Mary Beth Mcgee

Honors Theses

What is an industrial, or professional, mathematician? What does he do? Generally, there are two kinds: workers in pure mathematics and workers in applied math.

The pure mathematician likes to play with mathematical laws and principles just to see what will happen. They have mathematical curiosity; they are not especially interested in whether anyone ever finds any use for the result or not. They have the fun of working their problems, and that is the only reward they ask. There is a large group of men and women getting paid good salaries for having such fun; they are the pure …