Maths Intro | Toss a Coin | Flexible Hours | Multidimensional Statistician | SARS Equation

Toss a Coin and Test Your Luck
By Julie Truong

___While the study of maths is generally admired and respected, it is often met with skepticism. What kind of job can you get with a Mathematics degree? James Franklin and I believe that more students would study Mathematics if they knew about the job opportunities available for mathematicians. Careers in Mathematics are not effectively marketed, and students rarely make enquiries for themselves. However, having spent a day at work with James Franklin, an Associate Professor in Mathematics at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), I have come to realise the extensive and exciting the career options in Mathematics.

___James Franklin is a friend of mine, and I arrive at his office at 10am looking forward to spending the day with him. The first thing I notice is Franklin, in his usual collar shirt and trousers, sitting in front of the computer. Expecting me, he turns around and greets me warmly. He has a group meeting at 10:15am, and I am quickly briefed on the purpose of the meeting. Four staff members from the UNSW School of Mathematics are working with an industrial corporation that, believe it or not, is trying to produce more in less time. This company knows that mathematics can be used to model industrial situations and maximise efficiency. As a simple example, to minimise time wasted when using cranes, docks can be organized so that when a crane drops off a package, it picks up the next package nearby instead of travelling around the dock without any load, which wastes time and resources. Many hours can be saved per day, more work can be completed, production is more efficient, and profit margins increase.

___After 45 minutes, we are back in his office. Semester one of 2005 has had a different routine to Franklin’s previous semesters. He is on leave for seven months, and he is using his time off from teaching to pursue his research interests. At the moment, he is working in a team of three on the ‘Philosophy of Maths’. The three now call themselves ‘The School of Philosophy of Mathematics’.

___When Franklin is not working on his research, he is busy creating new classes for mathematics students, such as ‘Professional Ethics and Issues’. The students appreciate having more diverse options and the chance to learn valuable lessons relating to the workforce. Franklin also spends a lot of time replying to people seeking his advice or assistance. For instance, he recently helped a student living in a rural area who did not have the funds to study mathematics in Sydney. The student asked about completing his degree online. After many emails, Franklin convinced the Science Faculty that he would be a valuable, dedicated student, and they granted him a $3000 scholarship to study at UNSW. Franklin believes that there is much more to be gained from learning in a social environment than learning alone at home, including team work and the many little short-cuts that lecturers pass on.

___Where did Franklin’s interest in Mathematics come from? His first passion was not mathematics, but history. When I think of history, I think of high school modern history and World War II. However, Franklin is interested in the origins of ideas, laws, and proofs; such as proofs, beyond reasonable doubt and double uncertainty. This interest led to his first book in 2001; The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability before Pascal. Have you ever considered that some of the ideas we take for granted were created by someone else? When we toss a coin or roll a dice, without Pascal and Fermat's 1654 discovery of the mathematics of probability, how can we make 'reliable predictions'? Franklin says, “I wouldn’t have the same ideas as I do now if I had not studied Maths”.

___After gaining the highest level of mathematics in high school at his time, Franklin undertook his undergraduate study at the University of Sydney from 1971 to 1975. He completed his PhD on algebraic groups in 1981 at Warwick University in England. Since then, he has been working at UNSW, teaching Mathematics and Computer Science. Five years down the track he sees himself still at UNSW and hopes to get more research done; mainly in the Philosophy of Maths. He wants to explore the complex structure of the real world, including the symmetry and structure of maths, and not just the symbols you usually see in textbooks.

___The day flew by, and it was soon time for Franklin’s swimming session. We waved our goodbyes, but it won’t be the last we will see of each other.

Maths Intro | Toss a Coin | Flexible Hours | Multidimensional Statistician | SARS Equation