Examination of the use of mathematics in different disciplines

With the changing needs of the age, the need for individuals who have the ability to do problem solving and mathematical modeling in technology, engineering, architecture, health and much more different fields is increasing. In line with this need, mathematics educators are expected to educate individuals who can use the knowledge they have learned effectively in their daily lives, produce effective solutions in real problem situations and are aware of the interaction of mathematics with the real world. For this reason, it is necessary to train individuals as individuals who can use mathematics effectively in their daily lives and comprehend the relationship between mathematics and other disciplines. Without the use of mathematics, an architect cannot draw, an engineer cannot express an opinion about the durability of a building or vehicle, a chemist cannot analyze the elements that make up a compound, a doctor cannot regulate his patients' treatments. Following the discovery of the differential equation of blood circulation by Euler, mathematical models have been developed using mathematics to play an important role in the diagnosis of heart, kidney, pancreas and ear diseases. This is a clear indication that mathematics is used in different disciplines. The majority of the researches are related to understanding mathematics or factors affecting mathematics achievement, which results in limited studies focusing on different teaching and learning methods to improve students' ability to apply mathematics in different settings. Therefore, this study was needed to support teachers or prospective teachers who could guide their students to learn more effectively and meaningfully. When the studies are examined, the fact that the researches are related to the nature of understanding mathematics, the lack of a scientific study describing how and for what purpose students are used in different environments can be seen as the most important original value of this study to the literature. In this study, it is aimed to describe the purpose and how mathematics is used in different disciplines. In this context, in-depth research has been conducted on the purpose and how they use mathematics in their professional lives by interviewing people from different disciplines. In this study, special case method was used to examine the use of mathematics in different disciplines. The study group consists of 9 individuals working in the fields of health, art (music and painting), construction and social sciences. In the sample of the study, purposive sampling method was chosen, and the discipline areas to be studied within the scope of this sampling type were determined after interviews with the instructors and document analysis. The data of the study were obtained from the observations made by the researcher, the data obtained from the open-ended questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews with the participants. Content analysis was conducted in the evaluation of the qualitative data obtained from the research. Regarding the usage areas of mathematics, it has been determined that the people who work in different disciplines use mathematics for what purpose and how they think about the usage areas of mathematics. It has been concluded that mathematics was used in all disciplines included in the study for measurement, calculation and aesthetic purposes. In addition, mathematics is used in some of the disciplines for educational and financial transactions. It has been concluded that all subjects in mathematics curriculum are used in different disciplines. Parallel to this result, instead of individuals who learn math by memorization, individuals who know how and how to use mathematics will be educated and important contribution will be made to the formation of a society consisting of more productive, more researcher and individuals who know what they are doing. For this reason, in mathematics classes, the use of mathematics in real life should be frequently mentioned. Keywords: Mathematics education, use of mathematics, aims of use, use in health, use in art, use in building sector, use in social sciences