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of an enzyme, are incredibly important in biological science, as life cannot exist

without sustained biochemical reactions. So, there is clearly evidence that

Calculus plays a role in the understanding of biology as well. When speaking of

metabolism, the rate quotient (RQ) is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide

released divided by the amount of oxygen consumed. When the lean body mass of

an animal is doubled, the metabolic rate increases by an additional 75%.

Proportionately, though, it goes down.

It is at this point that I would like to exercise some freedom and stray

slightly from the original purpose of the paper. As a first-year student, I am

fortunate in that I am placed in an elite group of three freshmen who are given free

reign in terms of choosing whatever biology courses they want. I am currently

taking two third-year classes and, though my math skills are -to say the least- a bit

discouraging, I had an epiphany one day during one of my independent studies in

maximizing human muscle cell function (by way of increasing efficiency). I, in a

flash of biological/mathematical genius (or maybe just dumb luck ), created a

totally new mathematical formula which determines the maximum amount of

tensile strength (the amount of physical tension that can be placed on an elastic or

semi-elastic object) the skeletal muscle system of the average human being can

withstand. You see, a single muscle fiber is capable of supporting the tension of a

weight equal to one thousand times its own mass before it ruptures. By looking at

cross sectional analyses of human muscle tissue, I was able to determine that there

are, on average, approximately six billion skeletal muscle fibers in the untrained

human body. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that:

AVERAGE HUMAN MUSCULAR CAPACITY =

( Muscle fiber mass ) * 10^3 * ( [~] 6 billion )

I am not absolutely sure what significance this may ultimately hold,

but I can make the assumptions that this formula could be useful when predicting

the durability of pilots of high-speed aircraft such as space shuttles and X-planes.

Also, with advent of genetic engineering, my formula can be the basis for the

creation of more powerful military troops. I have designated each troop to be what

I call an M.D.S., which stands for Most Dangerous Soldier. It is interesting to see

how such a simple mathematical formula can be used to further mankind or

destroy it. Though not nearly as significant as E=mc^2, it holds promise in many

applications, be they for good or for evil.

As you can see, mathematics has much more in common with biological

sciences than it is often given credit for. To forsake the role math plays in the

understanding of life is a grave mistake, and to ignore references to mathematical

advancements of the time long past is to deny our children the opportunity to live

better lives than we do. No one aspect of mathematics or science is more or less

important. It should be viewed in a synergistic fashion. The final result is greater

than the sum of its individual parts.

1. Lawlor, Robert- ?Sacred Geometry?, Thames and Hudson Ldt, 1982.

2. Campbell, Neil A.- ?Biology? (5th edition), Benjamin/Cummings, 1999.

3. Foner, Eric, and Garraty- ?The American Heritage Dictionary?, 1996.

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