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Mathematics and The Arts Exploring the Disciplines: Information Systems Spring 2011 by Audrey Lawson-Knight, Patrick Warren, Michelle Candidori, Doug Gregory

Mathematics is an important component of learning like reading and writing. Mathematics being a useful tool is one of the basics in our formal education system. It is also included in our everyday lives, considering measurements of time and distance or the use of math in music, dance, and art (1). Mathematics is also the basis for the scientific foundation that is behind computer hardware and software systems. Based on the Empire State College degree planning guide quantitative reasoning is listed as one of the common cores of knowledge for information systems. Students should have or develop skills interpreting material that contains mathematical symbols. Students should also be able to express ideas using mathematical language or symbols. Based on the student’s interest there are many choices of subject matter including statistics, finite math, technical math or algebra (2). For example if a student were studying for a undergrad degree in computer science he/she may be required to take math courses in calculus, discrete mathematics, probability and statistics (3). The field of art has been around for thousands of years. Art can be in the form of visual, performing, literary, musical, language, etc. During the early 1960s artists and inventors worked together to use electronic instruments to create art. Ever since then the interaction between art and information systems has been an increasing trend (4). For a person with a major in information systems they might choose to study one of the following areas of art based on their goals. Digital Art and Design provides the technical foundation for mastering concepts of digital design, image alteration, and layout. These concepts are practiced using the digital art software Adobe Photoshop. This course would provide skills in respect to information systems to web designers, software developers, etc. Another course that involves information systems with art is digital photography. Digital photography involves the use of a digital camera in combination with a computer and software to enhance or print the photographs. There are many other art programs that an information systems students could take to broaden their knowledge of art and world around them. Examples of such classes would be Art History, a study of cultures, Architecture, Artistic Expression, and the World of Art (5). Actually, to say what careers are available in Art/Art History (6) and/or Mathematics (7) would require more specific information on what area of study a student would undertake. A wide array of career options is available depending on what specialization a student chose.

 Fine Arts such as Music, Art, or Theater require an “Aesthetic appreciation of the activity of creating inspiring things by performing (8).” This would encompass a wide range of careers from actor to a wide variety of media artists or historians of such fields. With any of these backgrounds, teaching is also an option.

 Mathematics has the “goal of understanding abstract relationships through theoretical and logical means” (9). This also applies to a wide range of career fields such as accounting, finance, engineering, or again, teaching. Any field is interesting, if you are interested in it and the careers that fall under its umbrella of learning. Many colleges, like Dakota State University, offer degree programs in Mathematics for Information Systems. Graduates with this degree can find themselves working in several different positions like Actuary, Business Statistician, Software Developer or Business Consulting (10). Math and statistics are important components of analyzing requirements, calculating failure modes, and testing the software development. The first SAP application released was a financial accounting system (11). Utility companies use complex algorithms in calculating monthly usage billings when actual readings aren’t available. There are also several math programs available on the market today.  As far as Art: what draws us to a specific website? Many times it is the graphics, color scheme or photographs. The emoticons that so many of us enjoy, are a form of artwork that express an emotion via technology. I went through the 25 most recent emails in my In Box, and 9 contained and emoticon or graphic icon. There is a demand for computer generated greeting cards or other animations that are grounded in art.  Graphic Design is an area that blends art and technology. “Graphic designers—or graphic artists—plan, analyze, and create visual solutions to communications problems. They find the most effective way to get messages across in print and electronic media using color, type, illustration, photography, animation, and various print and layout techniques" (12).

Mathematics is a topic that has relevance to everything in existence and even beyond. It would be hard to say that there exists a subject matter or field of study that is not somehow related to mathematics. The liberal arts has been codified as an educational program of seven distinct studies of which the mathematical disciplines arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy have converged like a crossroads and are thus referred to as the quadrivium, whereas the trivium is the term we use to refer to grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Harking back to Pythagoras, it was already understood that the mathematical disciplines lift us beyond our senses, show us patterns that we cannot see, and prepare us for the study of philosophy, and the discovery of 'forms,' which are truth itself (Mooney, 2002). And it is certainly true that these truths hold even in today's complex information systems. In a recent study regarding binary information systems it was concluded that there is no algorithm which for almost all binary information systems constructs all minimal rules and for such information systems has polynomial time complexity relative to the length of input, there exists an algorithm which for almost all binary information systems constructs all minimal rules and for such information systems has polynomial time complexity relative to the length of input and the length of output (Moshkov et al., 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">In the arts, the use of mathematics is never more present than what we perceive as sound and pitch in the realm of music. Once again, Pythagoras has made his mark in history with a lot of his contributions to creating musical scales based on tones and intervals. The whole study of music theory is based on precise mathematical principles. The ancient Greek theatres were designed to precision for oratory performances and plays and the math involved is quite evident (Billington, 1980).

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">1) "What is Mathematics." [] (accessed 4/10/11). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 2) "Area of Study and Concentration Guidelines." [] (accessed 4/10/2 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 3) "Undergraduate degree programs." 3/8/2011.[] (accessed 4/10/2011). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 4) "Information Technology and Art: Concepts and State of the Practice." [] (accessed 4/10/2011). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 5) "The Arts." [] (accessed 4/10/2011). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 6) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 7) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 8) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 9) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">10) "Bachelor of Science in Mathematics for Information Systems." Dakota State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 APR 2011. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 11) "The history of SAP." SAP Global. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2011. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> 12) United States. Occupational Outlook Handbook., 2010. Web. 6 Apr 2011. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Billington, M. (1980). //Performing Arts. A Guide to Practice and Appreciation//. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> Mooney, M. (2002). The Value of the Liberal Arts. //The Lewis & Clark Chronicle.// Retrieved from http://legacy.lclark.edu/dept/public/liberarts.html <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Moshkov, M. J., Skowron, A., & Suraj, Z. (2007). On Minimal Rule Sets for Almost All Binary Information Systems. //Fundamenta Informaticae 80 (2007) 247–258.// IOS Press.