Interest in things such as the land on which they lived, the structures they built, and the motion of the planets led people in early civilizations to keep records and to create methods of counting and measuring.

In turn, some of the early ideas of arithmetic, geometry, and trigonometry were developed. From such beginnings, mathematics has played a key role in the great advances in science and technology.

Often, mathematical methods were developed from scientific studies made in particular areas, such as astronomy and physics. Many people were interested in the math itself and added to what was then known. Although this additional mathematical knowledge may not have been related to applications at the time it was developed, it often later became useful in applied areas.

In the chapter introductions that follow, examples of the interaction of technology and mathematics are given. From these examples and the text material, it is hoped you will better understand the important role that math has had and still has in technology. In this text, there are applications from technologies including (but not limited to) aeronautical, business, communications, electricity, electronics, engineering, environmental, heat and air conditioning, mechanical, medical, meteorology, petroleum, product design, solar, and space.

We begin by reviewing the concepts that deal with numbers and symbols. This will enable us to develop topics in algebra, an understanding of which is essential for progress in other areas such as geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.