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When I first looked at the question, my reaction was "Well, I don't - not really", but then I thought about it some more. At some point, I realized that without math, I would cease to function. You see, math is not about sitting around in classrooms and listening to infinite lectures. It is about applying numbers in a useful way. I derive enjoyment out of almost every CS class I take. And math is integrated into every one of those classes. It isn't always so obvious as a matrix inversion. Sometimes it is the addition of a reference to some numbers. Other times it is figuring out a set of principles. It really is the smallest things that make the difference. You may claim that this is an imaginary claim, but I know it to be real.

With all probability, I would be completely lost without math. Try traversing campus without planes or points. Then you will realize what a ray of sunshine math really is. It isn't just a segment of our lives, but the base.

So why do I math? Because it is as natural as a log. Reality is just a vector for applying numbers, patterns, sets, and all things math. And you know what? If you groaned at a single pun in this essay (or even recognized a handful), you math too.

Alumni Liaison

Prof. Math. Ohio State and Associate Dean
Outstanding Alumnus Purdue Math 2008

Jeff McNeal