Using Mathematics to Support Science

Mathematics helps us to understand science, and to design, conduct, and analyze the results of scientific experiments. Science requires us to collect data, interpret it for significant patterns, and make conclusions that further our knowledge. To collect and analyze data, students must be able to apply mathematical content and practices in order to:

• Select appropriate tools to gather and analyze data
• Use tools to model the data by describing it mathematically
• Reason quantitatively to understand the data
• Reason abstractly to draw conclusions

The video below, Applying Mathematics Skills for Success in Science(opens in a new window), provides a clear explanation of the ways in which mathematics supports science education.

Different science content makes use of different mathematical concepts and strategies. However, there are some concepts and strategies that students should always consider. For example, it is important to:

• Help students understand that a good scientific question is one where you can investigate phenomena and predict outcomes (answers) based on patterns. Have students consider how mathematics could aid in their investigations.
• Emphasize big ideas — those that have explanatory power within and across scientific disciplines and can connect to real-world problems. Mathematics can help make these connections by describing behavior using language that can transfer across subjects. (See UDL Checkpoint 7.2: Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity(opens in a new window).)
• Use language that emphasizes the underlying mathematics when providing students with positive and substantive feedback to correct misunderstandings.

There are many high-quality technology tools available — either for free or at a low cost — to support students as they learn about mathematics and apply their knowledge to other subjects. Examples of the free technology tools include Desmos(opens in a new window) (an online graphing calculator), Stat Silk(opens in a new window) (a visualizing and mapping tool), and the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives(opens in a new window).

There are also many interactive and other multimedia resources that students can access to build background knowledge. Some examples of science-focused resources are provided below:

• Stellarium(opens in a new window) is a 3D sky application that allows you to explore what constellations look like from different parts of the world, and to understand that they look different depending on where you are.
• The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Biointeractives(opens in a new window) are videos, animations, and simulations that address new research in the life sciences.
• The National Science Digital Library(opens in a new window)’s collection is made up of resources from numerous STEM education organizations.

For more examples of technology tools or resources that can deepen background science knowledge, visit the Tech Matters blog(opens in a new window) or PowerUp’s Pinterest page(opens in a new window).

Mrs. Martin’s Grade 5 science class previously conducted an experiment to study how physical and chemical changes affect the mass of various substances. Now, she is going to have students analyze the data they collected and draw conclusions based on their observations. She recently introduced the class to the coordinate system, which allows students to graph and analyze their data.

Mrs. Martin sees this as a good opportunity to reinforce their mathematics learning and practice plotting data points. Her specific objective is to have students graph data on the coordinate plane and use the graph to analyze the data. Her objective aligns with the mathematics Common Core State Standards, specifically CCSS.Math.5.G.A.2(opens in a new window) (Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation).

In addition to relying on her interactive whiteboard, she will have students use a Google Spreadsheet to collect and organize data, and a graphing tool to create a graph of their data.

As a warm-up activity, Mrs. Martin graphs a sample data set using the Shodor Scatter Plot(opens in a new window).

She will have the class make observations about this graph before they move on to graphing and analyzing their own data. To bring closure to the lesson, she will engage the whole class in a discussion, giving them all a chance to share observations that will eventually lead them to the conservation of mass principle.

The chart below details her lesson plan, which is divided into three parts: launch, learning task, and closure.

Lesson Plan

This article draws from the PowerUp WHAT WORKS(opens in a new window) website, particularly the Supporting Science Instructional Strategy Guide(opens in a new window). PowerUp is a free, teacher-friendly website that requires no log in or registration. The Instructional Strategy Guide on Supporting Science includes a complete description of Mrs. Martin’s lesson. It also includes a brief overview of the topic with an accompanying slide show; a list of the relevant mathematics Common Core State Standards; evidence-based teaching strategies to differentiate instruction using technology; short videos; and links to resources that will help you use technology to support math instruction. If you are responsible for professional development, check out the PD Support Materials(opens in a new window) for helpful ideas and materials for using the resources. Want more information? Check out PowerUp WHAT WORKS(opens in a new window).