Johns Hopkins University

Pop quiz: A bird shoots through the crisp morning air of New York City, dodging skyscrapers at a speed of thirty kilometers per hour. The sun breaks through the horizon, blinding the bird in both eyes. The bird manages to catch its reflection in the shining glass of the Empire State Building—but by that time, it’s too late. How do we use velocity, angles, distance, and force to find the point at which the glass shatters? For me, math is more than just numbers. It’s a mode of visualizing movement in action, the synthesis of my imagination and the physical world. When I’m problem-solving, I’m…