Tutor profile: Jeremy N.

What are applications of matrices in daily life?

Matrices are applied in the study of electrical circuits, quantum mechanics and optics. It helps in the calculation of battery power outputs, resistor conversion of electrical energy into another useful energy. Most importantly, linear algebra in general is necessary for optimization of functions describing phenomena in fields from finance to facial recognition.

What is the second law of thermodynamics and why is it important for engineering?

The first law of thermodynamics is an expression of the conservation of energy which states that any change for internal energy can be accounted for by the difference between the heat added and the work done by the system. $$ \Delta Q = U - W$$ The first law is critical for engineering because it establishes the idea of energy balance within a closed system. All energy analysis relies on the first law.

What is the definition of a derivative and how can it be related to current events?

A derivative of a function can be thought of as how sensitive a function is to a change in one its arguments. The derivative is a core tool of calculus and can be applied to many different questions. Today, the derivative of COVID-19 graphs is being used to determined the rate of change to monitor the spread of the virus.