For the most part, the world is pretty split on the topic of math. Some love it, some hate it, and others view it as a necessary evil. For FCG Software Engineer Sean B., math is life. And since April just happens to be Mathematics Awareness Month, we’ll let you hear about this mathematical romance straight from the source:

We hear you’re the go-to math guy at FCG – how did you get that title? 

I guess it’s because I’m a little too obsessed with it! I did so much extra math in high school that I’d completed Calculus 3 and even started tutoring at the local college before graduating. In my free time, I’m working to develop a statistics app that rethinks mobile learning methodology. I love helping people that think they’ll never understand math learn and master the very topics they’re most afraid of. If something involves math, I’m in.

Tell us the story of how you ended up at FCG…

I’m a referral!—I guess they really do work. I knew I wanted something in the tech/computer sector to sharpen my programming skills, and it just ended up being a great fit.

How does your mathematics degree help you in your day-to-day tasks at FCG?

I think that a background in mathematics provides me a uniquely analytical problem-solving approach to my job. Additionally, programming is fundamentally intertwined with mathematics, so learning specific softwares and languages is much easier with that framework already laid. While every job needs a few killer programmers in order to be successful, I think that having others on the team who can program to a point, but have other specialties too, is really valuable to the success of a team.

When did you first realize your love for math? Tell us about the early days of this romance.

When I was in middle school, I honestly liked it simply because I was good at it. But when I got to algebra, I started loving the subject itself. Amidst the turbulent emotions and drama that is high school, I found it cathartic to sit down with my algebra homework and know that all the answers were absolute and unambiguous. When I dove into higher math in college, I fell in love with the beauty, the power, and the consistency of the entire world of mathematics. 

Any predictions on the role of AI and high-level mathematics in the future?

Our current inability to quickly factor the composite of two large prime numbers lies at the core of most modern encryption algorithms. When our understanding of mathematics and computation advances beyond that constraint, the internet as we know it will require a complete overhaul! Not to sound too ominous, but I think it’s coming sooner than we’re ready for…

What do you say to students when they dish up that classic line, “When am I ever going to use XYZ Math Subject in real life?!”

That’s actually my favorite question! Math applies to every field of study, but so many people don’t realize just how true that is. Did you know your favorite logos like Twitter’s bird and Apple’s bitten apple utilize the Fibonacci sequence in order to create aesthetically pleasing designs? Higher order derivation in Calculus is used in automobile design, rocket science, and soil erosion modeling. Even the most basic “solve for x” equation has use when you need to see how much interest you’re paying on a loan or credit card. Challenge me with a subject and I’ll find a way to apply math to it.

Tell us your favorite math joke or pun!

It’s a pickup line: “Hey boy, I want to lie tangent to the plane of your curves.”

3% of the time, it works every time.