• an essential "language" to express many scientific concepts. Without this tool, voyages to the moon, other planets or to the inner space of the atom would be unthinkable.
  
  
• a language to express quantitative concepts in economics and management, including inventory control, investment strategies and management decision making.
  
  
• one of the cornerstones of a liberal arts education.

Mathematics studies the most basic elements of knowledge: pattern, dimension, quantity, uncertainty, shape and change. The use of high-powered computers has long been a part of applied mathematics, but computers also drive the explosion of recent discoveries in pure mathematics, including the properties of prime numbers.

Powerful software, such as Mathematica, allows Marietta College students to discover underlying mathematical relationships and develop problem-solving skills. Introductory calculus includes a hands-on computer lab, aided by an instructor and student assistants, that complements three regular weekly class meetings. And lab reports emphasize that the ability to interpret and communicate results is just as important as the ability to formulate and solve problems.

As students advance through the higher mathematics courses, they are able to approach mathematical analysis in exciting new ways and develop writing and speaking skills, culminating with a "capstone" course.