Career Films from Elevated Math

These 20 4-minute films demonstrate how the application of mathematics has helped professionals achieve success.

A Pizza Chef explains how estimation and mental math are critical skills when preparing food and ordering ingredients.

A Stocking Supervisor performs calculations on a whiteboard to illustrate the large numbers he deals with on a daily basis.

An Airplane Pilot shares how math, especially the understanding of a number line, is fundamental for successful flying.

A Chocolatier explains the importance of exact measurements and proportions when making fillings and chocolate-coatings of large quantities of delicious chocolates.

A Costume Designer demonstrates how she uses rounding to get quick estimates when shopping so she stays within her budget limits.

A Jazz Musician shows how note variations are based on fractions and explains how the variations make music more interesting.

A Store Manager uses markups, discounts, percents, and decimals in her calculations and demonstrates how she arrives at prices to charge customers and discounts to give employees.

An Architect explains how the principles of geometry were used in the redesign of the Griffith Observatory allowing optimal viewing of the constellations at night, sunsets in the evening, and views of downtown LA 24 hours a day.

A 3D Animator shares how math is used extensively in animation as well as virtually everything people do.

An Origami Enthusiast watches his imagination and designs come to life thanks to a series of right triangles.

A Stained Glass Artist creates everything from front door panels to sky lights starting with a space and filling it with symmetric designs, symmetric designs with asymmetric touches, or completely free-flowing designs without any symmetry.

A Triathlete utilizes math throughout her training and races to ensure optimal performance. Math not only helps maximize her athletic performance, but keeps her mind focused during these long races.

A Stadium Groundskeeper uses area and volume measurements to calculate the amount of fertilizer that must be applied to the turf to keep it green and healthy. Conversion factors are used to change measurements. Geometric problem solving is used to determine the total surface area of the field.


Seven videos focus on the relevance of algebra:

A Video Game Designer demonstrates how waves of the ocean and a video surfer are simulated using vectors, word problems, and an algebraic concept called the dot product.

A Stockbroker demonstrates the use of a proportion to calculate the sale price of a stock and explains that mistakes could cost her job.

A Construction Layout Manager calculates the volume of dirt to be removed when building a retaining wall. Then he uses more algebra to calculate manpower requirements and cost.

A Jet Fighter Pilot must make on-the-spot calculations that take into account variables, such as speed, height, and fuel consumption per minute in order to successfully complete a mission.

A JPL Scientist explains that the complexity of her equations is due to variables, such as the rotation of the earth and motion of a spacecraft.

A Skateboard Park Designer translates algebraic formulas and concepts into shapes for skateboard parks.

A Wind Engineer explains that she uses algebra to determine the number of wind turbines produced on each schedule, the productivity levels of her plant, and the power output of the wind turbine.

Download the free Elevated Math app to see the complimentary career film: Jazz Musician.