Overview

Humanity has an uncanny knack of finding a military application for almost any discovery made by science. Mathematics is no exception and, in fact, because of its utility in describing many physical phenomena, has been extraordinarily useful to the military. This process began during the Renaissance, continues today, and is likely to be ever more important as we develop heavily computerized weapons and armies for the future.

Background

Early warfare was a rather hit-or-miss affair. Armies were generally composed of a large number of poor people on foot with sharp weapons, and a small number of wealthy people on horses with sharp weapons. They would rush into battle, shooting arrows and hacking at each other until one side realized it could not win and either withdrew or was slaughtered. Sometimes, one army would ensconce itself inside a castle or some other fortification, where they would...