Mathematics is one of the following DP subjects that you can use as your EE subject. If you have chosen Mathematics as your EE subject than you should be able to explain and identify to others what you're interested in and why.
An extended essay (EE) in mathematics is intended for students who are writing on any topic that has a mathematical focus and it need not be confined to the theory of mathematics itself.
Essays in this group are divided into six categories:
- the applicability of mathematics to solve both real and abstract problems
- the beauty of mathematics—eg geometry or fractal theory
- the elegance of mathematics in the proving of theorems—eg number theory
- the history of mathematics: the origin and subsequent development of a branch of mathematics over a period of time, measured in tens, hundreds or thousands of years
- the effect of technology on mathematics:
- in forging links between different branches of mathematics,
- or in bringing about a new branch of mathematics, or causing a particular branch to flourish.
These are just some of the many different ways that mathematics can be enjoyable or useful, or, as in many cases, both.
Choice of topic:
The EE may be written on any topic that has a mathematical focus and it need not be confined to the theory of mathematics itself.
Students may choose mathematical topics from fields such as engineering, the sciences or the social sciences, as well as from mathematics itself.
Statistical analyses of experimental results taken from other subject areas are also acceptable, provided that they focus on the modeling process and discuss the limitations of the results; such essays should not include extensive non-mathematical detail.
A topic selected from the history of mathematics may also be appropriate, provided that a clear line of mathematical development is demonstrated. Concentration on the lives of, or personal rivalries between, mathematicians would be irrelevant and would not score highly on the assessment criteria.
It should be noted that the assessment criteria give credit for the nature of the investigation and for the extent that reasoned arguments are applied to an appropriate research question.
Students should avoid choosing a topic that gives rise to a trivial research question or one that is not sufficiently focused to allow appropriate treatment within the requirements of the EE.
Students will normally be expected either to extend their knowledge beyond that encountered in the Diploma Programme mathematics course they are studying or to apply techniques used in their mathematics course to modeling in an appropriately chosen topic.
However, it is very important to remember that it is an essay that is being written, not a research paper for a journal of advanced mathematics, and no result, however impressive, should be quoted without evidence of the student’s real understanding of it.
Resources:
Mathematics EE grading report
EE Example #1
