Mathematics is everywhere. It explains why some sports records fall like dominoes while others stand for decades. It reveals the alarming truth about climate change through simple patterns. It’s in the music we hear, the buildings we construct, and even the sticker albums we collect. So why, when it comes time for students to choose their Extended Essay topic, do so few pick mathematics?
Consider the fascinating case of world records in athletics. When Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis cleared 6.3 metres at the Tokyo World Championships, he broke his 14th world record – an astonishing achievement showing how technical improvements can drive rapid progress in sport. Meanwhile, the men’s long jump record has been broken just once since 1968. What explains this dramatic difference? The answer lies in mathematical concepts like stationary systems and the harmonic series.
The Maths Behind the Records
Mathematicians use a clever rainfall analogy to understand record-breaking in stationary systems – situations where there’s no overall trend, just random variation. Imagine tracking annual rainfall across different cities with no climate change affecting the results. The first year automatically sets a record. In year two, roughly half the cities will exceed that record. By year three, only one-third will beat both previous years.
This creates a mathematical pattern known as the harmonic series: 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4, and so on. Despite adding infinitely many terms, this series grows incredibly slowly. After 100 years, you’d expect only about five records total. After 1,000 years, just seven. The message is clear: even with pure chance, records should become increasingly rare over time.
Real-World Applications
This isn’t just theoretical number-crunching. Scientists use these mathematical principles to prove climate change is real and accelerating. If our climate were stable, hot temperature records should become rarer over time, following that harmonic pattern. Instead, they’re being broken four to six times more often than expected – mathematical proof that our planet is warming at an unprecedented rate. Cold temperature records, conversely, are falling half as quickly as they should, further confirming the trend.
The same mathematical thinking applies to athletics. Are we approaching peak human performance, or can we keep improving? The data suggests different answers for different events. Duplantis’s pole-vaulting dominance indicates that event hasn’t reached its stationary state – there’s still room for technical improvement. The stubborn long jump records (unbroken since 1991 for men, 1988 for women) suggest that event may have plateaued.
So Why the Shortage of Maths Extended Essays?
This brings us back to our central question. Mathematics offers incredibly rich material for Extended Essays. Students could explore the statistics of their favourite sport, analyze patterns in climate data, investigate the harmonic series in everyday contexts, or examine countless other real-world applications. The maths isn’t impossibly difficult – these concepts are accessible to IB students – yet somehow, maths Extended Essays remain rare.
Perhaps students don’t realize how applicable mathematics is to the real world. Maybe they think a maths EE means pages of abstract equations with no connection to anything tangible. Or possibly they haven’t encountered teachers who can show them mathematics as the beautiful, explanatory tool it truly is – capable of revealing why Katie Ledecky breaks swimming records, why climate change is undeniable, and why you need to buy so many more sticker packets than you’d intuitively expect to complete your collection.
The irony is profound. Mathematics explains the world around us with elegant precision, yet students overlook it when choosing Extended Essay topics. They gravitate toward subjects that seem more “real-world” without recognizing that mathematics is the ultimate real-world subject.
An Opportunity Waiting
For students considering their Extended Essay options, mathematics offers a golden opportunity. Unlike humanities subjects where you’re competing with countless similar essays, a well-crafted maths EE stands out. You can tackle genuinely interesting questions, use real data, and reach meaningful conclusions – all while developing analytical skills that will serve you throughout university and beyond.
So next time you watch Armand Duplantis soar over the bar or hear about another climate record falling, remember: there’s fascinating mathematics behind it all. And it’s all waiting for someone to explore it in an Extended Essay.
Why shouldn’t that someone be you?
I think, therefore IB 
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