Engineering has always been seen as the application of mathematics. Since the time of Archimedes to Galileo this relationship appears to be a one way street. But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and as mathematics became more and more complex, we require better tools to handle the more mundane aspects of it.

This is when application turns back to help formulate theories.

Mathematics had always been perceived as an abstract field. You have numbers, symbols, concepts that seems to be the result of overthinking professors. This is, of course, far from the truth. Mathematics, especially applied mathematics, touches every aspect of human civilisation and life.

And in this specific case, may have saved human civilisation and millions of lives.

Acids are perhaps the first chemicals that humans recognize. They readily react to most materials, and the result of those reactions would appear magical. Although at first they became the essential tools of alchemists, they provide much of the answers in explaining the world in less mystical terms.

This article will deliver the story of how this transition occurred. 

Contrary to what you may believe after reading Part 4, classical physics never went obsolete. It simply could not be used answer certain questions that had emerged out of late 19th century discoveries. See it like mathematics, you can't possible solve a multi-variable differential problem with only simple arithmetics, you need calculus for that.

And similar to calculus, modern physics became more esoteric and mathematically abstract. But we'll try our best to simplify it.

In mathematics, it was always assumed that everything is based on our rational understanding of logic and common sense. Unlike physics, which can get extremely esoteric, mathematics limits itself how abstract our understanding of logic can get.

But once in a while there are those who cross over that limit, into fields that borders on pseudoscience such as numerology. Gerge Cantor was such a person.