Why mathematics

But when I went to college at Harvard, I took a course in topology, which is the study of spaces. The questions were really complicated and different and interesting in a way I had never expected.

And it was just kind of like I fell in love. One way I might describe it is to say that I study symmetries of mathematical objects. All those rotations are symmetries. There are a lot of other ways symmetries come up, and they can get really, really complicated.

So we use neat mathematical objects to think about them, called groups. A lot of mathematics ultimately is artistic rather than useful. When I arrived as a professor at George Mason, I knew I wanted to do more than research and mathematics.

I love teaching, but I felt like I wanted to do something for the world that was not part of the ivory tower of just solving problems that I thought were really curious and interesting.

One is to be available to answer quantitative questions. Someone once described to me the advice he gives to journalists. A favorite one is distinguishing between causation and correlation. Part of the problem, I think, is that scientists themselves always want to know more than they can with the tools they have. Like, you might be interested in knowing whether taking hormones is helpful or harmful to women who are postmenopausal. What you can answer is the question of whether women who take hormones whom you enroll in your study — those specific women — have an increase or decrease in, say, heart disease rates or breast cancer rates or stroke rates compared to a control group or to the general population.

Or people like me? Or the population as a whole? Partly our goal is to help change the culture of journalism so that people recognize the importance of using quantitative arguments and thinking about quantitative issues before they come to conclusions. On an individual level, if we have the ability to think quantitatively, we can make better decisions about our own health, about our own choices with regard to risk, about our own lifestyles.

On a collective level, the impact of being educated in general is huge. We aspire to a literate society because it allows for public engagement, and I think this is also true for quantitative literacy. Mathematics is a powerful tool for global understanding and communication that organizes our lives and prevents chaos. Mathematics helps us understand the world and provides an effective way of building mental discipline.

Math encourages logical reasoning, critical thinking, creative thinking, abstract or spatial thinking, problem-solving ability, and even effective communication skills. Mathematics : Introduction. Mathematics is a study of measurements, numbers, and space, which is one of the first sciences that humans work to develop because of its great importance and benefit.

The origin of the word "mathematics" is in Greek, which means tendencies to learn, and there are many branches of mathematics in science, that are related to numbers, including geometric forms, algebra, and others.

Mathematics plays a vital role in all aspects of life, whether in everyday matters such as time tracking, driving, cooking, or jobs such as accounting, finance, banking, engineering, and software.

These functions require a strong mathematical background, and scientific experiments by scientists need mathematical techniques. They are a language to describe scientists' work and achievements. As for mathematical inventions, they are numerous throughout the ages. Some of them were tangible, such as counting and measuring devices. Some of them are not as tangible as methods of thinking and solving. The symbols that express numbers are also one of the most important mathematical inventions.

Mathematics helps in analytical thinking. While solving maths problems, data are collected, disassembled, and then interconnected to solve them. Mathematics is the pillar of organized life for the present day.

Without numbers and mathematical evidence, we cannot resolve any issues in our daily lives. There are times, measurements, rates, wages, tenders, discounts, claims, supplies, jobs, stocks, contracts, taxes, money exchange, consumption, etc. Thus, mathematics has become the companion of man and his helper since the beginning of human existence on earth.

When man first wanted to answer questions such as "How many? Then algebra was invented to facilitate calculations, measurements, analysis, and engineering. The science of trigonometry emerged when humans wanted to locate high mountains and stars. Therefore, the knowledge of this article arose and developed when humans felt the need and mathematics are necessary for the long planning of life and also the daily planning of any individual.

Mathematical rapprochement is necessary for any process, so if anyone wants to reach the height of his life, he should not fail to believe in the role of mathematics in his life, starting with the ordinary citizen. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter.

It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which means it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word. Key Takeaways: Why Math is a Language In order to be considered a language, a system of communication must have vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and people who use and understand it. Mathematics meets this definition of a language. Linguists who don't consider math a language cite its use as a written rather than spoken form of communication.

Math is a universal language. The symbols and organization to form equations are the same in every country of the world. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.