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B
Why is maths universal ?
1 What is universal ?
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1 Maths tree
2 Analogy
D
Reflection ( with matrix thing at the back)
E
Question time
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A
What is a language ?
There are many definitions
Method of human communication, spoken or written, consisting of words in a
structured and conventional way.
Follows 5 criteria- pragmatics, semantics, syntax, phonology, morphology.
A body of words, the system for their use, common to people of the same country
or region.
But we wont be looking at these things.
Language is a system for the expression of thoughts, feelings, etc, by the use of
spoken sounds or conventional symbols. No criterions except for this one. ( Repeats
the definition)
2- To explain something.
Eg:
The cat is hungry, the ostrich cant fly, Nous allons manquer ( miss ) Dr. Brice.
Established language
1- Aesthetic ( beautiful ) quality to it.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee?
2- Manipulation of words
I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.
2 What is maths ?
Maths is quite undefinable because it is an ART, its a SCIENCE, its a LANGUAGE.
Its everything.
But one of the definitions of maths that we find to be appealing is
Maths is anything that studies the interaction and the pattern between quantities, variables,
structure, and change.
Everything in maths is related to patterns that can be proven given certain criteria. For example,
What we are trying to tell you is that Maths is not just arithmetic. ( 1,2,3 ). This numbers can cease to
exist but Mathematics will still be there.
As in Pytagoras Theorem.
3
Mathematics as a language.
Maths is a system
One does not learn Algebra in Maths without learning the basics of Addition, Subtraction,
Multiplication, Division etc.
Maths is also used with their own grammar, which is a sequence of symbols and numbers that
must be arranged and written in a specific way( write on the board)
Maths is also used in conversations. One includes the quantity of a specific object of conversation
by the usage of language.
Mathematics is dynamic
The way human represent Maths change over time although Maths in reality does not change
For example, from the video that we saw in class, Maths started with the need to record the value
of a subject
It is through time that humans figured out the way to represent a quantity of a subject without
wasting effort in making soooo many scratches
Humans develop better ways to represent Maths, thus resulting with the Maths that we know of
today
However, despite of these differences, the value and meaning is still the same, although the
aesthetic used to represent each number is different.
For example, the way how number one is written in Chinese is not the same as how the
Romans write. The word/syllable used to represent the number is also different. However, the
value is still the same.
Next, we have the established portion of the maths which is pure maths.
Mathematics is now very vast, established just like a complicated language. Thats where pure maths
comes in. We dont try to communicate or explain something, instead we have fun with the language, It is
like literature actually.
Examples of theoretical maths ( pure maths). It wouldnt work in real life. Maybe one day it would because
usually stuffs from pure maths move to applied maths.(eg : Fibonacci sequence )
Like , perfect numbers. The sum of the factors of the number is equal to the number itself. 6 is a perfect
number. Why? Because 1 + 2+3 = 6. Get it ? The next perfect number is 28.
( explain it on board )
And then, there are also poetry in maths. This is said to be the most beautiful equation in maths.
e^ (pi* i ) + 1 = 0
This is because it has all the most appreciated and the most beautiful numbers i= imaginary number, pi,
e= eulers constant and 1 and 0.
Even the part of the brain we use for language, when we think and the part of the brain that works out
equations is the same part of the brain, the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is used for reasoning. When you
do maths and when you think of something to say, the same part of the brain lights up the most under
MRI scans.
Now we have successfully shown you why Maths is a language. It behaves exactly like a system of
language. It is indeed a language. This is the easy part.
Now lets venture into deeper grounds.
B
Why is maths universal ?
1 What is universal ?
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Mobius strip
What is universal ?
It simply means it is done and experienced by everyone or existing and true at all
times . By everyone, we dont simply mean us, humans. We also mean, non- living
things, plants and animals alike and even outer space. It is a huge concept.
Examples of things that are universal.
There are not many actually.
Even gravity is not quite universal. How about intangible things like freedom ? Is it
universal ? We cant be too sure. Even in our world history, freedom has changed
from time to time.
But now we are making a claim that Mathematics is universal.
We can be too sure about what this means. But the shape you are looking at is the
shape that exists in the current world.
( insert pictures.............. )
What does this mean, we are not too sure. By we, I dont just mean my team. I
mean we humans as a whole. We are trying to find what this means collectively.
Mathematics directs the flow of the universe lurks behind its shapes and
curves and holds the reins of everything from tiny atoms to the biggest
stars a quote by Edward Frenkel
Like we told you before, maths hardly requires numbers. It is a way to simplify
matters and calculations.But there are bigger things, proportions and patterns for
example.
Just like the Pytagoras example. It is correct everywhere. But just imagine, if we one
day get to move to outer space and the world is no longer the same. Do you think
Pytogoras Theorem would work ?
( insert convexed picture here )
No, but we would discover a new theorem that would work here. It would still be
maths.
Most theories will stand correct because it works. Which is why Maths is universal.
Newton and Leibniz discovered differentiation independently. This
Is maths international ?
Definitely. ( Venn diagram )
But why?
C
Maths tree
This is our maths tree. It has branches of all the maths we currently have in the
world and it is the proof that everything originated from the universe.
Analogy.
An analogy. Crazy analogy.
I create something called Baby language. I collect all patterns of babies cries and
their wailings and their laughter and all that. And then I create a communication
system assigning each of the different frequencies a name. And i experiment that if
i pinch a baby, it will cry. Therefore, I have a theorem, and I name it Crybaby
Theorem. And if i rock the cradle, it will sleep. Sweet Dreams Theorem. Imagine if i
have created so many many tiny theorems. And Baby language is so developed and
advanced that it has many infinite stuffs in it.
After some time, centuries after the world is fluent with Baby language. I go to the
question. Why do all babies speak Baby language? Well, well. Isnt this an awkward
question. I created the Baby language from the set of babies sounds that were
already there. And then I wonder why they speak Baby Language ?
So to answer out big question. The one that appeared right in the beginning is this.
Is maths the language of the universe?
The whole presentation was so that we can explain that mathematics is the
language of the universe. We say that this is an unfair question. We fit mathematics
to the natural phenomena. Thus, more maths would definitely be discovered to fit in
the natural occurence in the universe.
That was how gravity was discovered. Is the value of gravity 9.81 ms-2. It is.
Because that was what we made it to be. We can change the whole number system
and call the value of the gravitational acceleration something else. Lets say , ee.
But the logic behind the theorem will still be the same.
Mathematics describes the real world: many areas of mathematics originated with
attempts to describe and solve real world phenomena - from measuring farms
(geometry) to falling apples (calculus) to gambling (probability). Mathematics is
widely used in modern physics and engineering, and has been hugely successful in
helping us to understand more about the universe around us from its largest scales
(physical cosmology) to its smallest (quantum mechanics).
We are actually playing with inductions and deductions, as in logic whenever we see
a reoccuring pattern.
That is maths.
This is our conclusion. That maths is the language of the universe because we
understand the world better through mathematical concept. We assign logic to
patterns of the phenomena and we watch it progress and be recreated in other
parts of the universe.
D
Reflection
E
Questions.
Reference
https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~kvikram/htmls/read/maths.htm
http://blog.ted.com/2014/04/16/a-bilingual-ted-ed-club/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_of_mathematics
http://www.fdavidpeat.com/bibliography/essays/maths.htm
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?
q=cache:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-universe-made-of-mathexcerpt/
http://xeny.net/maths_Maths_and_the_Language_of_the_Universe
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/why-math-is-the-language-of-theuniverse/#axzz33LygjiNo