Blog 0, 8/30/17

What is Math?

      Math to me is everything! No matter what, things can almost always be described using math in some manner. For example, how big is the river down the road? I can not give you an exact number but I could make a reasonable guess--at least then it would be fathomable instead of just a wide river stretching to the edge of the horizons. Math is a way of describing and recognizing patterns in the real world, making them simple enough so that the abstract patterns and objects can be understood by many in a logical manner.

       Many people seem to think that the little slice of math that they have experienced is enough. They do not even realize what they are missing--it is not only computations, it goes further than that! Math is a broad enough subject where it can mean many things. It can refer to simple computations that grade schoolers are learning, or even the algebra that kids in High School are working with. But it goes further--it also includes the method of thinking one must learn in order to solve the complex proofs given in upper level undergraduate courses! Even when solving any kind of problem, one can break it down into numbers and attempt to use a logical method to solve whatever unique problem that currently presents itself. The term math includes everything from pattern recognition, calculations, proofs of laws of the universe, thinking methods, geometries, and more.

The Top 5 biggest moments in Math that I have seen:

1. Babylonians using algebra

This was a completely new way of using numbers to them, which is pretty big discovery as it is so widely used to this day.

2. Issac Newton and the creation of Calculus.

He also came up with a new branch of mathematics, this one was a little more abstract than algebra but still is quite useful and widely used.

3. Euclid's Elements

He provided many proofs of and made a concrete geometry with rules.

4. Pythagorean Theorem

Widely used formula describing the relations of side lengths of right triangles.

5. Fibonacci Sequence
Related to the golden ratio and describes some interesting events in nature.