Words are simply marvelous. Letters, however, are more so. Without the elegant curves of an S or the straight militant standing of a capital A the world would simply crumble into nothingness. Without these pillars of achievement, ones' life would consist solely of counting sheep and bashing people over the head with wooden clubs. How is a person to say something necessary without words and if they did reach that point, how are they to make sure that something sticks? What if you, the grand mathematician, wanted your new way of looking at numbers to be understood by others? How, pray tell, would you go about that? It would be the assumption of the world that you would WRITE a BOOK. Don't look now but I believe both of those consist of letters formed into words not numbers formed into equations. I would also like to bet that somewhere in that grand new theory of yours there are numbers. What's that you say? E=MC2? I believe that is more letters then numbers. Also, how are you to "indicate that energy always exhibits mass in whatever form the energy takes" with just that equation? You see my point now? That math, where it has its place in the world, is not the all powerful phenomenon that people make it out to be. So here is a thought to go through the day with: When in doubt, ask an English major.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Math. Simply unimaginative.
It has been called to my attention that those who do math are unimaginative. I am not talking about engineers, who are probably some of the most imaginative people I know. No, I am talking about MATH. Most Annoying Talent in Humanity. M.A.T.H. The nerve of the populace that is good at math to assume they have a special talent! The audacity of the mathematician to decide he has the most sensational cranium on all of terra firma. Well my dear people of the planet, I am here to inform you that without English, there would be no math. That's right, words are the foundation of society. How, you ask? Well, let me break it into simple terms for you. More then half the world populace is good at math (see how special that makes you now?). Now that the fact is out of the way, let me explain to you, with words no less, how math would suffer without the loving literate locution of an informal essayist.
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Great blog!!!!! I'm with you. I love the song that's playing, too.
ReplyDelete"When in doubt, ask an English major."
ReplyDeleteSurely that depends on what you are asking about?
"I am here to inform you that without english, there would be no math."
I think you mean without language (other languages do exist), but ok.
When students go to study maths at university, where the subject is quite different, one thing that lecturers are always trying to get them doing is write in english, rather than just equations and symbols. This reflects that university style mathematics is communicated mostly through words, and doesn't use equations all the time like high school math.
You probably think I'm proving your point, but if you think a little more, what I'm really saying is that you didn't have a point to begin with. Math uses words (especially "higher" or "university style" math). So what?
You know, people might have a hard time writing a novel if they weren't allowed to use number words or number symbols. Does anyone care? No. Indeed, why would anyone care about such a trite matter?
On the one hand you seem to be saying that there is more to life than numbers and equations. But, dear, to be falsely sincere, there is more to mathematics than numbers and equations.
ReplyDeleteThere are more things in both mathematics and in the heads of mathematicians, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Oh, and one more thing. You are probably under the impression that mathematics and the arts are like the red squirrel and the grey squirrel.
ReplyDeleteHowever, mathematics was used in an essential way in the genesis of music, which surely counts as one of the arts, perhaps the best one. If nobody had ever bothered to do mathematics there literally wouldn't be any music. The best you would get would be birdsong, which, although nice, is never going to give you goosebumps.
People who don't know much about maths or music, tend to react with a disbelieving horror akin to that of Luke Skywalker in star wars, upon being informed that Darth Vader was his father.
"No, that's not true. That's impossible!!"
However, it is indeed true.
Dear Dan,
ReplyDeleteI am fully aware of the beauty of math. I actually have to take several math classes to fulfill one of my other majors. I am sorry if my sarcasm was seen as serious. This post was a product of a math major coming up to me and telling me that my majors were useless. My comment, "That math, where it has its place in the world, is not the all powerful phenomenon that people make it out to be." Is really the point I was trying to get across. That math, like everything else, has a very important part in the world, however, it should not be seen as the only great thing out there. :) I hope I didn't offend you.
All the best,
The Singing Telegram Girl (Who really does believe math is a good thing and an essential thing)