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| Great Wall of China |
In
the first installment of the series, The Language of
the Universe, du Sautoy guided us through the histories and the mathematics
of Egypt, Babylon, and Greece, all of which contributed to the development of mathematics,
some more than others. Unfortunately, progress grinded to a halt after the decline of
these civilizations.
The
second installment, entitled The
Genius of the East, sees du Sautoy transported to the Middle and Far East
where the development of mathematics continued and even flourished after the
decline of preceding civilizations. In these regions, mathematics became
intertwined with mysticism. Du Sautoy touches upon the Chinese mathematical
system and their belief in the supernatural power of numbers, such as the
concept of lucky and unlucky numbers. In India, the branch of trigonometry and
the symbol for zero are invented, and the then unheard of concepts of infinity
and negative numbers are established. Du Sautoy then moves to the Arabic world,
where the Hindu-Arabic numerical system, and the branch of algebra are invented and the development of a solution to
cubic equations is first realized. These developments are then spread to Europe, paving the way
for further development in the discipline, and civilization.
It
is important to contextualize mathematics because it somewhat humanizes it,
making it more understandable and approachable. Perhaps one of the reasons why
mathematics remains unpopular is because of its perceived nebulousness. We all
think of mathematics as simply numbers and equations, with no regard for its
history, and the role it played in the advancement of humanity. We know of
numbers and equations but we fail to appreciate its beauty. We think of it as separate
from us. Through the series and du Sautoy’s infectious fervor (it is apparent
that he enjoys what he’s doing), mathematics is made recognizable, accessible,
and human.
Originally published: 12/10/13 5:53 AM PST
Originally published: 12/10/13 5:53 AM PST
Well said. Especially about the the math's effect to the development on the mentioned civilizations.
ReplyDeleteTrue! Talking about the history of math makes you appreciate it more because it seems more human that way. The way math has contributed to the development and advancement of early civilizations makes it more astonishing because it actually is the same science we use today.
ReplyDelete"We know of numbers and equations but we fail to appreciate its beauty."
ReplyDeleteI super agree. During my previous math classes, I've been busy solving problems and calculating equations. I never really thought deeper about the subject I'm studying and failed to appreciate it, but not until now.