BBC Four’s The
Story of Maths, hosted
by professor and pop-sci extraordinaire Marcus du Sautoy, is a 4-part series
about the evolution and history of mathematics.
The first episode, called The Language of the Universe, discussed the contributions of the
ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek civilizations in developing mathematics.
Egyptians had problems on bureaucracy and land management, thus, needed a
counting system to solve their problems. They were the earliest to use the 10
base number system which was based on the fingers of human hands, which
could've solved those problems which made them successful during their
existence.
The Babylonian
civilization used the 60 base number system, which is used to partition time
and angles. They also set generalized solutions in schools and had developed
way in solving some quadratic equations.
The Greeks then
bridged the practical use of mathematics to its philosophical and logical
functions. They have developed postulates, theorems, axioms and corollaries
which are still considered true to this day.
This series made
me open my mind to the actual purpose of mathematics. All I knew about it was
it was just a game of numbers and figuring out the correctness of numerical
statements. Knowing the reason of its birth and development is another way of
sensing purpose of this branch of science. The beauty of these contributions is
that they are still used and applied in the present time. In the academe, Greek
contributions are still taught, especially in the field of geometry. This could
be a good starter for those who don't understand the reason of math in order
for them to appreciate it and open themselves in understanding its science.
Originally Published: 12/10/13 10:44 Pacific Standard Time
Originally Published: 12/10/13 10:44 Pacific Standard Time
I liked the way you discussed the historical roots of math. Your recognition of the relevance of its historical context hasn't gone unnoticed as well. But you mentioned that the "series made [you] open [your] mind to the actual purpose of mathematics." I am curious as to the actual purpose of mathematics; is there such a thing?
ReplyDeletethe way you talked about the movie was good. but i would also like to ask the same thing about the phrase "the actual purpose of mathematics".
ReplyDeletei dont think it has a specific purpose. mathematics is used in a vast number of circumstances that you cannot pin point its main purpose.
It's astonishing to know how ancient civilizations contributed to the mathematics we learn today. Maybe the "actual purpose" the writer talks about in his blog is the way we should use mathematics-that this science is purposely made to solve problems.
ReplyDeleteI think "the actual purpose of mathematics" is as easily defined as "the purpose of life". It can't be the same for all of us. We each have our own purpose. Also, Mathematics, I think, is a tool that people use for various purposes; so just as numbers are infinite so are mathematics' uses.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Given with today's generation, people tend to wonder, question or criticize the existence of mathematics in their discipline. People were asking "Why do we need to study this, it's not something that can help me when I buy a fish in the market.". Well, this might be an eye opener to those people to at least appreciate how "these" mathematics today developed.
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ReplyDeleteThe documentary was truly an eye opener to all of us, who misunderstood mathematics and its significance to our lives.
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