Reuben Hersh, a mathematician and mathematics philosopher, believes humans created math. He reasons that math is all in the heads of humans, and is a “social phenomenon”. According to Hersh math is not “physical, not mental, but social”. Math to Hersh is a creation of humans that would not be found in other regions of the universe. According to Hersh if there were other life forms out there in the universe they would not have the same math that we have.
Hersh agrees that there could very well be aliens out there in the universe who use mathematics, but he feels that their math would much different than ours. Others would argue and say that math is the same all around the universe. Mathematicians find it mined boggling that Hersh believes math is created. A mathematician can’t imagine an alien not knowing two plus two is four. Hersh argues that all math isn’t based on facts. He says there is no proof that two plus two is four, and when a mathematician argues with him by giving him math rules Hersh replies by saying “I find it so astonishing that a good mathematician would so misunderstand the nature of proof.”
Hersh goes on and uses many analogies that attempt to disprove mathematics, but mathematicians believe the math is something to be found, not created. Mathematicians describe math as something to observe and find not something to create and construct.
I thought this article to be very interesting. While reading this article I was swayed from one side to the other, both sides had reasonable arguments that kept me doubtful. Math can very much is considered a created thing because we have no way of knowing if it actually applies to areas out of our sight. But as long as math is in our minds we will never get away from it. As we travel the universe we will still see everything as math, whereas an alien might see some kind of different explanation for everything around them.
One example of a “nontraditional” mathematical moment the article gives is of a child in the sandbox, “Louis, that bucket holds a lot of sand. How many plastic cupfuls do you think it will take to fill it to the top?” Asking that question all of the sudden turns a plastic cup, a plastic bucket and sand into math manipulatives. Teachers often get hung up on the concept of manipulatives, but really a manipulative is simply “a small item that someone can use to sort, categorize, count, measure, match, and make patterns”, and in the case of the sand Louis is using both the concept of volume as well as counting. Other examples of materials you could are, stones, sticks,
"After the murder of Clerval I returned to Switzerland, heart-broken and overcome. I pitied Frankenstein; my pity amounted to horror; I abhorred myself. But when I discovered that he, the author at once of my existence and of its unspeakable torments, dared to hope for happiness, that while he accumulated wretchedness and despair upon me he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the indulgence of which I was forever barred, then impotent envy and bitter indignation filled me with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. I recollected my threat and resolved that it should be accomplished. I knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture, but I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse
Davis’ playing Incorporated many styles, from bop to modal fusion. Oftentimes Davis was the victim of negative criticism because of his adopting sometimes unpopular styles of music, but he is most respected for being one of a few jazz musicians who continually took the music to newer and more creative heights.
The process of establishing Miles Davis in the field of the jazz music has many different aspects. The story of his professional development is very interesting and unstable as it has its breakthroughs and setbacks, and indeed, all turning points in his life has made a significant impact on the evolution of the jazz music sound. In this essay, I am going to discuss how Miles Davis affected every stream of jazz and how jazz affected him during his all life.
Burton, David. M. (2010). The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, Seventh Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
The key figure in the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a monster who “was benevolent and good; [but] misery made [him] a fiend” (Shelley 84). The monster is originally created to possess love, kindness, and other human characteristics, but after years of solitude due to his inhuman ugliness, his life is left in ruins. Humans’ normal response to being alone or feeling like no one cares about them, is to curse others and the world. The monster has the same reaction after he is physically and emotionally rejected by society and his creator. Frankenstein explores the journey of a monster and how he deals with his human emotions when he is let out into the world to fend for himself. The monster’s response to his isolation from society is
I also learned that mathematics was more than merely an intellectual activity: it was a necessary tool for getting a grip on all sorts of problems in science and engineering. Without mathematics there is no progress. However, mathematics could also show its nasty face during periods in which problems that seemed so simple at first sight refused to be solved for a long time. Every math student will recognize these periods of frustration and helplessness.
Beginning in the late 19th century, two separate movements spread across America know as realism and naturalism. While the two were very similar in their beliefs and ideals there were still many apparent distinctions to differentiate the two. Realism and naturalism showed themselves in many aspects of life, from art and sciences to new math techniques and even religion. However, above all else these movements may have been most evident in the literature of this time. Reading through American literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it becomes perceptible which short stories portray realism and which represent nationalism.
Mathematics is everywhere we look, so many things we encounter in our everyday lives have some form of mathematics involved. Mathematics the language of understanding the natural world (Tony Chan, 2009) and is useful to understand the world around us. The Oxford Dictionary defines mathematics as ‘the science of space, number, quantity, and arrangement, whose methods, involve logical reasoning and use of symbolic notation, and which includes geometry, arithmetic, algebra, and analysis of mathematical operations or calculations (Soanes et al, Concise Oxford Dictionary,
“In the place where idealism and realism meet, that is where there is the greatest evolutionary tension.” Idealism prioritizes ideals, social reforms and morals, by wanting to benefit not just yourself, but the world around you, believing people are generally good. On the contrary, realism gives priority to national interest and security with emphasis on promoting one’s own power and influence by assuming that people are egocentric by nature. Based on the definitions stated above, idealism and realism are significantly different from each other and their divergence of thought is more apparent when various proponents of each such as Woodrow Wilson, Henry Lodge, Barack Obama and George W. Bush have varied outlooks on comparable issues in politics. Subsequently, an idealist’s reaction to a particular issue would be a lot different than a realist’s response. Therefore, idealism deals with normative ideas and allows for improvements in the progress of not only a single state, but the whole world, however realism solely focuses on the benefits of one’s own nation.
Realism, as defined by James H. Rubin, is a movement in art and literature, [which] claimed to represent the common people and their everyday circumstances based on accurate observation (Rubin 91). According to Rubin, Realism “emerged in France during the mid nineteenth century”(Rubin 91) and came to the United States as a response to Reconstruction (Owen 9). Defining characteristics of the Realistic movement may include the complexities that an average man or woman might face. The subject matter is a representation of middle-class life. To begin with, John Steinbeck’s upbringing at an agricultural time led to the portrayal of his short stories and novels. “In 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. Steinbeck contributed to Realism by being a versatile writer. He has been described as a social-protest writer, a realist, a naturalist, a journalist, and a playwright. He has many strong themes running through his works. The most notable are the strengths of the family, the effects of the environment on man, and social protests” (Reuben 2). Secondly, William Dean Howells was born on March 1, 1837 in Martinsville, Ohio; Howells is regarded as "the father of American Realism" (Alexander 68). Specifically, Howells contributed to Realism by discussing his major themes, such as cosmopolitan life in New York City, war, and the American businessman (Cady 17). The over-all message being portrayed is that Realism enables its readers to reflect on common occurrences and attempt to improve the actuality of their lives. The literation of Realism zeroes in on normalcy, embracing mediocrity, and the possibility to overcome adversity. The authors, John Steinbeck and William Dean Howells successfully wrote of the Realistic movemen...
What is math? If you had asked me that question at the beginning of the semester, then my answer would have been something like: “math is about numbers, letters, and equations.” Now, however, thirteen weeks later, I have come to realize a new definition of what math is. Math includes numbers, letters, and equations, but it is also so much more than that—math is a way of thinking, a method of solving problems and explaining arguments, a foundation upon which modern society is built, a structure that nature is patterned by…and math is everywhere.
When I think about knowledge the first thing that comes to my mind is education. I believe that knowledge comes to people by their experiences in life. In other words, life is an instrument that leads me to gain knowledge. Many people consider that old people are wise because they have learned from good and bad experiences throughout their lives. Education requires work, dedication and faith to gain knowledge. We acquired knowledge through the guidance of from parents, role models, college/University teachers and life experiences.
The history of math has become an important study, from ancient to modern times it has been fundamental to advances in science, engineering, and philosophy. Mathematics started with counting. In Babylonia mathematics developed from 2000B.C. A place value notation system had evolved over a lengthy time with a number base of 60. Number problems were studied from at least 1700B.C. Systems of linear equations were studied in the context of solving number problems.
As mathematics has progressed, more and more relationships have ... ... middle of paper ... ... that fit those rules, which includes inventing additional rules and finding new connections between old rules. In conclusion, the nature of mathematics is very unique and as we have seen in can we applied everywhere in world. For example how do our street light work with mathematical instructions? Our daily life is full of mathematics, which also has many connections to nature.