April 20, 2025
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Those who are confused will no longer be: is mathematics an invention or a discovery of what already exists?

  • December 27, 2023
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In essence, mathematics is not limited to the four operations that we learn at an early age. From thousands of years ago to today, many ideas and theories

Those who are confused will no longer be: is mathematics an invention or a discovery of what already exists?

In essence, mathematics is not limited to the four operations that we learn at an early age. From thousands of years ago to today, many ideas and theories about mathematics have been put forward. In particular some theories Mathematics is not just about numbers shows clearly.

In this content we will provide examples of how mathematics exists even in places we never expected. We will evaluate the opinions on how this science originated and leave the decision to you..

In fact, the story of mathematics is as old as humanity.

pikachu

Mathematics is where civilizations emerged and professions diversified. 600 BC to calculate people’s taxes and measure parcels had been used. After 100 years, Roman numerals that represented numbers began to develop.

Scientists also believe that basic mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction originated thousands of years ago in places as diverse as Egypt, India and Mesopotamia. The history of advanced mathematics is famous equation of mathematician Pythagoras It dates back to Greece, 2500 years ago.

For example, this equation is what we now know as the Pythagorean theorem. It is associated with the sides of a right triangle. After Pythagoras put forward this theorem, many mathematicians tried to improve their understanding of mathematics, but no one could find the one true answer to this question.

In fact, some mathematical ideas are so fundamental that it is impossible that these ideas and theories were only discovered today.

PI number

Mathematics is almost a language of science and its structures come from nature. Even if the universe disappears one day tomorrow mathematical facts will persist. It is up to us, humans, to discover it, understand its workings and develop it.

Many mathematicians also support this view. These mathematical ideas can be seen as a discovery of truth rather than a discovery. For example, there is no largest prime number and pi is When expressed in decimal numbers, it goes on forever.

Mathematics can provide answers to many universal questions and can also find a place in nature. One of the clearest examples that mathematics can be found in nature is the golden ratio.

golden ratio

The golden ratio represents the most predictable patterns within the universe. Tornado shapes, atoms, dimensions of the galaxy, down to the human face and body It can contain everything. This ratio is the ratio of parts (a) and (b) equal to (a+b) divided by the largest part (a).

The golden ratio is worth about 1.618, that’s also it divine relationship Also known as. It is also derived from the Fibonacci sequence, named after the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci.

Each number in the series, 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55… It returns the sum of the two numbers before it. The Fibonacci sequence has attracted the attention of many scientists, mathematicians and artists for years.

Fibonacci sequence; There are even places we would never expect, such as animals, primates, plants and shells.

Fibonacci

For example, the leaves of flowers also follow this order. If you pay close attention, the leaves of a flower It is 3,5,8,13,21,34 or 55. Lilies have 3 petals, dandelions and daisies have 21 petals, and Michaelmas daisies have 55 petals. This is one of the best proofs that mathematics exists in nature.

So is mathematics a work that we have created?

Math

Actually, the answer to this question is quite controversial. Some people who are anti-Plato and believe that mathematics was invented, This goes against the idea that science has been discovered. These people view mathematics as a human invention designed to describe the physical world.

If we look at it from another perspective, each of us primarily used natural numbers (1,2,3,4,5…) to count the objects around us. Later we invented many concepts such as negative, rational, irrational, complex numbers and so on. If we look at it in this sense, mathematics to serve our purposes rather than occurring in nature. You can also say that it has been developed.

In short, debates between those who think mathematics is an invention and those who claim it is a discovery can last for years.

Because when we look at both frameworks separately, There are facts that confirm both ideas. But since this problem has existed for almost 2,300 years, it seems unlikely that this mystery will be solved any time soon.

Sources: Science ABC, TED-Ed, Medium

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