Inside 1st

1) DEFINITIONS OF MATH

Early definitions

 Aristotle defined mathematics as the science of quantity.

In Aristotle's classification of the sciences, discrete quantities were studied by arithmetic,

continuous quantities by geometry.

 Auguste Comte's definition tried to explain the role of mathematics in coordinating

phenomena in all other fields. He defined it as the science of indirect measurement.

The "indirectness" in Comte's definition refers to determining quantities that cannot be

measured directly, such as the distance to planets or the size of atoms, by means of their
relations to quantities that can be measured directly.

Greater abstraction and competing philosophical schools

Benjamin Peirce 1870

□ Mathematics is the science that draws necessary conclusions.

□ Peirce did not think that mathematics is the same as logic, since he thought mathematics
makes only hypothetical assertions, not categorical ones.

Bertrand Russell 1903

□ All Mathematics is Symbolic Logic.

□ Russell's definition, on the other hand, expresses the logicist philosophy of mathematics
without reservation. Competing philosophies of mathematics put forth different
definitions.

Intuitionist Definition

□ Mathematics is mental activity which consists in carrying out, one after the other, those
mental constructions which are inductive and effective. Opposing the completely
deductive character of logicism, intuitionism emphasizes the construction of ideas in the
mind. Meaning that by combining fundamental ideas, one reaches a definite result.

Formalist Definition
 □ Mathematics is the manipulation of the meaningless symbols of a first-order language
according to explicit, syntactical rules. Formalism denies both physical and mental
meaning to mathematics, making the symbols and rules themselves the object of study.

Walter Warwick Sawyer, 1955

□ Mathematics is the classification and study of all possible patterns.

Wolfram MathWorld

□ Mathematics is a broad-ranging field of study in which the properties and interactions of

idealized objects are examined.

Oxford English Dictionary, 1933

□ The abstract science which investigates deductively the conclusions implicit in the
elementary conceptions of spatial and numerical relations, and which includes as its main
divisions geometry, arithmetic, and algebra.

American Heritage Dictionary, 2000

□ The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using
numbers and symbols.

Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006

□ The science of structure, order, and relation that has evolved from elemental practices of
counting, measuring, and describing the shapes of objects.

Reference : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_mathematics
2)

“Mathematics is everywhere. Always present in our daily living.”

Examples:

1. Mathematics on the menu

Looking down at the menu, you eye up the prices. The restaurant owner has worked out
how much she needs to charge for her food by creating a business model detailing the
cost of raw ingredients, staff wages and so on. She also has to calculate how these costs
might change in the future and how many customers she expects. Many restaurants fail
within their first year because of poor mathematical planning.

2. Maths lets you manage time.

Even when you’re looking to spend some time in everyday life is all around you, because
planning a holiday is all about optimisation. Deciding where to visit is just the first of a
whole bunch of questions. When is the best time of year to go? How do I get to the
airport on time?

3. Math makes baking fun

More math can be found in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house. Cooking and
baking are sciences all their own and can be some of the most rewarding (and delicious)
ways of introducing children to mathematics. After all, recipes are really just
mathematical algorithms or self-contained step-by-step sets of operations to be
performed.