I found this article very inspiring. Not only did it explain the significance of math but it also gave practical examples of how to make it happen.
"Mathematics as part of the human experience". What a wonderful concept. The author explains the very basics of needing math to understand our current world, but also goes further to say that it can shape the world. I had not considered the shaping before. Though I have not seen it yet, previews for the Facebook movie suggest that there was an "equation" which served as the basis for the whole creation of the Facebook social network. The significance of math in our society is huge. We do live in a very math-oriented world, always looking for ways to model reality to better understand it and predict the future.
In my career as a Computer Scientist, I worked for a company that created Business Intelligence software, mainly software to help model the business. There was a strong desire to quantify everything such that it could be measured and compared/improved over time. We had graphs for many things in an attempt to measure quality and efficiency, a life long learning process.
What I particularly enjoyed about this article, is that the author left us with 3 key suggestions to help us realize this potential.
- Use variable entry problems - great to understand what is really going on and be able to apply it elsewhere.
- Demand for explanation - one must focus on discovering the truth and not just finding a right answer.
- Conversation - this goes beyond monologue and dialogue but represents an active, exchange of ideas that generates many connections.
In short, this is by far the best article I have read since entering this program.
You have made great connections with this little article. I am very glad to hear it has been inspiring for you.
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