The beauty of mathematics

For many of us, “mathematics” together with “beauty” sit down oddly together. We may cry upwards math every bit deadening or fifty-fifty frightening, precisely hardly beautiful. Yet math is the key to science, together with scientific discipline dominates our age. And at that topographic point is roughly other means to await at it.

The unmarried most compelling argue to explore the basis of mathematics is that it is beautiful, together with pondering its intriguing ideas is non bad fun…. To written report the deep truth of set out relationships feeds the spirit every bit for certain every bit whatever of the other non bad human activities of art, music, or literature. -- Calvin Clawson

This quotation is taken from p. 239 of a wonderful majority called A Passion for Mathematics: Numbers, Puzzles, Madness, Religion, together with the Quest for Reality, past times Clifford A. Pickover. It is total of games together with quotes together with ideas that parents together with teachers volition discovery useful to acquire kids of all ages together with all backgrounds interested together with involved amongst maths together with geometry. Pickover himself believes that “mathematics is the loom upon which God weaves the stuff of the universe” (p. 53).

Looking dorsum on the maths classes I sat through every bit a kid, I can't assistance wishing I had been taught the plain of written report non every bit a collection of seemingly arbitrary rules together with procedures precisely (1) historically (starting amongst Pythagoras), (2) aesthetically (in relation to music, painting, architecture), together with (3) symbolically (with a sentiment to qualities, meanings, analogies inherent inward numbers together with shapes) - non to cry (4) playfully.

The religious together with secular purpose of numbers are related, every bit I tried to exhibit inward The Seven Sacraments (Crossroad) every bit good every bit inward Beauty for Truth’s Sake. The numbers especially prominent inward Christian tradition are 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 10 together with 12. One is the root of all other numbers, ii is the initiatory of all of multiplicity, at that topographic point are 3 divine Persons together with 3 theological virtues, 4 primal virtues together with 4 Gospels, 7 sacraments every bit good every bit 7 days of creation, 10 commandments, twelve apostles together with twelve tribes. And all these numbers are interrelated: 7 is 3 addition 4, 10 is 3 addition 7, 12 is 3 times 4. So inward a means the fundamental structural numbers alone become every bit high every bit 4, together with all the others are made upwards from these. That takes us dorsum to the sacred Tetraktys of the Pythagoreans, whose influence on the Christian tradition has been underestimated.

There is a fascinating article past times Karen Kilby called MATHEMATICS, BEAUTY AND THEOLOGY that I recommend to your attending if the plain of written report interests you. (Just follow the link.) And I besides desire to cry "The Curriculum of Beauty" past times David H. Albert together with Joyce Reed inward Life Learning magazine. Albert writes:

Our children get got inside themselves, or together with therefore I am led to believe past times my sense of them, an inner yearning for the beautiful, a potential wonderment together with a delicious longing together with dear together with trembling waiting to survive empowered on its quest. This yearning is non probable to survive fulfilled inward a high schoolhouse hallway or on the shopping mall checkout line. So what if nosotros were to ready every bit our delineate of piece of occupation – every bit parents together with every bit educators – acquainting our children amongst the beautiful without together with the tillage of the beautiful – the yearning – within? How mightiness nosotros become near our homeschooling lives differently if nosotros were to conceive of what nosotros are doing every bit primarily an aesthetic task?

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