The Importance of Mathematics

In place of part 5 in The Great Musical Adventure, here is an essay about the importance of mathematics. Yes, the more often than not dreaded school subject of kids. Anyways, this is my last essay for math in high school. ; )

These are the books I used for my senior year of high school math.

The Importance of Mathematics

Mathematics is a subject that most people do not like to study and they find it hard. For some people, it is a subject that requires a diligent study with long hours of 'hairpulling' just so you can pass an exam or make a good grade in the class.  But, how many know the value mathematics has in everything that you do and see? How many students take time to diligently study mathematics? Most educated people see the value of mathematics and value mathematics. Mathematics helps us not only in science and economics, but it helps us in our reasoning and knowledge. Reasoning is essential to life, knowledge is the aftermath of reasoning, and wisdom comes from that knowledge. Wisdom in and of itself is concerned with the qualities in our bodies; they know how to function correctly. This sounds what might be taught in a philosophy class, right? Well, all the knowledge and wisdom comes directly from the study of mathematics, thanks Greeks!

However, let us back up a few years before the Greeks who were the most influential in our modern study of mathematics. Who came before the Greeks that influenced them and their study? Well, in 400 B.C., the Babylonians and Egyptians came up with the concept of numbers. With the discovery of these numbers, they came up with the study of arithmetic. With arithmetic, they could calculate interests, loans, mortgages, and taxes. As we see, arithmetic is an ancient study and is considered the 'Mother of all Studies."

Because we have arithmetic to build all our studies on, geometry naturally comes from arithmetic. Geometry is the basis for the calculation of volumes, structures, and areas. According to a Greek legend, geometry is a gift from the Nile. According to legend, when the Greeks would have a rainy season, the Nile would flood into the farmer's fields. One year after this happened, some Greek philosophers went out to examine the damage and how the borders of each farm were destroyed. The found a way to calculate the area of each farmer's field so the wouldn't need to guess where the borders began and ended.

So, the Greeks were truly intelligent people. They were the first to truly grasp the value and reason for mathematics. They were the first to realize that the power of human reason is a necessity of life, they were to first to put into practice all the concepts of mathematics that they knew so far, and they were the people that benefited from their study and grew wise. As the Greeks grew wiser, they became an idol to all the surrounding regions. The Arabs, in particular, learned to become like the Greeks. In fact, as the Arabs grew wiser, they blended already established theories together and compiled the great works into the "Almagest," or the Greatest Work.

Now that I have established the history of all mathematics, how does that help with the claim that mathematics is only necessary to science and economics? How does it answer the claim that mathematics is necessary for all life? How exactly does reason, knowledge, and wisdom descend from the study of mathematics?

Mathematics, as stated earlier, is the foundation of knowledge. Life depends on arithmetic from which all subjects descend from. For example, although numbers are a limited combination of units, those units create harmony and beauty. There is harmony and beauty as the planets in our universe pass by each other. We need mathematics as we add measurements together to create squared boards and concepts. With numbers, we can take propositions from Euclid's Elements book 4 to create similar figures by taking ratios of an already existing figure. Ratios include the numbers that we learn in arithmetic. Applying numbers in such a way is called logistica.

Now that I have laid down how numbers work and how they are applied in some ways, time to state the importance of mathematics even further. Yes, there are many more ways to point out the importance of mathematics. Take a look around you, what do you see? Books? Clothes? Pillows? Now, think about how each one is made. Trees are delicately shaped into sheets of paper; clothes are cut to make beautiful clothes; pillows have just enough filling in them to make them comfy and poofy. We all know the basic concept of how things are made. Now, think about what they would be like if we didn't have numbers and ratios. Random cut papers, weirdly shaped clothes, and unique and lumpy pillows. Now, think about what you know. Letter, facts, verses. When you learn your letters, you learn what number each letter belongs to. A is 1, O is 15, Z is 26. Each one has a number.

Think about how many things come in different sizes. The shirt which was made for a grown woman is made to fit a 5-year-old. They probably took Euclid's proposition 21 from book 4 to create a shirt similar to the big one using proportions (E.E. 4. 16) to figure out how to reconstruct it. Think about how people go on and on about the Pythagorean theorem and how grand it is. How many people know that the theorm's origins come from Euclid's proposition 47, book 1 of The Elements? Euclid studied the beauty of the numbers to create that proposition. The "Pythagorean theorem" is probably the most well know and practice theorem. It is for calculating area, constructing homes, and creating paper. But, this complicated proposition comes from mathematics.

Mathematics is so much greater than just numbers and calculations for accountants, science, and economics. Many things depend on mathematics. Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful gift of mathematics! Thank you for giving us the concept of mathematics so we may understand your world and creation in greater depth!

Cheers!

Chloe Elizabeth