4. What is mathematics
Mathematics reveals hidden patterns that help us understand the world around us.
Now much more than arithmetic and geometry, mathematics today is a diverse
discipline that deals with data, measurements, and observations from science; with
inference, deduction, and proof; and with mathematical models of natural
phenomena, of human behavior, and of social systems.
As a practical matter, mathematics is a science of pattern and order. Its domain is
not molecules or cells, but numbers, chance, form, algorithms, and change. As a
science of abstract objects, mathematics relies on logic rather than on observation as
its standard of truth, yet employs observation, simulation, and even experimentation
as means of discovering truth.
The special role of mathematics in education is a consequence of its universal
applicability. The results of mathematics-theorems and theories-are both significant
and useful; the best results are also elegant and deep. Through its theorems,
mathematics offers science both a foundation of truth and a standard of certainty.
5. History of mathematics
The history of mathematics is nearly as old as humanity itself. Since antiquity,
mathematics has been fundamental to advances in science, engineering, and
philosophy. It has evolved from simple counting, measurement and calculation, and the
systematic study of the shapes and motions of physical objects, through the
application of abstraction, imagination and logic, to the broad, complex and often
abstract discipline we know today.
From the notched bones of early man to the mathematical advances brought about by
settled agriculture in Mesopotamia and Egypt and the revolutionary developments
of ancient Greece and its Hellenistic empire, the story of mathematics is a long and
impressive one.
The East carried on the baton, particularly China, India and the medieval Islamic
empire, before the focus of mathematical innovation moved back to Europe in the
late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Then, a whole new series of revolutionary
developments occurred in 17th Century and 18th Century Europe, setting the stage for
the increasing complexity and abstraction of 19th Century mathematics, and finally
the audacious and sometimes devastating discoveries of the 20th Century.
Follow the story as it unfolds in this series of linked sections, like the chapters of a
book. Read the human stories behind the innovations, and how they made - and
sometimes destroyed - the men and women who devoted their lives to...
6. application of mathematics in
architecture
Relationship between mathematics and architecture
An examination of the latest Pantheon studies illustrates the newest
theories of relationships between architecture and mathematics in Rome’s
most celebrated building. This paper was presented at the Nexus 2000
conference on architecture and mathematics, 4–7 June 2000, Ferrara, Italy.
Many studies on the Pantheon are carried out far from Rome and so ideas on
the monument cannot be checked easily or frequently. For this reason, a
group of architects and archaeologists are working in Rome, trying to
resolve some seemingly banal but still unanswered questions. For instance,
one question that is often asked is: Could the inside of the Pantheon have
been an astronomical observatory.
7. Amazing Examples of Architecture Inspired by Mathematics
Tetrahedral-Shaped Church
The tetrahedron is a convex polyhedron with four
triangular faces. Basically, it’s a complex pyramid.
You’ve seen the same geometric principle used in
RPGs, because the dice is shaped the same. Famed
architect Walter Netsch applied the concept to the
United States Air Force Academy’s Cadet Chapel in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. It’s a striking and
classic example of modernist architecture, with its
row of 17 spires and massive tetrahedron frame
that stretches more than 150 feet into the sky. The
early 1960’s church cost a whopping $3.5 million to
construct.
8. A Mathematically-Inclined Cucumber in
the Sky
Standing 591-feet tall, with 41 floors is
London’s skyscraper known as The Gherkin
(yes, like the cucumber). The modern tower
was carefully constructed with the help of
parametric modeling amongst other math-
savvy formulas so the architects could
predict how to minimize whirlwinds around
its base. The design’s tapered top and
bulging center maximize ventilation. The
building uses half the energy of other
towers the same size. Any mathematician
would be pleased to claim credit for the
building, but architectural firm Foster and
Partners might have something to say about
that.
