What is math?

If you had asked me that question at the beginning of the semester, then my answer
would have been something like: “math is about numbers, letters, and equations.” Now, however,
thirteen weeks later, I have come to realize a new definition of what math is. Math includes numbers,
letters, and equations, but it is also so much more than that—math is a way of thinking, a method of
solving problems and explaining arguments, a foundation upon which modern society is built, a structure
that nature is patterned by…and math is everywhere.

By the time I had finished typing the second sentence of this paper, “If you had asked me that question
at the beginning of the semester, then my answer would have been something like…” I had already used
mathematics. I’ve been using “if, then statements” in my writing for as long as I can remember, but
before now, I never would have never considered them to be connected to math. Now that I am
conscious of their logical undertones, however, I have found myself making a concerted effort to ensure
that I am using them properly.

It is not only in my own writing that my awareness of math has been heightened. While reading articles
for classes, on news websites, or blogs, I find myself paying more attention to the flow of the author’s
argument. We’ve learned that in proof writing it is important to be clear, concise, and rigorous and the
same applies to an argument within a paper. I’ve come to realize that if an author is trying to convince
me of their point, then they also need to show me why their point is true or important. In this way, I’ve
become more critical of an author’s argument; rather than just believing everything that they write, I
more closely evaluate the progression o...

WHERE IS MATH

Mathematics is all around us. Often we do not realize it, though. Mathematics Everywhere is a collection
of presentations on the role of mathematics in everyday life, through science, technology, and culture.
The common theme is the unique position of mathematics as the art of pure thought and at the same
time as a universally applicable science. The authors are renowned mathematicians; their presentations
cover a wide range of topics. From compact discs to the stock exchange, from computer tomography to
traffic routing, from electronic money to climate change, they make the “math inside” understandable
and enjoyable. An additional attractive feature is the leisurely treatment of some hot topics that have
gained prominence in recent years, such as Fermat's Theorem, Kepler's packing problem, and the
solution of the Poincaré Conjecture. Or maybe you have heard about the Nash equilibrium (of “A
Beautiful Mind” fame), or the strange future of quantum computers, and want to know what it is all
about? Well, open the book and take an up-to-date trip into the fascinating world of the mathematics all
around us.