When mathematicians,historians&scientist explained something, are they using the word explain in the same way?

Question

Mathematicians, historians and scientists come from different area ok knowledge. Are they using the word explain in the same way when explaining something??

Answer 1

mathemeticians and scientists both use the scientific method.
They do not "explain" they postulate and theorise. science and mathematics are very precise ways of communicating, they have to be! An example of this is the probe that crashed into mars because someone used the wrong system of measurment to do calculations.

In math and science a theory is the closest you can come to a fact. Take for example the pythagorean theorem, it is very simple to measure the truth of the theorem but still it is a theorem not a fact.

Answer 2

That's a good question. I think the answer is No.

I think each field has a certain fundamental basis of facts or knowledge or core beliefs, and then builds off that to create more knowledge, or to explain something.

Mathematics provides the perfect example of this. Mathematics have various axioms, or unproven core beliefs, and then more math is proven from those axioms. Mathematicians, probably more than other professionals, are very conscious of their core beliefs, and sometimes think about what happens to their subsequent knowledge when one of these core beliefs is violated. (What happens if the fundamental belief of Euclidean Geometry is violated, for example - a whole new branch of geometry is constructed.)

I think each field has totally different core beliefs.

So, no, I don't think "explain" can mean the same thing to each of them.

Answer 3

more simply put - mathematiciansget an idea convert it to a theory/ theorem and then they prove or disprove. the proof is an explanation to them