2006-09-28 03:42:02 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Mathematics does not inherently exist only the things it describes exist. Mathmatics is merely a way of describing and labeling natural phenomenon. It is simply another language.
2006-09-28 03:49:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Mathematics is a system which was developed in order to describe aspects of the universe. Well, that's putting it rather grandly -- the first uses were probably some sort of tallying for commerce or maybe governance (i.e. taxes). Spacial relations (geometry) came later, for building and such.
Astronomy is a good example for explanation. The stars and planets exist inherently, as do their orbits -- it doesn't matter one fig whether we're observing them or not. Those movements have patterns, but they're so far away and on so large a scale that we just can't observe them accurately (the moon's an exception). Mathematics was a way of writing down what we could observe and think about how to make sense of what we saw.
What's really interesting about mathematics as a system is that it's self-defined. It starts with some basic assumptions (postulates) and goes from there. As such, it can never be proven wrong. 2+2=4 because that's how they built the system.
It's best to think of math as a series of abstractions. These abstractions can be used as a sort of short-hand to talk about real things, or to make it easier to understand complicated ones. Math has even evolved to the point where it's gotten rather good at talking about things that can never actually exist too. Not that most of can understand it then. ;-)
2006-09-28 04:14:45 · answer #2 · answered by The angels have the phone box. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who says that mathematics are inherent in universe? In all likelihood mathematics are purely human invention. Mathematics is just a theory that is full of contradictions and unresolved matters. How can such a thing be inherent in the universe?
For example it is a known fact that modern math(and any math that is strong enough to have natural numbers) has statements that are neither provable nor dis-provable[1]. But in the real world things are either true or false, not both at the same time -- thus math is not inherent in the world.
2006-09-28 04:33:54 · answer #3 · answered by hq3 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the mathematical properties (gravitational constants, mass/energy conversion constants, speed of light, strength of fundamental forces etc) inherent in our universe were not very close to their actual values, our universe would have either collapsed back in on itself very soon after the big bang or there would just be a flat matter soup where now stand galaxies, stars and planets. There may well be other universes like that - perhaps an infinite number. Only a very few (perhaps only one) of those infinite universes have the right inherent mathematical relationships for live forms to evolve who can then ask questions such as yours.
2006-09-28 03:59:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mathematics are a calculation the things we calculte are inhernt
Mathematics is the discipline that deals with concepts such as quantity, structure, space and change. It evolved, through the use of abstraction and logical reasoning, from counting, calculation, measurement and the study of the shapes
Wikipedia
To add to that a lot came from the greeks including geometery that they had seen the Egyptians use to recalculate the areas of fields along the banks of the Nile after they flooded, which happend frequently.
2006-09-28 03:52:02 · answer #5 · answered by philipscottbrooks 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mathmatics are just a universal language so it must have been present throughtout the universe at all times, but what you have to remember is that maths is only an interpretation of this universal law, so you have to start thinkin of it in a way that no way represents maths as we know but is exactly the same
2006-09-28 03:56:06 · answer #6 · answered by PhotoBear2 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a remarkable feature of the universe that a substantial part of it is amenable to mathematical analysis.There is a pattern in nature , which we can discern to an extent . Why is this so ? Do not know
2006-09-28 07:00:43 · answer #7 · answered by Rajesh Kochhar 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if mathematics teaches us anything it teaches that there is infinity which could also imply that it has always existed. Religion teaches us that "God" always was. Well assuming that; ancient minds fabricated metaphoric sciences and philosophies for the lay people that could have been an explanation of "infinity" through religion.
2006-09-28 04:17:41 · answer #8 · answered by King of Babylon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mathematics is an invention of humans and is only our way of _describing_ our universe.
2006-09-28 03:50:52 · answer #9 · answered by credo quia est absurdum 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever since man started quantifying the good deeds one does to another!!!
2006-09-28 05:56:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋