| Author |
Message
|
| Hanuka |
 Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:12 am Post subject: Math levels?? |
 |
|
Forum Sophomore
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 159
Location: Israel!
|
Say... can anyone tell me if there are some sort of math levels or ranks or something??
and what is math good for in general(exept calculating stuff)?
thanks in advance,
tony |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
| serpicojr |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 871
Location: JRZ
|
What do you mean by levels or ranks?
Isn't "calculating stuff" pretty useful? In general, math is about seeing patterns and making models to describe those patterns. As such, math is naturally a powerful framework in which to describe scientific phenomena and to conduct human affairs. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| Hanuka |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Sophomore
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 159
Location: Israel!
|
hm... but why do we need to SOLVE mathematical problems??
cant someone like invent a calculator that u like can upload there different formulas and all you have to do is just put numbers instead of xyz, press enter and get the answer?? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| serpicojr |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 871
Location: JRZ
|
I'm not sure I understand your first question. I mean, why do we need to solve any problems? Isn't it self-evident? Isn't a problem something that, by definition, needs to be solved?
How can you build a calculator that does fancy math if you don't know how to do that math in the first place? Calculators are good at solving problems faster than we can, not at doing math that we don't know how to do. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| Hanuka |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Sophomore
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 159
Location: Israel!
|
| yah, but people who already solved that problem can make this kind of item so they wont have to go thru all the proccess of solving for the next time that they`ll encounter such problem... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| MagiMaster |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Junior
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 247
|
| I almost want to say that that's the division between math and computer science. Math is attempting to solve the problems that haven't been solved yet (and those that can't be solved by computers), and computer science is finding efficient ways to solve known problems automatically. That's not a very good generalization of things, but it might give you a better idea of where to start when asking such questions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| JaneBennet |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Junior
Joined: 06 Apr 2008
Posts: 257
Location: UK
|
| MagiMaster wrote: |
| That's not a very good generalization of things |
Yes, it is. You just summed up the goals of mathematics and computer science in a beautiful nutshell. 
_________________
“A problem worthy of attack
Proves its worth by fighting back.” – Piet Hein
Why can’t a bull see red – literally can’t? Did You Know? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| Hanuka |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Sophomore
Joined: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 159
Location: Israel!
|
lol, lets leave calculators aside then...
I see in other posts and and in life in general that you can calculate almost anything with mathematics, including thoughts, meaning of things and... *gulp*... god...
its obvious that you`ll eventually find pattern to almost anything if you start looking for it(like the 23 phenomena of instence) but aint it all just bunch of randomness in the fabric of the universe?? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| MagiMaster |
| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Forum Junior
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 247
|
| JaneBennet wrote: |
| MagiMaster wrote: |
| That's not a very good generalization of things |
Yes, it is. You just summed up the goals of mathematics and computer science in a beautiful nutshell. |
Thanks.  I think there's more to both fields than that, but I guess that covers most things.
| Hanuka wrote: |
lol, lets leave calculators aside then...
I see in other posts and and in life in general that you can calculate almost anything with mathematics, including thoughts, meaning of things and... *gulp*... god...
its obvious that you`ll eventually find pattern to almost anything if you start looking for it(like the 23 phenomena of instence) but aint it all just bunch of randomness in the fabric of the universe?? |
I suppose the ultimate goal of all science is to understand how everything works, so if you see a pattern in something and you can prove (careful here, science can't prove anything 100%, only nearly 100%) that that pattern is real then in some real way, you better understand how that thing works. If things are truly random, then hopefully that's the pattern you'll find (see quantum mechanics).
BTW, so far, the patterns behind thoughts have eluded scientists. They're still looking though. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
