Talk:Mathematics

Not a science?
>Mathematics is a mainstay of science (but is not considered a science itself),

I think mathematics falls under the common usage of the word science. Per www.dictionary.com:

"Science –noun 1. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws: the mathematical sciences. "Doubledork (talk) 22:19, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I agree that math, itself, could be considered a science of some kind. Especially when one gets to the point where mathematics and science intertwine, such as physics and calculus. 04:30, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't see why "dictionary.com" is the final authority on this topic. 06:17, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Science deals with the real world. Maths, whilst often applicable to the real world, deals with abstractions. Jack Hughes (talk) 08:18, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Some more evidence: "Mathematics, which is classified as a formal science" - from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science. Also, from the page on Mathematics, "Carl Friedrich Gauss referred to mathematics as "the Queen of the Sciences".[28] In the original Latin Regina Scientiarum, as well as in German Königin der Wissenschaften, the word corresponding to science means (field of) knowledge. Indeed, this is also the original meaning in English, and there is no doubt that mathematics is in this sense a science."


 * If this were mere quibbling over verbal definitions, it would not be very important. My main concern is that there is an irrational bias at this site against fields like mathematics - just because experimental verification plays a lesser role there than other epistemological methods, like logical deduction. - Doubledork (talk) 20:45, 7 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Nah, you're just wrong. And stupid. And use silly resources to try to prove your "point".  06:36, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

Math and reality
This article and the short discussion above reflect something that has bugged me for a long time: do the axioms on which mathematics is founded (identity of integers, etc.) exist because these axioms correspond to reality, or because they are a priori truths of some kind? (And, if so, please kindly explain how such an a priori truth can even be known...) I'm not expecting a definitive answer, just a smattering of views on the subject that can hopefully be integrated into the article. 04:39, 9 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Simply, the sort of correspond to reality. The are there to secure a firm basis from which one can do math, but they have been chosen in such a manner that we can construct the integers, rational and real numbers, in such a way that they have the properties that allow them to mimic reality to a certain extent. The reason for this, is that mathematician in the late 19th century started to see that, well, their vague definitions started to lead to contradictions which is not good for a logical system. Therefore, the axioms where introduced to rectify this and they have been doing the job pretty well so far. &mdash; Unsigned, by: 87.57.134.186 / talk / contribs
 * This is why I don't do maths. Thinking about it too hard breaks my brain. 21:04, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Basically, anything above this is off the cards for me :S 21:05, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Pagan Cult of Hell and also evil
Mathematics is demonstrably a tool of the Devil Herself and I feel this article should contain a section reflecting this. It is our duty as responsible people to warn young minds away from this skein of soul-devouring wickedness before their intractable descent into madness can begin. Δʘ_ʘΔ 23:44, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

No Nobel Prize
The paragraph about the non existent Nobel prize for mathematics is no longer entirely correct. Since 2002 there is the equally prestigious and equally financially interesting Abel Prize of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences. As for the Nobel prize so far it has turned out mostly to be a prize for old men in their 70s or even 80s. As opposed to that the Fields medal is for people below 40. -- MaLeZig (Bonn) PS: http://www.abelprize.no

Why is maths hard.
Many a graduate student has come to grief when they discover, after a decade of being told they were “good at math,” that in fact they have no real mathematical talent and are just very good at following directions.

Well the only difference is that I knew all along that I did not understand maths. I'm a gifted and talented student. I have to admit that I don't understand maths at all. I am actually doing a Chinese room sort of thing in school. I'm so sad that I do not understand maths at all that I wanted to die.



My maths teacher admitted that he does not know how to teach an autistic student. He says that I have a special talent for maths through.

ClickerClock (talk) 09:27, 4 June 2017 (UTC)

"For example, the only way to deny that 1 + 1 = 2 is to use a definition of "1," "2," "+," or "=" that is not commonly accepted"
This statement is essentially meaningless, as the reason why it's impossible to deny that 1+1=2 is precisely because two is explicitly defined as being 1+1. It doesn't necessarily speak to it being a fundamental truth, as that would be circular reasoning. Rather, it is an axiom that mathematics is built upon, and works because mathematics is internally consistent. In any case, I believe that the section should be rewritten. Plutocow (talk) 22:18, 7 April 2023 (UTC)