by: Luke Garrison 5th period

Journalist Steven Strogatz of the New York Times poses us with the question that has puzzled human beings since the dawn of counting; What exactly is mathematics, and why has become such an important aspect in our every day lives? It has generally been accepted by most of the scientific community of today that mathematics is defined as the study of patterns. This can be patterns of nature, patterns of the cosmos, of behavior, electric fields, etc. But where we see patterns arise most frequently are within numbers. Numbers: The tools we use to calculate everything from buying candies from the local foodstore to tracking the path of satellites sent to Saturn. They are everywhere in our daily lives, following us like lost children, or, in our day and age, like ghosts. There is a fear of numbers that is growing in society. But why is this?

It's really not that difficult to figure out why people are afraid of numbers. Strange Arabic symbols taking the place of abstract concepts dealing with quantities? Of course you're going to have an uncomfortable audience full of head-scratching, nail biting, and tugging of shirt collars. Numbers can be compared to post-modern art. Pollock, Rothko, Mondrian (neoplasticism); the average Joe is often set into a fit of rage at these giants. What makes splattering paint over a canvas so brilliant? What do giant blocks of color have to do with my life? What is so great about a bunch of lines with primary colors? Each piece of artwork tells a story of firey passion, sadness, excitement... much the same way that numbers try to tell the heart-wrenching story of our universe. Ellaborate formulaes of infinite series, elegant equations merging gravity and electromagnetism, the math behind fractals! All of it is just a peek into a strange, fascinating world we call home. God is a painter, and numbers are the medium. They hold the key to a hidden truth.



"To most outsiders, modern mathematics is unknown territory. Its borders are protected by dense thickets of technical terms; its landscapes are a mass of indecipherable equations and incomprehensible concepts. Few realize that the world of modern mathematics is rich with vivid images and provocative ideas."
~Ivars Peterson