What is MATH?

When I think about the word Mathematics, I think about its basic concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. I believe that these are my preliminary thoughts because these are the concepts that are so recognizable to me and are skills that I have used so often in both my school days and everyday life as well. I think that these are the building blocks to the bigger ideas which included mathematic techniques such as algebra, geometry, probability and other higher level concepts that I was taught going up through high school.

Since I have started university I have begun to build on my mathematic knowledge by becoming exposed to a number of different math courses such as, number theory and combinatorics. I think that as a result of this exposure that I have broaden this understanding of the bigger idea of mathematics and that it continues to do so because of this course. I now feel that mathematics is more about exploring, thinking about what makes sense and not so much about if the answer is right.

The article “What Kind of Thing Is a Number?” A Talk with Reuben Hersh, talks about how math is usually considered to be either internal or external. That it is first assumed that what is math is such a simple question to answer but the complication that is really involved is sometimes unnoticeable at first glance. I found that Hersh expresses his thoughts of this in an enlightening manner. He conveys that math is an enormous part of our culture that it is neither physical nor mental but social in nature. That math is part of so many things within our culture such as the law or the money we use. I think that this is easy to see when you stop and think about how math is used in our everyday lives, that it is not just a skill that we are presented to in schools and that is its only purpose is to drive students crazy but has a deeper meaning that we all sometimes take advantage of. When I think about it from thinking about the amount of time I have to get ready in the morning to figuring out what meal is cheaper at a restaurant the numbers and other materials used with the understanding of math is around us and in constant use. I think that children need to be explained and aided in the comprehension of the importance and constant use of matematics.