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edited Jan 1 2011 at 4:27 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. [It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked.
The thing I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher-order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals is their beauty appeals to everyone [Importantly including NON-Mathematicians!] and gets an important point across: "MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL!"; in the blink of an eye. It would show clearly & quickly both the richness & beauty that lies within Mathematics and that it's NOT the dead, dull, dry subject many people think.
I would suggest screening a range of pre-recorded maths "lectures", catering for the diverse spectrum of Mathematical-understanding of the visitors.
MoMath, if done right, seems like a brilliant idea. Good luck with the project, and I wish you every success! :-)
Edit regarding Daniel's comment below:
Sorry - I didn't realise fractals (and specifically the Mandelbrot set) had already been suggested (there's a lot of posts on this thread). Had the idea of a zooming wall projection already been suggested then? Also I'm sorry if it seems like a rant to you; it definitely wasn't intended as such. Please feel free to edit my post (or request such), rather than down-vote. If you want it deleted I'll happily do so. Thanks for the info and feedback. :-)
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 4:20 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. [It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked.
The thing that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher order higher-order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals is that their beauty appeals to pretty much everyone [Importantly including NON-Mathematicians!] and gets an important point across: "MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL!"; & does so within in the blink of an eye. It would show clearly & quickly both the richness & the beauty that lies within Mathematics and that it's NOT a the dead, dry, dullsubject where everything is boring & already known.
MoMath, if done right, seems like a brilliant idea -- as-long as you deliver it in a language that the general public can understand & relate-to, whilst without "dumbing down" to the extent that maths-enthusiasts are board-out-of-their-minddry subject many people think.
I would suggest screening a range of pre-recorded maths "lectures", catering for the diverse spectrum of Mathematical-understanding of the visitors.
MoMath, if done right, seems like a brilliant idea. Good luck with the project, and I wish you every success! :-)
Edit regarding Daniel's comment below:
Sorry - I didn't realise fractals (and specifically the Mandelbrot set) had already been suggested (there's a lot of posts on this thread). Had the idea of a zooming wall projection already been suggested then? Also I'm sorry if it seems like a rant to you; it definitely wasn't intended as such. Please feel free to edit my post (or request such), rather than down-vote. If you want it deleted I'll happily do so. Thanks for the info and feedback. :-)
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 4:12 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. [It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked(and still am btw).]. The thing though that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals is that their beauty appeals to pretty much everyone [Importantly including NON-Mathematicians!] and gets an important point across: "MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL!"; & does so within the blink of an eye. It would show clearly & quickly both the richness & the beauty that lies within Mathematics and that it's NOT a dead, dry, dull subject where everything is boring & already known. Maths is an exciting adventure & constantly evolving, with frontiers constantly pushed forward & new ground ready to be explored.It's a dynamic, living, breathing organism that's constantly growing with each new discovery. After-all, Fractal Geometry & Chaos Theory themselves are relatively young fields, due to their reliance on computing to map such large complex sets and handle non-linear equations. The other thing I think is important, is to highlight how Maths not only underpins all of Science but also Reality itself. Some even argue that Reality itself emerges from Maths (as in Theories of Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis etc). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding Reality it may BE Reality! You could say that we're not just made of stardust [as Astrophysicists love to say] but MATHS - literally! It's the (fundamental) stuff that not only "WE" but "EVERYTHING THAT IS" is made from. Now that's something that really would make kids and adults alike rethink their take on Maths! Edit regarding the Daniel's comment below: Sorry - I didn't realise fractals (and specifically the Mandelbrot set) had already been suggested (there's a lot of answers posted posts on this questions)thread). Had the idea of a zooming wall projection already been suggested then? Also I'm sorry if it seems like a rant to you; it definitely wasn't intended to beas such. Please feel free to delete or edit my post (or request such), rather than down-vote. If you want it deleted I'll happily do so. Thanks for the info and feedbackthough. :-)
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 4:05 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. [It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked (and still am btw).btw).] Maths should be exciting to any-&-every-one. It isn't just the language Reality is written in but forms its very fabric and being. Nearly everyone wants to understand Reality (unfortunately religions, superstitions, etc thrive on this); all we need to do is show them the amazing power of logical reasoning and that Mathematics & Science provide the best known means to finding those answers. If the ancients were alive today, they would surely be amazed at the miracles that Maths & Science have given us. We just need to make people of today see such too. If the wonders of Maths & Science don't blow your mind you either you don't have much of a mind to blow or it's probably been badly presented. It's all about presenting it in a manner such that people "get it". Too often people assume that the general public will find Maths boring however it's presented or that if you don't have a PhD, you're not going to "get it" anyway. Like-wise, most of the general public have unfortunate preconception of Maths formed during High School. If we assume society is too stupid to "get" the true beauty of Maths, that'll be the kind of society we'll get! Edit regarding the comment below: Sorry - I didn't realise fractals had already been suggested (there's a lot of answers posted on this questions). Had the idea of a zooming wall projection already been suggested? Also I'm sorry if it seems like a rant; it definitely wasn't intended to be. Please feel free to delete or edit my post (or request such), rather than down-vote. Thanks for the info and feedback though.
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 3:49 |
The other thing I think is important, is to highlight how Maths not only underpins all of Science but also Reality itself. Some even argue that Reality itself emerges from Maths (as in Theories of Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis etc). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding Reality it may BE Reality! You could say that we're not just made of stardust [as Astrophysicists love to say] but MATHS - literally! It's the (fundamental) stuff that not only "WE" but "EVERYTHING THAT IS" is made offrom. Now that's something that really would make kids and adults alike rethink their take on Maths! If the wonders of Maths & Science don't blow your mind you either you don't have much of a mind to blow or it's probably been badly presented. It's all about presenting it in a manner such that people "get it". Too often people assume that the general public will find Maths boring however it's presented or that if you don't have a PhD, you're not going to "get it" anyway. Like-wise, most of the general public have unfortunate preconception of Maths formed during High School. If we assume society is too stupid to "get" the true beauty of Maths, that'll be the kind of society we'll get! MoMath, if done right, seems like a brilliant idea -- as-long as you deliver it in a language that the general public can understand & relate-to, whilst without "dumbing down" to the extent that maths-enthusiasts are board-out-of-their-mind. I would suggest screening a range of pre-recorded maths "lectures", catering for the diverse spectrum of Mathematical-understanding of the visitors. Good luck with the project, and I wish you every success! :-)
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 3:07 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked (and still am btw).
The thing though that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals is that their beauty appeals to pretty much everyone [Importantly including NON-Mathematicians!] and gets an important point across: "MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL!"BEAUTIFUL!"; & does so within the blink of an eye.--
It shows would show clearly & quickly both the richness & the beauty that lies within Mathematics and that it's NOT a dead, dry, dull subject where everything is boring & already known. It's Maths is an exciting adventure and & constantly evolving, with frontiers constantly pushed forward & new ground ready to be explored. It's a dynamic, living, breathing organism that's constantly growing with each new discovery. After-all, Fractal Geometry & Chaos Theory themselves are relatively young fields, due to their reliance on computing to map such large complex sets and handle non-linear equations.
The other thing I think is important, is to highlight how Maths not only underpins all of Science but also Reality itself. Some even argue that Reality itself emerges from Maths (as in Theories of Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis etc). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding Reality it may BE Reality! You could say that we're not just made of stardust [as Astrophysicists love to say] but MATHS - literally! It's the (fundamental) stuff that not only "WE" but "EVERYTHING THAT IS" is made of. Now that's something that really would make kids and adults alike rethink their take on Maths!
Maths should be exciting to any-&-every-one. It isn't just the language Reality is written in but forms its very fabric and being. Nearly everyone wants to understand Reality (unfortunately religions, superstitions, etc thrive on this); all we need to do is show them the amazing power of logical reasoning and that Mathematics & Science provide the best known means to finding those answers. If the ancients were alive today, they would surely be amazed at the miracles that Maths & Science have given us. We just need to make people of today see such too. :-)
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 2:54 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked (and still am btw).
The thing though that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals is that their beauty appeals to pretty much everyone [Importantly including NON-Mathematicians!] and gets an important point across: "MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL!"; & does so within the blink of an eye. -- It shows clearly & quickly both the richness & the beauty that lies within Mathematics and that it's NOT a dead, dry, dull subject where everything is known and boring & already known. It's an adventure and constantly evolving. After-all, Fractal Geometry & Chaos Theory are relatively young fields due their reliance on computing to map such large complex sets and handle non-linear equations.
The other thing I think is important, is to highlight how Maths not only underpins all of Science but also Reality itself. Some even argue that Reality emerges from Maths (as in Theories of Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis etc). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding Reality it may BE Reality! You could say that we're not just made of stardust [as Astrophysicists love to say] but MATHS - literally! It's the (fundamental) stuff that not only "WE" but "EVERYTHING THAT IS" is made of. Now that's something that really would make kids and adults alike rethink their take on Maths!
Maths should be exciting to any-&-every-one. It isn't just the language Reality is written in but forms its very fabric and being. Nearly everyone wants to understand Reality (unfortunately religions, superstitions, etc thrive on this); all we need to do is show them the amazing power of logical reasoning and that Mathematics & Science provide the best known means to finding those answers. If the ancients were alive today, they would surely be amazed at the miracles that Maths & Science have given us. We just need to make people of today see such too. :-)
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edited Jan 1 2011 at 2:40 |
I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when, on my own at home, I first started playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. It's hard to believe, but none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked (and still am BTW)btw).
The thing though that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals appeals to pretty much everyone and gets an important point across: MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL! It shows the richness with in within Mathematics and that it is it's NOT a dry, dull subject where everything is known and boring. It's an adventure and constantly evolving. After-all, Fractal Geometry & Chaos Theory are a relatively young fields due their reliance on computing to map such large complex sets and handle non-linear equations.
The other thing I think is important, is to highlight how Maths not only underpins all of Science but also Reality itself. Some even argue that Reality emerges from Maths (as in Theories of Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis etc). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding Reality it may BE Reality! You might could say that we're not just be made of star-dust stardust [as Astrophysicists love to say] but MathsMATHS - literally! It's the (fundamental) stuff that not only "WE" but "EVERYTHING THAT IS" is made of. Now that's something that really would make kids and adults alike rethink their take on Maths!
Maths should be exciting to any-&-every-one. It isn't just the language Reality is written in but forms its very fabric and being. Nearly everyone wants to understand Reality (unfortunately religions, superstitions, etc thrive on this); all we need to do is show them the amazing power of logical reasoning and that Mathematics & Science provide the best known means to finding those answers. If the ancients where were alive today, they would surely be amazed at the miracles that Maths and & Science have given us. We just need to make people of today see such too. :-)
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edited Dec 30 2010 at 16:35 |
As I'm a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics student undergrad, so I though I'd share what got me hooked on Maths. As a teenager it first dawned on me that maths Maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school whena , on my own at home, I first started discovering playing around with nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for math Maths though was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. It's hard to believe, but no maths teacher none of the Maths teachers I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked (and still am BTW). The thing though that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. You could include higher order Mandelbrot sets and other infinite fractals. The beauty of fractals appeals to pretty much everyone and gets an important point across: MATH MATHS IS BEAUTIFUL! It shows the richness with in Mathematics and that it is NOT a dry, dull subject where everything known and boring. It's an adventure and constantly evolving. After-all, Fractal Geometry & Chaos Theory are a relatively young fields due their reliance on computing to map such large complex sets and handle non-linear equations. The other thing I think is important, is to highlight how math Maths not only underpins all of science Science but reality also Reality itself. Some even argue that reality Reality emerges from maths Maths (such as in Theories od of Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis and others)etc). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding reality Reality it may be realityBE Reality! You might not just be made of star-dust but mathsMaths! Now that's something that really would make people kids and adults alike rethink their take on mathsMaths! Nearly everyone wants to understand Reality (unfortunately religions, superstitions, etc thrive on this); all we need to do is show them the amazing power of logical reasoning and that Mathematics & Science provide the best known means to finding those answers. If the ancients where alive today, they would surely be amazed at the miracles that Maths and Science have given us. We just need to make people of today see such too.
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answered Dec 30 2010 at 15:53 |
As a Mathematics & Theoretical Physics student it first dawned on me that maths wasn't the "dry", boring subject taught at school when a first started discovering nD geometry and generalised Euler's Theorem to nD by noticing the patterns. The thing that really made me fall for math was reading about the Riemann Hypothesis in New Scientist when I was 16. It's hard to believe, but no maths teacher I'd had had even mentioned primes, and I was hooked. The thing though that I'd put in MoMath is the Mandelbrot set across a HUGE wall using a projector that gradually zoomed in and in. After a set time it could start again but zoom in on a different area. The beauty of fractals appeals to pretty much everyone and gets an important point across: MATH IS BEAUTIFUL! The other thing I think is important is to highlight how math not only underpins all of science but reality itself. Some even argue that reality emerges from maths (such as Theories od Everything like the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis and others). Maths isn't just fundamental to understanding reality it may be reality! You might not just be made of star-dust but maths! Now that's something that really would make people rethink their take on maths!
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