Why is Math so Powerful?

Post Reply New Topic

Why is mathematics such a powerful tool? It is not empirical. It is purely deductive. But we cannot do physics without it.

ruveyn

It cuts away all the clutter and allows use to see clearly.

Becuse it is beutiful

Perhaps the mathematical realists are correct in their Platonism and math represents some sort of abstract absolute underpinning the universe. Or perhaps math is invented and we have developed it in a certain way so that it will be useful to us.

Because it can define the nature, the origin, the quantity, the destination, the relativity, the position, the order, the duration of everything, even itself

Bears are powerful but they can't do all that

HAHAHAHA that's exactly how those Christian podcasts sound!

But yeah, math is powerful because instead of us just observing the universe, math gives us a way to measure it. How much more? What is the difference? Math tells us.

The inability to bullsh*t with it? Human argumentation/rhetoric/imagination (and language, for that matter) allows constructs that don't make sense, or are not internally consistent. Math keeps us honest.

One of my physics profs used to say, "no miracles allowed -- show the math."

What's wild to me is that humans are able to recognize the kind of thought that math is enough to be able to utilize it. Or, is it a product of the human mind, rather than independent of it?

Because in mathematics, between 0 and 1 there is infinity, and in physics there is much less

I guess because you can use maths as a tool in physics to describe the world around us.

also
e^Pi*i +1 = 0

because there are so many things to grasp& learn with math ,after the quantity, structure, space, and change
you get into all the
greatest parts like the logic and theory and once you get all that down you can program and to me that's candy to my brain

Well, ok, here's my shot at the matter:
1) Math is simply a representation of patterned behavior. (premise)
2) An orderly universe requires regularity. (premise)
3) Regularity entails either constancy or patterns. (premise)
4) Math therefore will be sufficient to represent an orderly universe. (1 and 3)
5) Life's existence requires orderliness. (premise)
6) The only possible universes in which life exists will have universes representable using mathematics. (4 and 5)

How's that? I'm sure it is a sloppy shot in the dark, but better than Orwell's idea.

hmmm...
Math is a (traditionally) non-linguistic language. It is one language that mankind has shared across time, culture, etc. Thus, as ideas, observations, etc are passed along and among us, understanding remains.
Plus, possibly a Jungian symbols tie-in... "universal unconscious" and all.

I don't know what it is. I think a superficial reply (from my end) would be that I find equations aesthetically pleasing. But I would also say that I look at those equations, and i want to understand them, i want to know what they mean.