2
Math and Philosophy
We have been given a question from our Math teacher, “Is there absolute truth in mathematics?” Our group had a discussion and we all had different opinions 🙂
Riverside Secondary School
We have been given a question from our Math teacher, “Is there absolute truth in mathematics?” Our group had a discussion and we all had different opinions 🙂
emcarthur December 8, 2016 - 6:30 am
It is interesting that the formula for area of a circle contains an irrational number. Can it’s circumference ever be exact? “Everything in math is a concept” interesting. Can these concepts exist in the minds of other living things? Do ant’s have a concept of 2, or 3, or 100? Just because we give random names to things, does it mean they don’t exist? Hmm, can you see imaginary numbers? Interesting points! I like the way your group builds off each others’ ideas.
gcolegate December 9, 2016 - 9:48 pm
Rules in Math that your group starts with, like equations for circles for example, are an inviting place to start your discussion. I like that you start with a concrete example, but I think focusing on the difference between a definition and an equation might be a good place to start. How are they different? How do we construct equations or definitions? Is there any overlap between them? The idea of a “perfect” circle is interesting, and Plato would be a good person to look at here. He believed that everything had a “Form,” a perfect example of it. This lends itself to a branch of Philosophy called Idealism: ideas and concepts exist only in our minds, as a means to rationalize and understand the world. Hence the next section of your discussion based on humans creating numbers to explain the world.
Thank you for sharing your discussion!