Why Math Rocks : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR
At a deeper level, much of the natural sciences are about identifying
patterns in nature that we then call "laws." These laws usually have
some form of mathematical expression, as in Newton's laws of motion and
gravity, or the law of conservation of energy. In fact, such laws are so
essential to our understanding of the universe that many scientists
believe that math goes beyond human invention, being the fundamental
language of nature.
Others are not so convinced and consider mathematics an invention of the
human mind and, to a certain extent, of the minds of the few animals
capable of performing basic mathematical operations. The question then,
and one that has been argued for millennia, is whether mathematics is
discovered (that is, part of a universal language out there) or invented
(that is, a language particular to the human mind).
Whatever the answer, once we see math as a language of nature, the way
we perceive it should change completely. It's no longer about
multiplication tables or fractions, but about something bigger than
ourselves that we construct with our heads. What could be more amazing
than that?
