Destroying the Stereotype

Think to yourself for a moment: what is math to you? What are your conceptions of mathematics and mathematicians? When you think about math, what is the first thing that pops into your head? For myself and for many of my classmates, math was just an abstraction dealing only with numbers, which we saw in and of themselves as a bunch of abstract symbols representing something intangible. I mean, really, does "3" actually exist? Many of my fellow classmates and I were pretty adverse to math because we also thought that it only dealt with computation, which seemed mundane and uninteresting to us, and entirely uncreative.

Now, let us put our preconceptions on hold for a moment and try to rethink our definition of math.

1. Firstly, math is not just about numbers! True, numbers are involved in every form of mathematics, but that does not mean that math focuses solely on numbers and how numbers interrelate. While there are some fields of mathematics dedicated solely to the study of numbers (See our next post on Number Theory), most fields of math use numbers as symbols of quantity, quality, or as a means of demonstrating pattern recognition. For most fields of math, numbers are not the important part. They are just the means to establishing truth.
2. Next, math is not just computation! Many fields of math do not rely on the heavy calculations involved in calculus or statistics. Some fields of math contemplate the meaning of infinity or what it means to have objects in the fourth dimension.
3. Finally, math is creative! Math involves a lot of creativity when it comes down to finding new ways to approach a problem.