The beauty of the concept of Mathematics

God said " Let there be Light" and after seven days of arduous and strenuous labour, our Universe with its amazing paraphernalia of the sun, the moon, the planets and stars, man and beasts, came into existence. There was mathematical precision, constancy and discipline in every sphere, that has lasted till today and promises to continue till infinity. In the words of great mathematicians :

"Mathematics is the Language with which God wrote the Universe" -- Galileo " The Laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God" -- Euclid. Mother nature is a complex web of life and the lifeless. The very state of it being so perfect is the reason for life and also for death. Mathematics helps us to understand nature and beyond. Math is founded on simple yet powerful elements -- numbers. Math is an abstract representation of nature -- element to element, shape to shape and relation to relation. This fundamental reason suggests that math is no different from nature, be it the number 'zero' or be it the "Golden Ratio" in nature.

What is the largest number your mind can conceive ? What is the size of the Universe ? The answer to both these questions is one and the same. The answer is not infinity, it is zero. Yes ! The size of the Universe is zero and so is the largest number! Lets understand this -- For every positive number there exists a negative number in math. For every matter there exists anti-matter in nature. This is the big picture. Therefore when you put everything together, the size of the universe is zero. Zero is thus simultaneously everything as well as nothing. That's why it's called a whole number. You add or remove anything from this whole, it still remains a whole.

This beautiful conception was made in ancient India at a time when rest of the world was busy figuring out whether the earth is flat or round. It's really astonishing and makes me feel proud of the intellectual wisdom of ancient India, making such a ground- breaking revelation that changed the human thought process once and for all ! From my experience as a math teacher for over quarter of a century, being a little creative can go a long way in the classroom. Humour and connecting math to the real world also helps.

Mathematics is the cradle of all creations, without which the world cannot move an inch. Be it a cook or a farmer, a carpenter or a mechanic, a shopkeeper or a vendor, a doctor or an engineer, a musician or a magician, everyone needs mathematics in their day-to-day life. Even insects use mathematics in their everyday life for existence. Snails make their shells, spiders design their webs, and bees build hexagonal combs. There are countless examples of mathematical patterns in nature's fabric. Anyone can be good at mathematics if one is given proper guidance and training in the formative period of one's life. A good curriculum of mathematics is helpful in effective teaching and learning of the subject.

The greatest hurdle in the process of learning mathematics is lack of practice. Students should daily work out at least 8 to 10 problems from different areas in order to master the concept and develop speed and accuracy in solving a problem. Learning of multiplication- tables should be encouraged in the lower classes. Another very effective means of spreading the Knowledge of mathematics among children is through peer- teaching. Once a child has learned a concept from her teacher , the latter should ask her to explain the same to fellow students. Moreover, in the process all the children will be able to express their doubts on the topic and clear them through discussions in a group.

The present age is one of skill- development innovations. The more mathematical we are in our approach, the more successful we will be in our efforts. Mathematics offers rationality to our thoughts. It is a tool in our hands to make our life simpler and easier. Let us realize and appreciate the beauty of the subject and embrace it with all our heart. It is a talent which should be compulsorily honed by all in every walk of life.

Some interesting facts about mathematics :

• Google is all about mathematics -- The lifeline of today's time, Google derived its name from the word "googol" -- a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros, which reflect infinite amount of search on the internet,
• Pizza, Pie and Maths !! To find the volume of the cylindrical shape of the pizza, the formula used is Pi × r2 × h. So, if an ordinary pizza has a radius of 'z' and height 'a', its volume is Pi × z x z x a which makes up 'pizza'
• Crazy multiplication : If you multiply 111, 111, 111 by 111, 111, 111, this becomes equal to 12, 345, 678, 987, 657, 321

And, last but not the least- "Life is a math equation. In order to gain the most, you have to know how to convert negatives into positives"

God bless.

Anurita Ghiik
(Senior Teacher Maths)

(17-08-2018)