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That doesn't hold up to a reading of the history of maths. So much of it was invented by someone just noodling around with numbers and would find some use in ph
by namaria 2y ago
That doesn't hold up to a reading of the history of maths. So much of it was invented by someone just noodling around with numbers and would find some use in physical science hundreds of years later.
- tech_ken 2y agoIs this different from when I said: > It's not just physics that drives interesting math, and it's not just recently that this relationship holds When you say > So much of it was invented by someone just noodling around with numbers I think you're ignoring where the numbers being played with came from. Very rarely does someone just invent a fresh problem de novo and start messing with it AFAIK; the 'playful mathematics' approach is still reusing tools which were developed in application, just (typically) a long period of time after that original application. Euclid's geometry doesn't exist without the invention of a compass and rule for drafting. Yes he's playing with the concepts freely, but it's not just some arbitrary toy ideas, they're rooted in a practical reality (albeit deeply).