3 ms·
The obvious comparison is to "physics" which is short for "physical sciences" IIRC. Was mathematics once referred to as "the mathematical arts" or something?
by JonnieCache 13y ago
The obvious comparison is to "physics" which is short for "physical sciences" IIRC.
Was mathematics once referred to as "the mathematical arts" or something?
(A similar way to appear very uncool is to walk into a record shop and proclaim, "look at all these vinyls!")
- claudius 13y agoCambridge University has a 'Centre for Mathematical Sciences', housing both the departments for pure and applied maths.
- siddboots 13y agoIt isn't "short for" anything. This is just a normal suffix for fields of study: Physics, mechanics, politics, statistics, optics, ethics, linguistics, and so on. Etymologically it is a plural suffix, but in modern English it is singular. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ics http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ics