Math for English Majors by Ben Orlin

Author:Ben Orlin [ORLIN, BEN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Running Press
Published: 2024-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

There are two kinds of rules in mathematics; we might call them conventions and laws. Conventions deal with how to use and interpret mathematical language: For example, the fact that 4½ is equal to 4 + . We could, if we desired, call a global meeting and all agree to change this convention, so that 4½ now means 4 × . It would be like all English speakers agreeing that “friendship” now means “ice cream.” Weird, but perfectly valid.

Meanwhile, laws deal with mathematical truth. Though expressed in language, they run deeper than language: For example, the fact that a × b is equal to b × a. No global meeting could ever alter this truth. We can tinker with the language as much as we like, but whatever language we settle on, the same underlying principle will hold.

The order of operations is a funny case. It’s a convention that’s widely mistaken for a law.

Witness the peculiar genre of problem that goes viral on social media every few months. A typical example popped up as I was beginning work on this book, a question that mathematician Steven Strogatz, writing in the New York Times, called “artfully perverse, as if constructed to cause mischief.”

That question: What is 8 ÷ 2(2 + 2)?

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.