Was Math Invented or Discovered? An inquiry presentation by Karina Makarova

Introduction Key Words: To invent: make up, create, or design something (that hasn’t existed before) To discover: find or learn about something (that already exists) To exist: “have real being” (materialistically or spiritually) Introduction The math inquiry topic I chose has been a question for quite some time now; there obviously isn’t an exact answer, but it is something that really interests me when it comes to research.

What is math? Basic building block in everything that we do Study of quantities, shapes, arrangements Found in art, sports, architecture

Nominalists/Non-Platonists 2 types of believers Platonists/Realists Nominalists/Non-Platonists Those who believe that math exists independently of humans Discovered Would exist even if humans did not Math was created BY humans Invented Like a “language”/creation of human culture

Why could it be considered as discovered? Math is found in nature; there are patterns everywhere Fractals Fibonacci’s sequence – discovered through rabbit population growth Numbers – 1 object + another = more than 1 object

Invented? Language of science Make mathematics to make our lives easier (to suit our purposes) Units of measurement If we fail to create something, we find new ways of improving our creations Technology

Who believed in what? What were some theories on the invention and/or discovery of mathematics?

Plato Platonism Ancient Greece Numbers were concrete Real regardless of our knowledge

Leopold Kronecker “God created the integers, all else is work of man” 19th Century German Humans invented everything based off of numbers (1,2,3…)

Final thoughts… Before I began my research, when I first came across this question of whether math was invented or discovered, I didn’t even think it was a topic worth doing my research on (the obvious answer was discovered), but after looking at it more in depth, I realized that it was a mixture of the two because parts of it (technology wise) are invented and other parts (in nature – numbers, patterns, order of operations) are discovered. Another possibility that came to mind was that we simplify/create concepts for the math that we discover along the way, in other words, if humans didn’t exist, nobody would be there to use the concepts and math would just exist on its own.

I chose this video because it’s interesting, as well as informative I chose this video because it’s interesting, as well as informative. It’s easy to follow along and helps to understand more about the different ways math might’ve been discovered or invented.

Citations Abbott, Derek. "Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-abbott/is-mathematics-invented-o_b_3895622.html>. "Math: Discovered, Invented, or Both?" PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/physics/2015/04/great-math-mystery/>. @TheDDGuides. "15 Beautiful Examples of Mathematics in Nature." Planet Dolan | Obscure Facts About Life. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. <http://www.planetdolan.com/15-beautiful-examples-of-mathematics-in-nature/>. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2016. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/plato/>. "Leopold Kronecker." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2016. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leopold-Kronecker>. "What are Fractals?" Fractal Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. <http://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-are-fractals/>. "Is math discovered or invented? - Jeff Dekofsky." TED-Ed. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2016. <http://ed.ted.com/lessons/is-math-discovered-or-invented-jeff-dekofsky>. "Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered?" Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered? | Closer to Truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016. <https://www.closertotruth.com/series/mathematics-invented-or-discovered>. http://www.livescience.com/37470-fibonacci-sequence.html