Match these words with their definitions

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Discuss these questions with your partner.

-» Why do people study Maths?

-» When do you use it?

A Vocabulary

A. Match these words with their definitions.

1 division A a system of figures or symbols

representing numbers

2 knot B a written sign in maths or music, for example, which represents an operation,

an element, relation, etc

3 set up C a record of money spent or received

4 numeral D a separation

5 symbol E make ready for operation

6 tally F a symbol representing a number

1 notation G tie, bond

B. The words in green are all in the wrong sentences. Put the words into the correct sentences.

1 If you keep a division, you have a system to note how much has been spent......................

2 The Roman knots are still used as numbers nowadays......................

3 There is a set up between science and art subjects......................

4 In maths we use numerals to show what kind of problem we are solving......................

5.....................Symbols in maths are things

like numbers.

6 Some people tie notation to remember something......................

7 She tally an experiment......................

Reading

Mathematics

An introduction

The English word mathematics tells us something about the influence the Ancient Greeks had on our knowledge. The word comes from the Greek for science, learning and knowledge. It is usually shortened to maths in British English and to math in the USA.

Mathematics developed from a series of ideas, each new idea building on earlier ones. Each new idea became more complex as mathematicians tried to explain how things in the world relate to one another. The first idea to have developed was certainly that of number. People needed to count their belongings. As society developed, numbers became more and more important for business dealings and taxation and it became especially important to be able to record numbers. A wide variety of systems for recording numbers developed in different parts of the world. One example is the tallies that were used by the Incas in South America. They used pieces of string of different lengths and by tying knots in different places along the string, they were able to keep tax records and business accounts throughout their land.

With writing, different ways of recording numbers developed in different countries, too. Roman numerals are a well-known example. In this system I is one and X is ten, so IX is one before ten, that is nine, and XI is eleven. It was not until the 16^th century that the system of mathematical notation that we use today finally developed. It is a system that uses Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 and so on) with a set of symbols + (plus), - (minus), = (equals) for example, along with letters, many of which are taken from the Greek alphabet. It is a system which is used by all mathematicians all over the world. In fact, it has been said that mathematics is one of only two genuinely international languages; the other one is music.

Whether or not mathematics is a science is still a matter of opinion in the mathematical community. Some say no, it is not because it does not pass the test of being a pure science. We know that one plus one is two because that is how we count. No one can set up an experiment to prove that one plus one is two without counting. Therefore, because it cannot be proved by experiment, mathematics is not a science. Others say yes, it is, because science is the search for knowledge and that is what mathematics does. Therefore, mathematics is a science.

Whatever your point of view, there is no doubt that mathematics is applied to all sciences. Many of the most important developments in fields such as physics or engineering have led to further developments in mathematics. The argument over whether mathematics is a science or not appears to be unimportant when you realise that it is impossible to separate mathematics from science or science from mathematics. Many universities recognise this. In many places of learning there are divisions of study, often called Mathematics and Science. The unbreakable connection between mathematics and all other sciences is recognised by the very way in which we study them.

Pronunciation guide

Equal

Minus

Plus

B Comprehension

Read the text and decide if the following statements are true or false.

1 Mathematics developed in complexity due to a need to understand the T o relationships between things. F o

2 The Incas were the first to come up with a number system. T o

F o

3 Mathematics is an international language because it uses Arabic numerals. T o

F o

4 Opinions are divided over whether mathematics is truly scientific. T o

F o

5 The development of mathematics is dependent on other sciences. T o

F o

Before you read

Discuss these questions with your partner.

-» Do you know the names of any important people connected with Mathematics in history?

-» What types of problems do you do in Mathematics at school?

D Vocabulary

Match these words with their definitions.

1 natural number A the proof that something is mathematically true

2 integer B a number larger than zero

3 operation C any number (positive or negative) or zero

4 function D a way numbers combine together

5 right angle E the relationship between argument and result in calculus

6 square F the result of combining numbers

7 sum G an angle of 90 degrees

8 satellite navigation system H system in orbit around the Earth for directions

9 theorem I the product of two equal terms

10axiom J principle

Reading

Mathematics

What mathematicians study can be summed up as relating to four major fields. They look at quantities - how much or how many. There is also the study of structure - how things are arranged together and the relationship between the parts. Then there is the study of space, where mathematicians are interested in the shape of things. Finally, there is change and how things move, over time or through space.

Quantity is mostly concerned with numbers. Mathematicians are interested in both natural numbers and integers. Natural numbers are those which are greater than zero, while integers may be zero itself or more or less than zero. There are four ways these may combine together; these are called operations. In arithmetic, we know the operations as addition (+), subtraction (-), division (v) and multiplication (x). For a fuller, more philosophical understanding of number and the operations that can be applied to them, mathematicians look to Number Theory.

The study of the structure of things is said to have begun with the Greek mathematician, Pythagoras, who lived from 582 to 507 BC. Every mathematician has to learn his most famous theorem. A theorem is a proof of mathematical truth. Pythagoras showed us that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the side of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. The hypotenuse is the longest side of such a triangle and that length, multiplied by itself is the same as the length of one side multiplied by itself and added to the other side multiplied by itself. Mathematicians find it easier to write this as: a²+b²=c~, (a squared plus b squared equals c squared) where c is the hypotenuse. It is Pythagoras' Theorem which gives us algebra, a branch of mathematics that originated in the Arab world.

Another Greek mathematician laid the foundations for our understanding of space. More than 200 years after Pythagoras, Euclid used a small set of axioms to prove more theorems. This, we know today as geometry. He saw the world in three dimensions - height, width and length. Developments in other sciences, most notably in physics, have led mathematicians to add to Euclid's work. Since Einstein, mathematicians have added a fourth dimension, time, to Euclid's three. By combining space with number we have developed the trigonometry used in making maps both on paper and in satellite navigation systems.

From algebra and geometry comes calculus. This is the most important tool that mathematicians have to describe change, for example, if you calculate the speed of a moving car or analyse the way the population of a city changes over time. The most significant area of calculus is function, which is concerned with the relationship between argument and result. Indeed, the field of functional analysis has its most important application in quantum mechanics, which gives us the basis for our study of physics and chemistry today.

There is more to maths than this. For example, pure maths involves a more creative approach to the science. An important field of study is statistics which uses Probability Theory, the mathematical study of chance, to predict results and analyse information. Many statisticians would say that they are not mathematicians, but analysts. However, without maths, statisticians would all agree, there would be no statistics at all.

Pronunciation guide

Algebra

Geometry

Hypotenuse

Integer

Pythagoras