Math Aunty

“The product of mathematics is clarity and understanding. … The real satisfaction from mathematics is in learning from others and sharing with others.” William P Thurston

His musings about the shape of the universe inspired an entire clothing line by Issey Miyake in 2010. This quote really resonates with me. I feel like this quote is the one reason why, despite my success in other classes in college, I have stuck with math. I love sharing math with others! Once I see the simplicity in solving a problem, it took everything I had to not share it with the world. From pre-calculus to calculus II, whenever I discovered something new I would share it with my roommate Fatima! I still share things about vector calculus and FOM with her even though she is in religious classes. It’s like I have a key and I want to unlock the secret to mathematics for everyone! I am also seeing the real satisfaction in sharing with others as I am a TA! Scores don’t mean as much to me as making sure my students understand the power of what they’re learning. This quote also reveals to me why the SMCM math department is the best department on campus. Everyone is happy because at the end of every day, they are satisfied with everything they’ve done.

“To speak freely of mathematics, I find it the highest exercise of the spirit; but at the same time I know that it is so useless that I make little distinction between a man who is only a mathematician and a common artisan. Also, I call it the most beautiful profession in the world; but it is only a profession.” Blaise Pascal

This quote is by Blaise Pascal who was a supporter of a French religious group called the Jansenism. This quote explores how people view artists vs. mathematicians. An artisan is defined as “someone who makes a high-quality product in small quantities.” Every single mathematician makes small contributions to math which improve the quality of the field. Pascal thinks that a mathematician and a common artisan aren’t too different, but he calls it useless because nobody else thinks this way. To everyone, math is just a (to bring this quote into the 21^st century) job. It’s something that’s tedious and you only do it for the purpose of the outcome. To Pascal, math is something you enjoy doing because of the work. Like a painter enjoys painting, mathematics enjoy mathing (that analogy doesn’t quite work… doing math!).

“God exists since mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists since we cannot prove the consistency.” Morris Kline

I know this quote ties in with certain theorems of math but without knowing these theorems, I can only say that this quote resonates deeply with my personal faith. Kline could be mocking the existence of God with this quote, but I think that math can prove the existence of God. I have watched several YouTube videos relating math to God. This quote just hits me on a spiritual level that I like.