Maths doesn't actually exist, you know.

Dog--

Dog--

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Think about it. Humans created math. Without humans existing, math wouldn't exist. It's just a bunch of formulae and numbers and signs, all of which never existed until MAN CREATED THEM. Math is no discovery, it's a creation.

If you asked a alien from some distant galaxy what is 2+2, they wouldn't know, they wouldn't even know what two is. There is no such thing as two. If you had two bananas, there isn't actually two there, there is a banana and a banana.

/crackpot theory
 
Lets try this without spam, or we'll see the lock, which is definitely real.

Math is a way to apply the world into quantifiable terms I guess, so we can understand it better. Proportions, ratios, and algebraic equations we put together are logical and have application to all that is around us. It's given everything a language, which is amazing really.
 
Math is just a language of expressing things. What you're saying is as crazy as saying bananas don't actually exist because humans created the word banana. It's still there, we just came up with a way of describing it.
 
Dog-- said:
If you asked a alien from some distant galaxy what is 2+2, they wouldn't know, they wouldn't even know what two is. There is no such thing as two. If you had two bananas, there isn't actually two there, there is a banana and a banana.
Click to expand...

Palease!
Anyone who is remotely aware of science fiction knows that the best way to communicate with an alien species is through mathematical equation/relations. If any species couldn't realize that there was two bananas (ignoring language barriers), then they wouldnt be worth trying to communicate with.

Seriously though, OP's topic reeks of a sudden realization that can only come at the peak of THC levels. Lay off the weed.
 
You can NOT silence meeeeeeEEEEE!

Maths is FAKE. PERIOD.
 
It's well known here that dog-- does enjoy venturing into such territories regularly.
 
Social Bacon said:
Math is just a language of expressing things. What you're saying is as crazy as saying bananas don't actually exist because humans created the word banana. It's still there, we just came up with a way of describing it.
Click to expand...

I do agree with the first part of your post; the second part not so much. Yes, math is a language of expressing things (there are five apples) but all of it was created by humans. It was never "there" waiting to be discovered. It didn't always exist. It's just a language, as you said, that we created. English, Latin, Italian, Greek, etc. were never waiting to be discovered. We invented it.
 
Math is something made up by humans because it was necessary. I don't know the exact circumstances, but knowing how much of something, how much there will be if there's more, how much to get rid of, is all essential. I'm sure if there are otehr sentient beings roaming galaxies and shit, they'll have some kind of system to tell you how much one banana and another banana is.
 
You mean I nearly failed last year because of something that didn't exist?

Oh, I can't wait to see the look on the principal's face when I tell her that math doesn't exist.
 
Qonfused said:
I do agree with the first part of your post; the second part not so much. Yes, math is a language of expressing things (there are five apples) but all of it was created by humans. It was never "there" waiting to be discovered. It didn't always exist. It's just a language, as you said, that we created. English, Latin, Italian, Greek, etc. were never waiting to be discovered. We invented it.
Click to expand...

Yes, it has always existed. The length of the hypotenuse of a triangle has always been h = sqrt(a^2 + b^2) whether we knew it or not. It doesn't matter what language you know, what units your using or what base you work in; it is always true.
 
No Limit...

What are you trying to say..
 
Social Bacon said:
Yes, it has always existed. The length of the hypotenuse of a triangle has always been h = sqrt(a^2 + b^2) whether we knew it or not. It doesn't matter what language you know, what units your using or what base you work in; it is always true.
Click to expand...

Uh yeah. Math was invented to communicate these ideas. It's a language as is a spoken one. I think we're agreeing here, just using different ways of saying it.
 
Most maths are useless to the common joes of the world. I graduated highschool and have taken trigonometry, pre-algebra, and algebra. I've been in the IT networking field for about 4 years now, graduated college and have taken college level algebra. Not once have I ever the need to use the stuff. :p Now if ever decide I want to major in computer science, that's a whole other story and a much more difficult field. Machine level programming and engineering requires lots of maths.

Schools really need to focus more on practical maths tbh and counselors should work more closely with students in deciding what math classes they need for the career they plan to pursue.

Algebra and Calculus is used more for high level engineering fields like pharmaceuticals and avionics, not really something someone majoring in fields like journalism, childcare or entertainment needs to know.


As for the alien thing, I'm sure they probably know how to count, and have some degree of math written in their own language. Math indeed is the key to discovering what makes the universe turn as well as creating new things and ideas.
 
Math is responsible for the structure of the world as we know it. If it weren't for .999... = 1, we would have divided by zero a long time ago, and destroyed the universe instantly.
 
Calhoun said:
Math is responsible for the structure of the world as we know it. If it weren't for .999... = 1, we would have divided by zero a long time ago, and destroyed the universe instantly.
Click to expand...

thank god chuck norris hasn't figured out how to do long division.
 
Well, all any language is is a bunch of patterns, tones, and beats put in a sequence so that others can understand it. Even sign language is just a bunch of patterns and gestures that help others to understand what is on one's mind. You could look at everything like this, but it doesn't mean that it makes a difference. I do agree though, it's not a discovery.
 
Language is a means of communication. Math is a numerical description of the world, but I believe it's only metaphorically referred to as a language. For any beings with enough intelligence to attempt to describe the same universe we live in numerically, they'll come up with the same math as we did. If you go to a different galaxy, circles will have the same diameter/circumference ratio as they do here. Whether or not they actually go as far as we have doesn't matter - the descriptions are still the same. The recluse Brazilian tribes that apparently don't have or use a numerical system seem to be doing it just fine, so it's not a prerequisite for existence, or what arguably passes for intelligence. If that tribe/aliens/whatever wanted to get into space, however, I'd argue that they would need to develop/learn math to do it.
 
Well, in a way the universe doesn't exist. The universe is 4 dimensional, however we can only comprehend 3 and so the universe we see is simply our brains interpretation of it. At the quantum "string" level, nothing solid or even definite exists.

However, without a councious observer, the universe would simply be a superposition of possibilities, with nothing definite ever actually happening.

So maths is just our way of understanding the incomprehensible. They're appears to be an underlying mathematic code of sorts in the universe.

This does bring up a question - if some at least partially councious being observer is required for the universe to exist, what about before life, at the very beginning of the universe?
 
Welcome to the entire point of the movie pi.

Please redirect this thread to the nearest philosophy 101 lecture.
 
Bitch we're discussing it here D<

So are we saying maths = way of understanding the universe? Cos that's how I see it.
 
a^2 + b^2 is c^2 on the other side of the galaxy too, you know. Maths is the only true universal language there is. As soon as intelligent start counting things (like planets in the solar system, number of rocks on the ground etc.), everything else follows naturally.
 
Social Bacon said:
Yes, it has always existed. The length of the hypotenuse of a triangle has always been h = sqrt(a^2 + b^2) whether we knew it or not. It doesn't matter what language you know, what units your using or what base you work in; it is always true.
Click to expand...

Exactly :D
 
Dog-- said:
Think about it. Humans created math. Without humans existing, math wouldn't exist. It's just a bunch of formulae and numbers and signs, all of which never existed until MAN CREATED THEM. Math is no discovery, it's a creation.

If you asked a alien from some distant galaxy what is 2+2, they wouldn't know, they wouldn't even know what two is. There is no such thing as two. If you had two bananas, there isn't actually two there, there is a banana and a banana.

/crackpot theory
Click to expand...

somewhere in deep space in a far away galaxy on an alien world orbiting an alien sun an inverted pyramid of alien design collapses upon itself ..apparently they've never heard of humans or math
 
Definitely wasn't enough pi- PIE oh my god I forgot I had some downstairs brb
 
This thread is now about pie.

EdwardsBananaCremePie.jpg
 
Qonfused said:
Are you making fun of his nose?
Click to expand...

Not sure how far you got, but there's a confrontation with evil rabbis over some mathematical code in a Jewish prophecy that controls the stock market or something.

And I thought "Wow, that actually kinda makes sense".
 
The Monkey said:
As soon as intelligent start counting things (like planets in the solar system, number of rocks on the ground etc.), everything else follows naturally.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ, I could spend all ****ing day counting the rocks on the ground and it would never ever occur to me that a^2 + b^2 might be c^2
 
Qonfused said:
This thread is now about pie.

http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2006/05/03/381164/EdwardsBananaCremePie.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks more like a cheesecake.

Saturos said:
Algebra and Calculus is used more for high level engineering fields like pharmaceuticals and avionics, not really something someone majoring in fields like journalism, childcare or entertainment needs to know.
Click to expand...

Who the hell majors in journalism childcare or entertainment? They don't need to know anything tbh, let alone maths.
 
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