Blog Response #3: Crest of the Peacock

I was so drawn to the first paragraph of this text, especially after reading "Integrating history of mathematics in the classroom: an analytic survey" last week, because it offered some beautifully written points that could be used to argue why Math History is the key to mastering the Math curriculum. The very first line says "an interest in history marks us for life", and it's true isn't it? Don't you still remember one particularly scandalous or riveting story from history class? "From the first time we become aware of the past, it can fire our imagination and excite our curiosity" which is exactly what so many students need in a math class. 

Near the beginning of this text, they mention that a concise and meaningful definition of math is virtually impossible because of it's many origins which inspired me to think of how diverse math is! I find it fascinating that so many groups of people who had never had contact all came up with systems that revolved around numbers, counting, and even had similar theorems in advanced math. It reminds me of Mayan people who made unbelievably accurate astronomical calculations, even more accurate than Europeans. Although it shouldn't so much, it does surprise me that even math was often seen as an exclusive product of European civilization -- kind of like everything else -- when in reality it was quite the opposite. To define math when it is so diverse, originating from so many different sources, spanning so many different levels, and being thought about in so many different ways is indeed difficult. 

It also surprises me that so long ago, people had such advanced and high quality mathematics. For example, the Babylonians understanding the relationship between the sides of a right angled triangle which later became pythagorean theorem and solving cubic equations. Or the Arabian creation and development of algebra. Again, the Mayans had such insanely advanced math that has been so useful to us in modern mathematics -- the idea of the zero! It amazes me so much that these are things we still use and teach today so many years later all over the world and that without them we may not have been this far in the world of math or science. Crazy!!!