Does Mathematics involve much more creativity than people give credit for?
Usually, mathematicians, physicists, accountants etc are depicted as being 'logical' by nature without really being to think laterally i.e. 'outside the box'. However, wouldn't it suffice for the need for creativeness to be able to apply the contents of a textbook into work? Plus, how about the architects, artists, sculptors, philosophers etc? These apply logic and reasoning to their work, but can also apply the concepts of mathematics into their thoughts and creations.
Mathematics - 7 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
actually i agree with u... its kind of like creativity with logic... but it also depends...alot of times it can be quite routine... like bookkeeping... I think its fairly routine.. but problem solving... thats a differnt thing altogether even artists have principles of design that they should follow... so basically my point is all fields require a certain degre of creativity and logic... but the degree of each is different... artists have the most freedom of creativity but they certainly follow logic... however... mathmaticians and their lot do require creativity but they r more heavily dependent on logic
Answer 2 :
It is never wise to close your mind to alternative methods ~~ if you find a good way of solving problems & calculating then use them ~~ definitely think outside the box but keep your logic & reasoning clear
Answer 3 :
This is a really good question. I don't pretend to be an expert on mathematical philosophy or anything like that, but I have read alot of stuff on maths and mathematicians since i do have a very strong interest in it. You will find that alot of mathematicians actually see maths as something beautiful like art. They consider that to be a mathematician you really need to be an artist or poet at heart. Most mathematicians are far from being purely logical and yes, I feel this gives mathematics a bad name and mathematicians don't get the credit they should. "Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas." ~Albert Einstein "The mathematical sciences particularly exhibit order, symmetry, and limitation; and these are the greatest forms of the beautiful." - Aristotle Once yu realy start to get into math, you begin to see the world in a different way. I know that from experience and I'm not even that good at it. Imagine how a proper mathematician must see things.
Answer 4 :
There is a great and vast amount of creativity involved with math and physics. There is also an equal amount of beauty to behold as well. One must obtain the foundations first, but it's that way with most things.......right? Without creativity and insight and inspiration there is little to behold in either of these fields.....or in any field for that matter. There is almost a contradiction with math and physics where one must function within the rules, but yet think 'outside the box'. They are like great puzzles....waiting to be solved, but the solutions can be as elusive as the writer or artist's inspiration. All science with no philosophy is not a good thing.
Answer 5 :
Rover118 echoes the way that I was taught mathematics before calculators came into being. Always find a second method to check a calculation to prove that it is correct. I am sure you have heard the joke about the accountant at a job interview. When asked what 18% of 250.000 was, he answered "what do you want it to be?" That's creative accounting.
Answer 6 :
some PARTS of mathematics don't involve creativity, some parts do. for example, when writing a proof, the actually writing of it, is often a matter of being able to logically show the equivalence of a succession of statements. and once the statements themselves are known, this is almost a pure exercise in logic. however, coming up with an idea behind the proof, can often take a lot of "outside the box" thinking. sometimes inspiration comes from places one does not even associate much with math. many of the profound innovators in math achieved notable results by seeing a connection between things that no one ever had before. the classic example is of rene descartes uniting algebra and geometry with what has come to be called the cartesian coordinate system. what was his inspiration? looking out a window, and noticing that the mullions of the window panes could be used to locate a point in space. mastery in almost any field, is being able to find a balance between the rigidity of discipline, and the freedom of spontaneity.practice is good, imagination is good, but deep understanding and knowing how to synthesize the two is even better.
Answer 7 :
Mathematics is not just the backbone of just the mathematics and physics itself any more. It became the backbone of every branch of study and knowledge. Now we hear terms like quantum biology which understandably uses lots of advanced mathematics on its way in the making. Look at the ancient sculptures, pyramids, and lot of other constructions that were the reminiscent of the civilization of the past. We always wonder how abundantly they implied mathematics into their creations and how mathematics has been an integral part of all of what we see around us. For that matter philosophy has not been exception either. In order to keep my answer short I am not going to go into details except for mentioning about an instance where German philosopher Fredrick Engels who utilized calculus as a tool in establishing his theory of dialectical materialism and social changes.
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