"In
mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them." --
Johann von Neumann
(A discussion started by my college alumni group inspired me
to write this article.)
The theme of the discussion was about,
making the students to learn (feel) the applications of mathematics, instead of
simply dumping the concepts in mind. On reading that e-mail thread, an incident
which occurred during my high school days came to my mind. On a lazy afternoon in my high school,
we were industriously solving some mindless matrix problem. Our only goal
(including my math teacher) was to get the text book answer. Like a rare
astronomical occurrence, I raised a question to my teacher. The question was
not on Math.
I asked him, “Sir, what is the use
of this matrices and vectors, which we were learning for past six years. Also
they occupy first two chapters of the text book every time. Are they so important?”
The whole class turned towards me. He looked at me as if
I asked him a very silly question for his intellectual capability. After a
brief moment he gave me the reply, which I remember until now and forever. It
goes like this, “They have two uses. 1. They have 40% weightage in your final
exams, 2. When you become a father, some day your kid may ask you doubt in
matrices or vectors, and this will make you to help them with it, and that’s
what real application of matrix is.” I am not ashamed to tell that I fell for
that answer that time, as it is partially true in most case of our educational
system.
I don’t know whether he really
meant it or said in a funny sense. But whatever it is, his answer has two
hidden facts.
1.
The curriculum of our education won’t change for
decades to come, as it was the same decades before. Same subjects, same
teaching methods, even same laboratory apparatus. It has been nearly 6 years
since he had given me that answer, and yet students are reading the same curriculum
which I read, same laboratory experiments, teachers working out same kind of
problems. Same pattern follows in the case of college education too.
2.
We never applied whatever we had studied. It’s
wrong to put it that way. More correctly, we have never tried to apply what we
have studied, or never even thought of applying it. Math dies a peaceful death,
after our school final exams. Resurrects again during our college math, only to
die again half a dozen month later.
Just think for a moment, when is
the last time you have been with Math? Most probable case would be, at high school
math?
But the fact is that we are living in a world of math,
thinking “math lives only in book”.
My intention is not to play a blame game on education system,
teachers, or students. Or to explain the everyday applications of maths chronologically (as it will eat away hours of your time). But to hit home a simple fact...
Go deep down into anything, and you will find math there.
