Math Mathematics as a language?

Is math a language?

  • Yes, I think mathematics is a language

    Votes: 28 75.7%
  • No, mathematics can't be considered a language

    Votes: 9 24.3%

  • Total voters
    37

Nazban

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It depends on how you understand it or see it, it is possible to communicate with maths, even if it is little strained or emotionless, communication exists, so it can be termed as a language.
 

C3PO

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I asked again about it today, and she said that, aside from the inability to express emotion, Math can only convey a narrow amount of ideas, such as measurements or values.

IMHO the biggest problem in the 1'st/2'nd worlds. When did emotions become more "valuable" then ideas, measurements and values? ;)
 

Stoat

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Maths is a meta language.[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalanguage"]Metalanguage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]. Music is a meta language, as is cinema.

I can recall sitting in a college bar and everyone was moving paper napkins into folds to look at the topology of jokes. I think this teacher has a rather limited idea of what constitutes maths.
 

Urwumpe

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IMHO the biggest problem in the 1'st/2'nd worlds. When did emotions become more "valuable" then ideas, measurements and values? ;)

Also, ways to express emotions are not universal... who knows if this

[math]\iiint\limits_{\Phi}{f(x,y,z)}\,dx\,dy\,dz[/math]
Is a way how mathematicians express overflowing joy.
 

Stoat

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Also, ways to express emotions are not universal... who knows if this

[math]\iiint\limits_{\Phi}{f(x,y,z)}\,dx\,dy\,dz[/math]
Is a way how mathematicians express overflowing joy.

Partial joy maybe.
 
E

ex-orbinaut

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Yes, but with a caveat.

It needs to be "taught", or rather "understood", through another "language" that correctly represents, interprets and expresses its "ground rules". You cannot teach what 2 + 2 means by simply repeating 2 + 2, or 8 / 2, or 2 x 2, 2², sqrt(16), etcetera.

Therefore, I would view it more as a cross platform, language functionality extension.

Edit:

Book that might be of interest on this subject;

"The Art Of The Infinite (our lost language of numbers)" by Robert & Ellen Kaplan
 
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fort

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If I write or say: Peter hits Paul, i know which one will need to consult a doctor.

If I say or write: 2 x 3, the problem remains entire.

Lao Tzu ( revisited by myself ).
 
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