The Meaning of Mathematics

What is mathematics? Do you can explain about mathematics? We know that everyone can describe about mathematics but of all different. Now, we will discus about mathematics from definition of mathematics, characteristic of mathematics, and type of mathematics. There are difference between school mathematics and university mathematics. In university mathematics study pure mathematics and applied mathematics. But in school mathematics, study general mathematics. The object of mathematics is abstract while abstract is our mine. There are two steps to get mathematics concept:
1. We use abstraction
2. We use idealization
What is abstraction? Abstraction is looking for similarity to get form or simple characteristics to be object of mathematics. For example: “What do you think about the number five?” Every students giving various answer but in English class, the lecture and the students have similar characteristics so they discus about the value of number five. Why? Because this very minute, the lecture explain about English for mathematics so it is abstraction. “And what is idealization?” Idealization is straight or don’t taper because straight just for SIROTOL MUSTAQIM. For example, the teacher make question to their student don’t direct so the students must try to solve this problem and then it is called idealization.
The meanings of object mathematics are structure, system, which go up axiom, formula, theorem and pattern. The characteristics of mathematics is logic and consistent. Prof. Kaye Stacey from Melbourne University said that mathematics is:
1. conjecturing
Conjecturing is when we are given problems and we must to predict, to estimate, so giving solution about it.
2. convincing
Convincing is we communicate the result to people by presentation, conference or test.
Prof. Katagiri from Japan when he presentation in Sapporo-Tokyo said that mathematics is mathematical thinking which consist three aspects are:
1. Mathematical attitude.
It is very important in determining student’s behavior in mathematical thinking. A good attitude is always asks to be perfection.
2. Mathematical method.
Why we prove that? We can study from the specifics to general is called inductive thinking, from general to specifics is called deductive thinking, logical mathematics, or syllogism is one choice to it. Foe example syllogism:
Premise 1 : Every student must wear school uniform
Premise 2 : Fany is a student
We also use preposition. What is preposition? Preposition is sentence which consists true or false. We use conjunction, disjunction, implication (if then), or if then if. Beside that, we use direct or indirect prove.
3. Mathematical content.
Mathematical contents include operation, algorithm, or approximation.
The definition of mathematics from real mathematics is:
1. Horizontal mathematics is daily mathematics, the object of mathematics.
2. Vertical of mathematics is abstract mathematics, pure mathematics.
The Work University said that the power of mathematics is critical thinking. It means every thesis there are anti-thesis and every anti-thesis there are synthesis.


Sources: According to pbmmarsigit.blogspot.com on Tuesday, 10th March 2009

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