The Playful Language of Math

7/28/2019 The Playful Language of Math

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The Playful Language of

MathAbhijit Mehta

Writing 20, Fall 2002


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The Language of Math and Physics

Nice

Elegant

Trivial

Well-Behaved

Quark

Charm

FlavorStrange


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How can a function be nice?

Mathematicians and

physicists like to use

common words to

describe commonideas

BUT - Popular

stereotypes say that

mathematicians andphysicists are boring

and uncreative


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This is not only wrong.

It is ridiculous!


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Mathematicians and physicists are

playful, and their language shows it

The use of common

words shows a familiar,

playful attitude towards

complex things.

The invention / adaptation

of words into modern

physics underscores this

Quark

Strange

Charm


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Developing My Project

Initially: topic for a short assignment Pointed out the humorous misunderstanding that

math and physics lingo can cause

Agenda Shift Started as a basic description of vocabulary

Evolved to an analysis of how this vocabulary reflectsa playful attitude in math and physics

Added examples to show how words originate IMO Example

Modern Physicists and Quarks Brought me into my essay

Describing mathematicians and physicists in terms ofus and we rather than they and them


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The shift of my agenda

D1 Mere description

Mathematicians and physicists often usecommon words to express ideas that are very

complex. D2/D3 Analysis: Playfulness

The migration of these words from commonusage to their specialized usage conveys

some of the playful attitude thatmathematicians and physicists have towardsabstract, complex problems.


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From description toplayfulness

D1

As our society becomes moredependant on technology, the work ofmathematicians and physicists comescloser to everyday experience. Inorder to have a basic understanding of

many modern issues andtechnologies, people need to becomemore familiar with the language ofmath and science. However,mathematicians and physicists have atendancy to use common words in astrange way. In math and physics,nice, elegant, trivial, well-behaved,

charm, flavor, strange, and quarkallhave meanings that can be verydifferent from their everydaymeanings. Mathematicians andphysicists often use common words toexpress ideas that are very complex.

D3

I find that even in our technologicallydependant society, mathematiciansand physicists are oftenmisunderstood. Many people label usas unimaginative, dull and humorless.

However, mathematicians andphysicists actually make creative useofcommon words to describe complexthings. For us, nice, elegant, trivial,well-behaved, charm, flavor, andstrange all have meanings that can bevery different from their everydaymeanings. The migration of these

words from common usage to theirspecialized usage conveys some ofthe playful attitude thatmathematicians and physicists havetowards abstract, complex problems.


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REVISION

Helped me to bring myselfinto my writing

Helped me to clarify my agenda and to

make it more interesting

Helped me to figure out what I actually

wanted my agenda to be!

Helped to iron out awkward phrasings andinconsistencies


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Revision did more than clarify the

ideas in my paper for the reader:

By helping me figure out what Iwanted to sayand how I could best

express my opinions, revision

actually clarified the ideas that Iwanted to express for me!


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In Conclusion

The language used by mathematicians and

physicists conveys their playful attitude

In a society that is dependant on technology, it is

important for people to understand this attitude Math and physics are very personally relevant to

my life, and so this topic is very important to me

Through multiple stages of revision, I was able: To bring myself into my essay and

To use my personal love of math to express my ideas

about this topic effectively on paper

The Playful Language of Math

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