Most students who take math classes aren't going to be mathematicians. They're going to be engineers, statisticians - in many ways, that's the more important mission of math education.
I still remember the realization in college at Flinders University in Australia that mathematics was not just an abstract game of symbols but could be used as a tool to analyze and understand the modern world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mathematics is a practical tool for understanding the world rather than just a theoretical concept.
In this quote, Terence Tao reflects on his transformative realization during his college years that mathematics should not merely be viewed as a collection of abstract symbols and rules. Instead, he emphasizes its profound applicability, showcasing how mathematical concepts serve as powerful tools that can be harnessed to analyze, interpret, and better understand the complexities of the modern world, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a presentation about the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
More from Terence Tao
All quotes →For me, I guess the main motivation is the satisfaction of finally understanding some tricky mathematical concept or phenomenon and then explaining it to others.
One can think of any given axiom system as being like a computer with a certain limited amount of memory or processing power. One could switch to a computer with even more storage, but no matter how large an amount of storage space the computer has, there will still exist some tasks that are beyond its ability.
I recall being fascinated by numbers even at age three and viewed their manipulation as a kind of game.
Talent is important, but how one develops and nurtures it is even more so.
When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to be a mathematician, but I had no idea what that entailed.
Similar quotes
Schools are the single largest lever of mobility in this country. When we commit to creating and enforcing laws that acknowledge the injustice of the past, we open up the possibility of using schools as a means of reducing inequality.
I was really lucky because I went to an all-girl school, and that single-sex education really helped me because I really learned to bond with women and to not compete with or compare myself as much because we were all allowed to be ourselves and be unique and kind of have our unique strengths.
The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.
Read. Read every chance you get. Read to keep growing. Read history. Read poetry. Read for pure enjoyment. Read a book called Life on a Little Known Planet. It's about insects. It will make you feel better.
However my parents - both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing quirk that would never pay a mortgage or secure a pension.
My ideal viewer is an 11-year-old girl who, like me, was once reading a book by Jean Plaidy and might be in the position of deciding what to make of the world and what to do with her life.