how did math really started? and why do we really ahve to study it?!?
597110
Maybe spelling, grammar, and typing should replace it?
666325
Calculus is not an advanced mathematical concept; I was taught it at a bog standard state school starting when I was 12 years old. It is really simple; it starts by being about finding the area under a graph and then (of course) being able to do the calculation in reverse.  Differentiation and Integration. You can investigate the rate of change, and it introduces you to the philosophical notions of tiny differences, infinity and the way that geometry is a graphical form of algebra.\n\nAt it's root, Newton would have seen that (for example) speed equals distance over time.  This is m/s or miles per hour... called a linear equation because you can plot a straight line (m/s) if one axis is "m" and the other is "s".  The angle the line makes, the steepness, introduces trigonometric ratios.  The steeper the incline angle, the faster something is going in a given time.\n\nNewton began devising his calculus based on the notion that all the marvelous interlinked things you can do with linear equations, can be done for curves... but it all depends on thinking of a tiny part of the curve...\n\nThe tiny teeniest bit of a curve is almost a line... or a curve is just a series of tiny straight lines with incline angles...\n\nIn the end it is not "important" to learn calculus, it is not very useful in everyday life.  At best it may be thought of as useful in philosophy merely because it is reversible, and because it involves weird notions about error and approximation for the sakes of utility.\n\nADVANCED mathematics (not calculus!) such as the theory of knots, surface landscapes, three dimensional matrices etc is very close to philosophy; it will sharpen your LOGIC to be more stringent and you will produce tighter proofs and more cohesive theories if you learn the advanced mathematical mindset...\n\nFor example, SIMPLE maths suggests that we know and accept 1+1=2, ADVANCED mathematics asks how and why 1+1=2, and what would happen if 1+1=5 etc.  i.e. different models within which to work.\n\nProbably the simplest and first introduction to all this is when people are told to use numbers with base 8 or base 2 instead of base 10.\n\nBinary or Hexadecimal is quite a philosophical revelation to some people!  Try doing a simply multiplication calculation using Roman numerals. ... challenge the accepted norms and think freely (maths will allow you to do this like nothing else).  Appreciate the beauty of mathematics, theoretical proofs to applied natural philosophy, fractals, and more besides.
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The "point" of geomtery -- that's actually a great pun.  But never mind that now. :)\n\nThe purpose of just about all math is *deduction*: using the information you're given (what you know) to *deduce* something new (what you didn't know).  In algebra, for instance, we represent a situation (what we know) with an equation, then solve that equation for the "unknown" quantity, the variable (what we didn't know).\n\nThe point of geometry is that it's the first step in learning to apply math deduction to real-world measurable objects.  We start by learning things like how to calculate perimeter, area, volume, and surface area.  We then move on to further deductions in the form of "proofs," where we might prove that two angles of an object are the same based on other information about the object.  That continues as you move beyond geometry into topics like trigonometry, analytic geometery, and calculus, but a simple situation might be to determine the height of a building by comparing the length of its shadow to the shadow from another object whose height you can measure, and using the notion of "similar triangles" to deduce the answer.\n\nHope that helps.
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History of Imaginary Numbers:\n\n\nComplex numbers were being used by mathematicians long before they were first properly defined, so it's difficult to trace the exact origin.\n \nThe first reference that I know of (but there may be earlier ones) is by Cardan in 1545, in the course of investigating roots of polynomials. During this period of time the notation underroot-1 was used, but more in the sense of a convenient fiction to categorize the properties of some polynomials, by describing how their roots would behave if we pretend that they have them. It was seen how the notation could lead to fallacies such as that described in the Classic Fallacies section of this web site, so square root -1 was considered a useful piece of notation when putting polynomials into categories, but was not seen as a real mathematical object. \n\nLater Euler in 1777 eliminated some of the problems by introducing the notation i and -i for the two different square roots of -1. With him originated the notation a + bi for complex numbers. He also began to explore the extension of functions like the exponential function to the case of complex-valued arguments. However, the numbers i and -i were called "imaginary" (an unfortunate choice of terminology which has remained to this day), because their existence was still not clearly understood. \n\nWessel in 1797 and Gauss in 1799 used the geometric interpretation of complex numbers as points in a plane, which made them somewhat more concrete and less mysterious. \n\nFinally, Hamilton in 1833 put complex numbers on a sound mathematical footing by showing that pairs of real numbers with an appropriately defined multiplication form a number system, and that Euler's previously mysterious "i" can simply be interpreted as one of these pairs of numbers. That was the point at which the modern formulation of complex numbers can be considered to have begun.
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algebra is an early form of calculus.\n\nbut what do you think about this\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
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math is a topic that you need not ask why or how. as my mama is always telling me to this day for 21 years ' just do it.'\nthe number comes from the knowing what the 555 times is (by testing and real life timing) and appling math to what is knowen like the resistors, capacitors and solid state 'wiring' the formula is made after many many trys.
763708
It all comes down to the roots. What i mean is that once you know the basics mathematics, you will learn new things which build up on these skills, and once you get the hang of everything, you will love it. As with most things, the key to excelling at mathematics is practice!
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Math is all about rules and tools.  The "rules" are things like "Negative times a Negative = Positive" and "The order or operations = Multiplication and Division First, then Addition and Subtraction", etc.\n\nThe "tools" are things like the quadratic formula, the FOIL (First, Outside, Inside, Last) method, etc.\n\nMost math teachers don't make this very clear.  When I was tutoring freshmen/sophomores in college, I would bring them index cards in a little cardboard box.  When we would be learning a new subject area, we'd put the "tools" on the cards and in the box.  Then as they were faced with a problem they couldn't figure out on their own, I'd ask them to "Dig in your tool box and show me all the tools you think you can use to solve this."\n\nIt really worked well, because many times, the students know the tools, they just get confused about which ones to use when.\n\nHomework --  You gotta do it.  Here's my hint for math homework.  ALWAYS write the problem that you are trying to solve in ink.  Then switch to pencil to solve it.  The clarity that it brings to your homework is much better.  Math is about rules and tools ... follow this rule with your homework.\n\nFYI:  I completely sucked at math up to my Junior year in college.  When math got advanced enough to stop using numbers, I really took off with it !\n\nNo offense to anyone professionally or personnally, but the worst people to learn math from are Math Teachers.  Find a business person to help you.  Not only do they know the math, but they can explain it to you with very real, practical applications.  (That's sort of what we do).
122653
Math is the source of theories.\nScience needs theories for modeling.\n\nMath is not the science of numbers!\nAlthough, in this view it is still important in engineering.
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stuff multiplied by zero -> zero\nstuf divided by zero -> infinite\nthis is all that this question has to do with this category\nof maths.\nIf you really persist in asking that, well you should post it in philosophy or something \nAnyway....\n... who knows, maybe an answer would be this:\nzero "is nothing" and we still talk about it , work with it \n, hold it in our hands, look at it and realize we actually\nsee through it.\ninfinite is quite everything and beyond. it is the unexplained and uncharted and is trying to seduce us by filling the gaps of our knowledge with tons of wild gees.\nThere might be a resemblance at THIS level when we are chattin over a Heineken , but remember they are created\nby our own human logic and they stand for pretty clear concepts, and the reason we get to see questions like yours is because we are still humans; and humans have that nice feature of being able to fill hundreds of volumes just\nbecause they saw a leaf falling from a tall tree in the autumn . imagine what ideas can they get when you draw them a circle or two.
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first in studying math you should interpret the rules/problem in terms in which you can understand. Most math problems are practical problems, never mind the formulas that you have to follow, don't be limited by that. As long as you understand it in your own way, you can solve it, & believe me, you can answer math problem even if you do not follow the formulas given by the book or d teacher. \n\nMany people find studying math very hard coz they are already terrified just hearing the word math.Simple rules in solving math problem or any problem-be calm, when u are calm u can think clearly; and think that it is only a problem, it  s called problem because it can be solve and ur going to find it, before u know it ur inner self is guiding u 2 d answer
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if your talking about the origin of the numbers we use:\n\nthey are the Arabic Numerals that were used way back during the time of early civilizations and trade routes.\n\nthorough the trade routes, their numbers spread, and were widely used\n\nthey also used the zero, which was created by either the romans or the Greeks\n\nWe dont have any idea as to who invented them, though. Our best idea is scholars or educators.
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Math is needed for lots of things!\nDo your homework!\n\nhttp://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.why.math.html\nThere are actually thousands of different jobs that require some knowledge of mathematics. Here are more than 30 firsthand accounts from Mathematicians at Work telling what some college math majors are doing, from an Air Traffic Control Systems Analyst and a Lawyer to a Data Capture Facility Troubleshooter on the Hubble space telescope.\n\nExactly How Is Math Used In Technology?, from the Mathematics Department of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, provides examples of math uses for biomedical engineering, food technology, building technology, chemical sciences, civil and structural engineering, graphics and computer-aided drawing (CAD), electronics, environmental health, mechanical engineering, mining technology, nuclear medicine, occupational health, petroleum technology, prosthetics, forestry and wildlife, robotics, and surveying.
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Homework was invented for a number of reasons.  Some of the reasons include the following.\n\n1)  To practice skills that you have learned in school.\n2)  There are so many topics covered in school that you don't have the time to properly study them while in school, so you need the extra time of study.\n3)  To help a student learn time management skills.\n4)  To encourage students to practice and grow on their own. (Independent Study)\n5)  To let you show your teacher what you are learning, how well you are learning it, and to see where the teacher needs to concentrate their efforts in teaching.  (This is because year to year and class to class there are differences in what students may understand, so a teacher needs to be able to vary the emphasis of what they are teaching.\n\nThere are others, but I have provided a few other than what some people said about it being just to torture students.  Teachers aren't sadists, they are actually the opposite.  Teachers like to help people.
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Many people don't get their mathematics. The basic problem is that they don't give enough time to it. Most people dislike mathematics that they  hardly know it. The solution to this problem is to change your attitude towards maths.
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Algebra (from Arabic: الجبر, al-ğabr) is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of structure, relation and quantity. Elementary algebra is often taught in high school and gives an introduction to the basic ideas of algebra: studying what happens when numbers are added or multiplied, and how to make polynomials and find their roots.\n\nAlgebra is much broader than elementary algebra and can be generalized. Rather than working directly with numbers, one can work with symbols or elements of some set. Addition and multiplication are viewed as general operations, and their precise definitions lead to structures such as groups, rings and fields.\n\nMathematics can be defined as the logically rigorous study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. Another view, held by many mathematicians, is that mathematics is the body of knowledge justified by deductive reasoning, starting from axioms and definitions.\n\nMathematics is used throughout the world in fields such as science, engineering, medicine, and economics. These fields both inspire and make use of new discoveries in mathematics. New mathematics is also created for its own sake, without any particular application in view.\n\nThe word "mathematics" comes from the Greek μάθημα (máthēma) meaning science, knowledge, or learning, and μαθηματικός (mathēmatikós), meaning fond of learning. It is often abbreviated math in the U.S. and Canada and maths in Britain and many Commonwealth countries.\n\nThe evolution of mathematics might be seen to be an ever-increasing series of abstractions, or alternatively an expansion of subject matter. The first abstraction was probably that of numbers. The realization that two apples and two oranges have something in common, namely that they fill the hands of exactly one person, was a breakthrough in human thought. In addition to recognizing how to count concrete objects, prehistoric peoples also recognized how to count abstract quantities, like time -- days, seasons, years. Arithmetic (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), naturally followed. Monolithic monuments testify to knowledge of geometry.\n\nFurther steps need writing or some other system for recording numbers such as tallies or the knotted strings called khipu used by the Inca empire to store numerical data. Numeral systems have been many and diverse.\n\nFrom the beginnings of recorded history, the major disciplines within mathematics arose out of the need to do calculations on taxation and commerce, to understand the relationships among numbers, to measure land, and to predict astronomical events. These needs can be roughly related to the broad subdivision of mathematics, into the studies of quantity, structure, space, and change.\n\nMathematics since has been much extended, and there has been a fruitful interaction between mathematics and science, to the benefit of both.\n\nMathematical discoveries have been made throughout history and continue to be made today. According to Mikhail B. Sevryuk, in the January 2006 issue of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, "The number of papers and books included in the Mathematical Reviews database since 1940 (the first year of operation of MR) is now more than 1.9 million, and more than 75 thousand items are added to the database each year. The overwhelming majority of works in this ocean contain new mathematical theorems and their proof."\n\nArithmetic or arithmetics (from the Greek word αριθμός = number) in common usage is a branch of (or the forerunner of) mathematics which records elementary properties of certain operations on numbers, though professional mathematicians often treat arithmetic as a synonym for number theory. It is the oldest and simplest branch of mathematics, used widely by almost everyone from simple daily counting to more advanced science and business.\n\nGeometry (Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth, metria = measure)
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I'm no mathamatician myself but,\n\nMath is a subject that builds on itself, starting with simple addition and subtraction, then building on that for multiplication and division, then an understanding of fractions and decimals, then algebraic equations and trigonometry, then calculus etc etc etc…\n\nMy point is that often having trouble at one level in math, is the result of not having a good enough grasp of a lower level of math. Example small children who haven't learned their numbers cannot grasp the idea of addition, adding multi digit numbers is hard if you don't memorize addition tables (single digit addition) likewise multiplication is impossible without knowing addition, learning the multiplication tables is necessary to advance to higher forms of mathematics.\nAlso, most of math is memorization, and the best way to memorize anything is repetition. In order to memorize the multiplication (times) tables, you must either say or write them over and over again... regular daily quizzing yourself until the answers just come from memory, instead of having to think about them... it's the same with most of the basics in math.\nSo to answer your question, in general terms since I don't know what type of math is giving you difficulty, is to back up one step and be sure you have complete understanding of the lower level which will help alot with your current level.\nRemember, we are all born without an understanding of math, it is something that each of us have to work on.. Sure there are a few people born who seem to just be born with the skill, but most of us had to work to learn it :)\nYou can do this, just back up and study the basics, building on the basics with make the more complicated come easier.\n\nGood luck.