Numbers

You know,

sometimes it can seem that as maths wanders into its various byways,

they can seem to grow quite distinct from each other,

from the lines and curves of geometry

to the near numberless play of algebra,

sometimes the different categories can look so different

it would seem that there is no bridge between them.

But they do interact,

and a bit of this and a bit of that

and a bit of stirring it around and thinking about it

and you just might come up with Calculus.

So apply some algebraic rules

to spatial geometric forms,

and suddenly you can plot the path of a bullet fired into the air

and know where it will come down again.

You end up with a mathematics to describe motion,

which is incredibly useful for solving problems

in just about everything that humans do.

Mathematics is a language humans use

to describe the world around them,

and it resonates with their very being

in ways beyond counting,

through ear and eye,

as in music and proportion.

Humans can clearly recognise

the maths at the heart of some kinds of beauty,

and yet at the edges of mathematical thought,

the considered truth of a statement might depend

on no more than its beauty and elegance.

Maths is a language to describe,

but beauty can only be known.

And God is beautiful and loves beauty

said the Messenger.

Obviously

the maths understandings of humans

change as they grow from infant to adult,

as they learn more of the different ways

that they can use maths to solve problems.

But the different paths maths travels can seem daunting,

and understanding can take a lot of mental struggle,

so all except the diehard mathematicians eventually give up

and do something else.

Even so,

that resonance with maths always remains in their knowing Beauty,

an insubstantial aspect of their experienced creation,

seeing maths as a system of wonder,

even when it goes beyond understanding.

For the world of mathematics is unsubstantial in itself

For all its rationality and usefulness,

maths recognises itself as inevitably unable

to describe everything within its system.

It can deal with numbers that go on forever without stopping,

different dimensions in space-time

and symmetries, and infinities galore,

but there is always going to be something left out.

But what is there is still going to be incredibly useful,

and as humans work with maths they realise

that mostly it comes down to pattern recognition,

seeing the Beauty,

the Face of God.

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