Relevance of Math in Daily Life

 

    A topic that interested me from lecture five comes from the Roger Antonsen's TED Talk "Math is the Hidden Secret to Understanding the World."

    Math can be found in many different disciplines. This won't be like my last blog post, where I divulged into the many different disciplines. Instead, I will discuss my experience with math and how I was limited to a very singular line of thinking. 

    I've always thought of math and language as being almost entirely unrelated. Sure, the steps taken to solve problems/work through assignments can be the same, but the concepts of math and calculations are some that I've never come across in my studies of literature. The problem was with my concept of mathematics. It was entirely too narrow and, unfortunately, had its basis in analytics. This was a main idea taught to me during my elementary and high school education. I had accidentally assumed math was a synonym for calculations, just as the textbook feared. I had internalized the idea that math was a concept only used to describe a system in which students had little agency and only learned things that had already been created. After watching Antonsen's TED Talk, I am now questioning the purpose of math. Maybe math isn't about getting to an answer and instead it's about establishing a relationship to pre-existing concepts of interest, a transdisciplinary view. Antonsen's example of 4/3 is perfect for exploring the relationships math can have with different disciplines. My immediate thought is to compare math with music and time signatures. In music, 4/3 would be described as a polyrhythm, overlapping four beats per measure with three beats. It creates this dissonance of rhythm that surprisingly does not sound improper. 

    I've found a video that displays the interconnectedness of math and music, showing how functions exist through music. Before this class I would have said that music and math are two different worlds but now I picture a Venn diagram, a space in which the two co-exist. 

            Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to embed the video into this blog so here's a link instead:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFBdmL4U/

    As I've said, my education career so far has not prepared me for the play aspect of math. Though, this did not prevent me from doing so in my personal life. I have never considered my experimentation with music as involving math as well. I used to test my musical (rhythmic) ability by challenging myself to figure out the BPM (beats per minute) of a song before recording myself playing it. I unknowingly emphasized the excitement math can bring to music.

How do I feel?

I truly feel that I have been mislead by my previous teachers. I feel like I do not know what math is and that has caused our relationship to suffer. In the past I've had a habit of treating it as if it were a villain:

It's math's fault that I don't understand it!

Getting so frustrated when I can't understand it's problems:

Why do I have to solve math's problems?

I've not only neglected math's power but it's importance and diversity. 

What Actions do I Want to Pursue Further?

I need to repair our relationship. I'm acutely aware of math's ability of providing information relative to a school setting instead of how it can better serve my interests. 

I need to:

1. Re-evaluate how I see math in my life.

Figuring out where/which areas provide me with dread and exactly how to combat these negative perceptions. 

2. Find how math exists in my life in ways that excite me/provide me with enjoyable hobbies and habits

3. Further study what math truly means 

My narrow perception/closed mindedness limits my awareness of my world.