Author: mathsmerizing

The most fascinating of all knowledge and the most phobia generating subject is Mathematics. It is the improper introduction of maths that leaves many children with a lifelong aversion for the subject. Maths is often very poorly taught by us teachers, who themselves don’t have a strong passion or a deep appreciation for it. Most of us focus on and cater to the question “What”? and by doing so we conveniently avoid and ignore the fundamental question which is “WHY”? Also, the books in mathematics are generally written from the mathematician’s perspective. The beauty and spirit of mathematics are indeed in its freedom and abstraction but a child at an early age isn’t expected to understand it. Often, which is almost always, it is left to the students to comprehend the real-life applications of mathematics and somehow find beauty and joy in it, on their own. In words of acclaimed Indian mathematician, Shakuntala Devi students abhor maths because of the wrong approach and because it is looked as a subject. The intimidating, imagination less, uninteresting computation exercises and formula-based learning that go by the name of math is a horrible experience for the students. And when they struggle, they begin to dread math, and eventually, we lose thousands of students who could be the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. If we reflect and take more time to ground them in the basics, we can turn them on to maths.

To Maryam Mirzakhani, one of the top students in an all-girls school in Iran, mathematics seemed “cold” and “pointless” and she never enjoyed mathematics. Her poor grades in her first-year math exams made her and her teacher believe that she doesn’t have an affinity for mathematics. One day, her elder brother told her about the problem of adding numbers from 1 to 100. The problem was assigned to Carl Gauss by his school teacher as a time-consuming exercise but the genius mathematician worked out an ingenious solution in a matter of seconds. In her own words, “That was the first time I enjoyed a beautiful solution, though I couldn’t find it myself”. Having appreciated and experienced the beauty of mathematics, at the age of 17 she won international mathematics Olympiad, at 27, she earned a doctorate in mathematics from Harvard and in 2014, she became the first woman to be awarded the highest honor in mathematics- the fields medal. All of us are born with natural love and flair for mathematics. Whether you are an aspiring musician or an art apprentice, a business enthusiast or a promising athlete a part of the love and beauty of mathematics is already expressed in you. It only takes a moment of flowing inspiration and enchanting motivation to be smitten by it. As Maryam said, “The beauty of mathematics, only shows itself to more patient followers,” so approach it with dedication and interest and you will most certainly enjoy its fruition as did the legendary Ramanujan and his likes for centuries together.