Find the “inherent beauty” in math, in 2 minutes | Talithia Williams

What would the world be like if we focused on “the inherent beauty of math,” rather than its technical aspects? A statistician reflects.

If you’ve taken a math class, it’s likely you’ve asked yourself “What am I really going to use this for?” Mathematician Talithia Williams has the answer.

The key to understanding math outside of the classroom, Dr. Williams explains, is appreciating how beautiful it really is. Much like taking an art appreciation class, if one were to take a course that highlights the real-world applications of mathematics without the pressure of daunting calculations, complex equations, or graded tests.

According to Dr. Williams, taking a course like this would reveal the aesthetic qualities of numbers and their values, and could transform our perception of math from being a subject to pass to a tool for understanding the world.

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[sihr]

Terribly sad that our education systems force-fed ‘math’ classes without focusing on appreciation and skill development first; so many (myself included) saw math as a source of frustration to discover too late in life how mesmerizing it is . Would love to take a Math Appreciation course❤

[MrFossilabgfyth]

I dislike mathematics, but it is everywhere! You can't escape it!

[MidwestLori]

That is a math class I would take. I have an appreciation for math even though i am personally horrible at it. I still remember reading the book Bagger Vance and itt opening my eyes to how beautiful math can be. Also, things like the Fibonacci Sequnce are an amazing part of our natural world and knowing a little bit about that gives me a deeper appreciation for math and life in general.

[surrenderingwithin]

Delightful food for thought: a Math Appreciation 101

[unclecode]

Agree! IMO When people say they hate math, it's usually not the subject itself, but the way it was taught to them. A bad experience with a math teacher can really mess up how someone feels about the whole thing. I think what actually we try to say is, "I hate how math was introduced to me, " rather than hating math itself.

[uasserkamal]

I think it's Very enough to talk about "fractals" and golden ratio

[rainerdeusser]

sure, i agree with the speaker; but let's face it, we are ignorant and lazy as a culture, and in the short course of our lives the essential beauty of the world around us is invisible to most of us; but even further, not understanding things like cognitive bias and statistical thinking impacts our decision process both individually and in larger political groupings and arguably has hidden costs that are staggeringly enormous, while generally being hidden and unappreciated.

[alexandremoraes-dopaminand]

Terence Tao has a course that is close to that