Mathematics

Mathematics has proven to be the single most important analytical tool devised by the human mind. It has enabled us to calculate masses of tiny particles that we cannot see and trajectories of planets we cannot hold. Pick any science, and you will see mathematics used in it. It is used not only in engineering and physics, but also in biological sciences such as genetics, and in social sciences like economics, and in humanities such as psychology.

The question is why? Why is mathematics so effective?

Let me get to the point. Mathematics is a language. A language that describes the order of the universe. I would like to emphasize that it is the inherent order of the universe which led to mathematics, and not the other way around.

For example, it is a natural occurrence that objects appear in quantities. Numbers were created 'after' we saw varying quantities of different things. We needed to talk about four fingers and one thumb, so we came up with numbers four and one.

Similarly, the ratios in trigonometry, sines and cosines, are second order natural occurrences. Whenever you would measure the sides of a triangle, you would always get the same ratio.

Believe it or not, there is an order in every single thing around us. From the motion of the smallest particles, to the reproduction rate of bacteria, to the market fluctuations, and even in human relationships like romance and flirting!

It just so happens that the language of mathematics falls short of elegant explanatins for more 'human' activities. It is easier to say that someone is 'lazy' or 'nice' than to actually sit down and derive equations for this behavior. Not that it cannot be done. It can be, but it only takes longer and nobody has bothered to do so yet.

Can you imagine the beauty of this order?