Saturday, September 12, 2009

Einstein Quote

How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought which is independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the objects of reality? Is human reason, then, without experience, merely by taking thought, able to fathom the properties of real things.

Who besides Mariana can explain or comment on this quote?

And now for my take on all this ... I have a t-shirt with this on it.

2 comments:

Ken Riches said...

Love the cartoon.

As for the quote, human thought is irrational many times, but mathematics is based on the laws of physics and nature, and completely rational.

the dogs' mother said...

I see math as magic.

The math lesson I taught, which got my teacher's knickers all aflutter, was a magic trick. I deconstructed a bunch of math magic tricks and taught them as 'vertical algebra'. Btw - that is where the purple feather boa came from, along with a sparkly purple star on a ruler - magic fairy math teacher.

People that can do math with ease fill me with awe (they are wizards I think).