Mark's take on why Maths can be good for you and how you might start...

1 Comment

• Math is always the interesting topic, especially when examining it's beginnings. When taking up the study you really have to decide between classic math or new advancements. Both are great, but you can often find yourself travelling a path where some new advancement completely removes the need to understand the classical theory.
  
  
  
  You have to appreciate a field of study where 300 year old results are still hard to comprehend and you can spend weeks examining them. However, when a modern explanation cuts this examination to only a few days deciding which to use is hard. Working through the classics can build a large degree of mental tools for examining future problems, but working through the modern explanation can build instant understanding and put you on to your next task. Which one is correct?
  
  
  
  I helped a friend of mine examine some texts in search of a 4th dimensional root number. It was immense the number of texts and material we went through. In the end, every time we thought something looked promissing his professor put us onto some other text that proved us wrong. We could have easily gotten all of the answers needed to start *new* work on the subject in a relatively short period of time, but I think understanding all of the *old* work and having some many false starts really had a positive impact on me.