Math as a Language

Introduction

Math is a language, and that is a fact not many are aware of. I bet you’re wondering how that is and thinking along the lines of “Isn’t math a study of numbers and computations? How is it a language? Aren’t languages supposed to be made of words?”.

Well, that is true. Math deals with numbers and languages deal with words. However, according to Collins Dictionary (n.d.), “language is the use of a system of communication that consists of a set of sounds or written symbols”. It means that whatever system of communication it is, as long as it is a form of communication that can be expressed with sounds or written symbols, it is called a language. Coincidentally, or not coincidentally, math is a form of communication that expresses itself with written symbols.

Look at this example:

1+1=2

This is one of the most basic equations known to man. I’d think that everyone has learned at the very least what 1+1 is. Does it look like a language though? Probably not to uninformed individuals, but if we look and analyze it, that very equation can be considered a sentence, more specifically, a declarative sentence. 

To recall basic language lessons, a declarative sentence is a sentence that states something. It gives information about the subject, which is the one being talked about,  and the one that describes the subject is called a predicate.

The sentence 1+1=2 is a declarative sentence because it states that when you add 1 to 1, then the outcome will be 2. In this case, the subject is 2 and the predicate is 1+1. It also contains the written symbols plus (+) and equals (=) to show the relationship between the numbers. 

Fascinating, right? We’ll discuss this topic more as we go along the lessons in this chapter.

Math as a Pattern

When one hears the word “pattern”, it usually relates to art: the patterns in paintings, the patterns in textile cloths, and so on. This isn’t far off in the case of mathematics.

Mathematics is also described as a study of patterns- how? Well, patterns are defined by Collins Dictionary (2023) as regularities in events or how something is done, or simply put, a structure in the system. This is why math teachers say that math is everywhere- because it really is! 

Patterns are everywhere and can be perceived by the five senses of a human. We can see it in the patterns of nature; the spots of fish and the structures of snowflakes. We can hear it through the alarm that we snooze every morning because we feel lazy to get up. We can feel it in the breeze of early July as the rainy season is about to start and we start to experience sudden bouts of drizzle and dark skies. Patterns are everywhere, Math is everywhere, and I hope that you all will come to appreciate it. 

This topic will be discussed in further chapters, so stay tuned!

Topics for Math as a Language

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Uses of Mathematics in Understanding the World

Looking back at our previous discussions, we can assume that math plays a big part in our lives, whether we realize it or not. In this subtopic, we will discuss how much math affects us and how we can utilize it to understand what is happening in the world.

First and foremost, math teaches us logic. Learning math creates logical thinking and analysis, but that is a subject for later discussions. 

Second, math is used to understand our world through science and technology (Rayan, 2023). It is no secret that math and science are interconnected since math is the language of science, and science and technology are intertwined with each other. Math uses patterns to understand a phenomenon, like say, the movement of the Earth and its relation with earthquakes, or even climate change, but that is too complex for now.

Math is used in everything. We use it to calculate our finances, measure the dimensions of a building that needs to be built, and even measure the ingredients for baking or cooking! In the most basic sense, math can be used to understand the world through its applications and structure that helped us advance in science and technology.