Most students who take math classes aren't going to be mathematicians. They're going to be engineers, statisticians - in many ways, that's the more important mission of math education.
Terence TaoRead
I still remember the realization in college at Flinders University in Australia that mathematics was not just an abstract game of symbols but could be used as a tool to analyze and understand the modern world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mathematics is a practical tool for understanding the world rather than just a theoretical concept.
In this quote, Terence Tao reflects on his transformative realization during his college years that mathematics should not merely be viewed as a collection of abstract symbols and rules. Instead, he emphasizes its profound applicability, showcasing how mathematical concepts serve as powerful tools that can be harnessed to analyze, interpret, and better understand the complexities of the modern world, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.
Themes
MathematicsUnderstandingApplicationKnowledgeAnalysis
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a presentation about the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
More from Terence Tao
All quotes →For me, I guess the main motivation is the satisfaction of finally understanding some tricky mathematical concept or phenomenon and then explaining it to others.
Terence TaoRead
One can think of any given axiom system as being like a computer with a certain limited amount of memory or processing power. One could switch to a computer with even more storage, but no matter how large an amount of storage space the computer has, there will still exist some tasks that are beyond its ability.
Terence TaoRead
I recall being fascinated by numbers even at age three and viewed their manipulation as a kind of game.
Terence TaoRead
Talent is important, but how one develops and nurtures it is even more so.
Terence TaoRead
When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to be a mathematician, but I had no idea what that entailed.
Terence TaoRead
Similar quotes
There is nothing like books - of all things sold incomparably the cheapest, of all pleasure the least palling, they take up little room, keep quiet when they are not wanted, and, when taken up, bring us face to face with the choicest men who ever lived, at their choicest moments.
Samuel PalmerRead
Architects should be educated, skillful with the pencil, instructed in geometry, know much history, have followed the philosophers with attention, understand music, have some knowledge of medicine, know the opinions of the jurists, and be acquainted with astronomy and the theory of the heavens
Marcus Vitruvius PollioRead
The primary goal of real education is not to deliver facts but to guide students to the truths that will allow them to take responsibility for their lives.
John Taylor GattoRead
I've always wanted to write a book relating my experiences growing up as a deaf child in Chicago. Contrary to what people might think, it wasn't all about hearing aids and speech classes or frustrations.
Marlee MatlinRead
Older boys were allowed to beat younger ones at my 15th-century English boarding school, and every boy had to run a five-mile annual steeplechase through the sludge and rain of an October day, as horses do. We wrote poems in dead languages and recited the Lord's Prayer in Latin every Sunday night.
Pico IyerRead
I can't pass a bookstore without slipping inside, looking for the next book that will burn my hand when I touch its jacket, or hand me over a promissory note of such immense power that it contains the formula that will change everything about me.
Pat ConroyRead