Science is the best thing we can do. And I think it is better for men to seek order in a chaotic manner instead to study chaos in an orderly fashion.

Monday, September 10, 2007

prejudecati legate de matematica

Din punctul de vedere al lui Einstein, demersul stiintei nu era atit lupta cu prejudecatile, cit gasirea, determinarea lor: fiindca acestea sint atit de bine asimilate, incit nu mai sint bagate in seama, fiind de la sine intelese, si deci acceptate ca atare.
Daniel Tammet. Poate ca tot nu va spune mare lucru nici macar dupa ce v-ati aruncat ochii pe referintele din wikipedia. Ei bine, acest om, nu doar ca are o memorie a numerelor fenomenala, dar are o relatie de un tip special cu acestea, o relatie afectiva. Nu te poti apropia asa de mult de un obiect mai degraba abstract fara a fi emotionat de armonia sa structurala. Daniel gindeste numerele in asociere cu forme. In adolescenta gindeam cumva similar, fiindca inca de atunci mi-am dat seama ca pentru a memora siruri mari de numere, acestea ar trebui asociate cu forme sau obiecte concrete. Pare o risipa, insa memoria noastra nu poate lucra altfel decit imaginativ.
Exista insa argumente matematice puternice cum ca acest principiu dupa care numerelor le corespund forme nu se rezuma doar la problematizarile noastre mnemotehnice mai mult sau mai putin arbitrare...
Nu sint mare amator de curiozitati, insa in ceea priveste numerele si felul in care oamenii le gindesc, am avut intotdeauna intrebari, mirari. Mai stiu ca unii dintre marii matematicieni au fost foarte buni la calculele brute pe care astazi noi am ajuns sa le evitam sistematic -- il amintesc aici doar pe Euler, care calcula tot asa cum respira: a avut, ce-i drept, si scaderi; printre altele, cu privire la numerele negative pe care nu le-a vazut ca pe o extindere naturala a multimii numerelor pozitive, a afirmat ca sint mai mari decit infinitul.

Contrar a ceea ce cred unii despre matematica, intuiesc ca memoria joaca un rol important chiar si in intelegerea acesteia.
Exista insa o alta prejudecata suparatoare, dupa care matematica inseamna intii de toate logica. Sir Atiyah o demonteaza fara dificultate, aratind ca doar in finalul rationamentelor sale matematicianul are nevoie de logica, demersurile obisnuite fiind unele de tip intuitiv si de imaginatie indelung si minutios cultivate. El spune:
"Well, the idea that mathematics is synonymous with logic is a great ridiculous statement that some people make. Mathematics is very difficult to define, actually, what constitutes mathematics. Logical thinking is a key part of mathematics, but it's by no means the only part. You've got to have a lot of input and material from somewhere, you've got to have ideas coming from physics, concepts from geometry. You've got to have imagination, you're going to use intuition, guesswork, vision, like a creative artist has. In fact, proofs are usually only the last bit of the story, when you come to tie up the... dot the i's and cross the T's. Sometimes the proof is needed to hold the whole thing together like the steel structure of a building, but sometimes you've stopped putting it together, and the proof is just the last little bit of polish on the surface.
So the most time mathematicians are working, they're concerned with much more than proofs, they're concerned with ideas, understanding why this is true, what leads where, possible links. You play around in your mind with a whole host of ill-defined things."

In documentar apare si Kim Peek, cel dupa care s-a inspirat filmul Rain Man (cu Dustin Hoffman)


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