‭1. Consider Platonism, Nominalism, and Fictionalism: to what extent do numbers exist in reality?

I‭ tend towards mathematical nominalism; I believe that numbers describe reality. My general opinion‬
‭is that platonists and fictionalists have beliefs that are too unsubstantiated. In terms of platonism,‬
‭the existence of abstract objects has zero proof. As for fictionalists, I think that the belief that math‬
‭is false when it has continued to work is not justified. As a nominalist, I can say that numbers being‬
‭descriptions seems to be a reasonable yet conservative conclusion with our given information. As for‬
‭all the haters that point out flaws of this approach: “um, what about the square root of -1?”, I kind of‬
‭cheat and use other math to justify it. I endorse the cartesian plane to represent abstract space, and‬
‭imaginary numbers can be represented on a complex plane with angles: known as polar coordinates.‬
‭My form of nationalism is not quite as strict: I am satisfied as long as I am provided with some form‬
‭of visual representation; it is a description of maybe not reality, but something. Where I run into‬
‭problems are times when numbers/geometry/matrices go beyond 3-dimensional space. These are‬
‭tough to think about. Overall, I believe most people tend to fall under mathematical nominalism, it‬
‭seems like a “catch-most” term for thinking about numbers. I won't go so far as to say that the‬
‭existential debate of numbers is meaningless and then end with a mic drop, but as long as we‬
‭endorse the number system, we can “math” regardless of nature.‬

‭ omplex plane and polar coordinates:‬

C
‭https://mathinsight.org/polar_coordinates#:~:text=Instead%20of%20using%20the%20signed,and‬
‭%20the%20positive%20x%2Daxis‬‭.‬

‭ . Consider maths in its social and educational contexts: (why) do you believe that maths is highly‬
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‭valued in education?‬

“‭ I did the math, so it must be so”. This is a frequent phrase that all seasoned math-ers would use.‬
‭One may argue that math provides detailed and precise explanations, and this is why it is one of 2‬
‭required courses in grade 11. The question here is whether mathematics deserves its higher position.‬
‭During a job interview, would you be tested on physics? Likely not. Instead, companies like Google‬
‭present candidates with problems assessing critical thinking, a fundamental strand in math: logical‬
‭reasoning. I believe math is valued higher because it connects more to fundamental skills of thinking‬
‭without the distraction of ambiguity present in other fields. In a social context, having more‬
‭knowledge of math is associated with a higher degree of intelligence, to which I don't fully agree. As‬
‭aforementioned, the value of math lies in its purity, its primitivity, not necessarily on the bits of‬
‭knowledge it provides. Furthermore, math feels to everyone like a safety, something you can always‬
‭reach back to in a time of uncertainty. It can even help generalise broad statements; it brings‬
‭systems to chaos. Notably, in deductive logic statements, we are able to represent them using‬
‭variables and symbols (PL syntax) instead of wordy, confusing sentences. When something does not‬
‭make sense, you always come back to the math to “make sure” it is right or wrong. Thus, we tend to‬
‭view math as objectively true. And, that is the (flawed?) core assumption with which we can justify‬
‭its divinity.‬
I‭ nteresting article about google:‬
‭https://www.wired.com/2014/08/how-to-solve-crazy-open-ended-google-interview-questions/‬
‭Introduction to Formal Logic - Second Edition (This is a really interesting read!)‬

‭3. To what extent does mathematical knowledge increase the value of knowledge in other AOKs?‬

‭ any regard math as something concrete and true no matter what. This is not entirely true. A‬
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‭system that has axioms can never prove its own axioms by the incompleteness theorem. Let’s‬
‭assume for a moment that math is perfect and flawless. Then it should, in theory, increase‬
‭information reliability. This is demonstrated in statistics applications: Income vs health, size vs.‬
‭magnetism, age vs falsity. We love numbers, we love statistics, but we mostly love colourful graphs‬
‭with dots and pictures. In Darell Huff’s well-known 1954 book “How to Lie With Statistics”, he notes‬
‭many ways in which correct data can be presented in deceiving ways to mislead, just like a famous‬
‭Mark Twain quote: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”. In chapter 6, Huff‬
‭draws a money bag twice as tall to illustrate twice as much, but because proportions are kept, the‬
‭money bag seems to be eight times as large - two times as wide, tall, and deep. In my studies,‬
‭notably subjects like English, I enjoy often bringing in logical trees or causality chains analysed in‬
‭math. This sort of deductive structure helps a lot when it comes to organising and dissecting‬
‭information in other fields. Overall then, math helps to further the value of other fields, but I think‬
‭it's not only a math-specific thing: the cross-sections of any variety of fields is what empowers‬
‭innovation. Applying these concepts that we learn to a cross-curricular context is the ultimate‬
‭objective of education.‬

‭How to Lie With Statistics - Darell Huff (I should re-read this again!)‬

‭4. What differentiates mathematical knowledge from artistic knowledge?‬

‭ irst, I would like to reframe this question to also include similarities. Math and art, in the mind of‬
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‭the observer, are about as far apart as can be. One purely objective, the other purely subjective. But,‬
‭is this purity really so pristine, or more similar to the “100% pure fruit juice” labels on packaging?‬
‭Both art and math seem to be a description of reality: whereas one seeks to represent, symbolise, or‬
‭show visually; the other seeks to generalise and understand, to predict. Staying on this theme, I find‬
‭another difference to be the type of community that surrounds each field: the arts community is‬
‭open-minded and revels in interpretation, whereas the mathematical community is more rigorous‬
‭and immovable. If we stand a bit closer and observe, the math classroom is very organised and‬
‭systematic; each individual has their own place while the instructor goes over content. Comparing‬
‭this to an arts class: everybody occupying a variable amount of space, paint everywhere, and the‬
‭teacher yelling to reinstate order. This contrast in classroom dynamic is clear: art teaching less but‬
‭doing more, and math doing less but teaching more. Art wants you to create your own, math slaps‬
‭your wrist when you do so. In fact, what’s interesting is that math often seeks visual representations‬
‭of complex ideas that are beautiful. Likewise, art applies many ratios and concepts observed in math‬
t‭ o then create aesthetically pleasing patterns. This reciprocal relationship is intriguing: was it the‬
‭chicken or the egg?‬

‭ olden ratio:‬
G
‭https://theedge.com.hk/blog/golden-ratio-math-or-art/#:~:text=Despite%20its%20long%20histo‬
‭ry%20and,Section%20or%20the%20Divine%20Proportion‬‭.‬
‭Fractal art:‬
‭https://www.senarius.fr/en/2020/12/10/how-to-make-art-with-mathematics-fractal-art/‬

‭ . Can beauty be determined in mathematical terms? Consider the art you have observed in this‬
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‭exhibition in your example. Justify with evidence from the art work.‬

‭ eople tend to say that art is subjective; everyone‬

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‭can have their own interpretations and opinions.‬
‭If this is true, why do we all prefer certain‬
‭collections of art over others? This must mean‬
‭that there is some pattern to our preferences, and‬
‭if that is the case, then math should be able to‬
‭determine the “beauty” of it. In fact, many ideas‬
‭such as the golden ratio have already been‬
‭implemented in overall beauty standards. This can‬
‭be seen in composition layout and even‬
‭something known as the golden mask - a “perfect”‬
‭facial layout. In my chosen artwork, this fibonacci‬
‭spiral is very evident in the flow of the jellyfish.‬
‭Why are they not just drawn like a straight line?‬
‭Now, straying away from “layout beauty”, I want to‬
‭touch on another idea. We like to think that we‬
‭perceive beauty in a very subjective and random‬
‭way, but the brain works almost like a computer.‬
‭Although it is much more complex than what we‬
‭can presently envision, it must be generalizable.‬
‭There must be certain patterns that, given‬
‭enough time, can be detected. This said, if the human brain really understood the human brain,‬
‭there would be some interesting consequences. All of this said though, I still have my doubts: how‬
‭would we ever be able to quantify the beauty of imperfection? In the artwork above, I simply admire‬
‭the jellyfish a lot due to the smudging on the page and the messy chalk. Maybe that was intentional?‬

‭Golden ratio and mask:‬‭https://www.intmath.com/numbers/math-of-beauty.php‬

‭ . To what extent are mathematicians responsible for the applications of the mathematics they create?‬
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‭Consider ethics and applications of mathematics in your response.‬

‭If 1: Mathematicians must be responsible for the applications of their math‬

‭2: It is impossible for a mathematician to see all the applications‬
‭Then 3: Mathematicians must not create math‬

‭ learly, this conclusion is preposterous, but, with the given propositions, it is considered as a “valid”‬
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‭argument. If mathematicians are not able to see what they would be responsible for, they are unable‬
‭to be responsible for their math and thus unable to create it either. In this sense, responsibility‬
‭should not hold back innovation, regardless of results. We should not be blaming Euclid for the‬
‭atomic bomb, nor should we be pointing fingers at Lamarr for social media, and especially not‬
‭people like Newton for making us suffer with calculus (maybe a bit). When something someone‬
‭creates is applied elsewhere, is it the person who created it that is liable or is it the person who‬
‭applied it? By copyright law, it would be the creator, but if this chain gets complex enough‬
‭complexity (ie I use the thing that you borrowed from him, etc.), clearly this new innovation can no‬
‭longer be tied to the original creation. This idea is frequently featured in dual use. Is one responsible‬
‭for both (future) uses immediately upon creation? Does the intent matter? Finally, I want to end this‬
‭reflection with a thought experiment: Roko’s basilisk. Say an imminent sentient AI in the future will‬
‭punish everyone who did not actively create it, should you strive to create it right now?‬

I‭ ntroduction to Formal Logic - Second Edition (again)‬

‭Roko’s Basilisk:‬‭https://basilisk.neocities.org/‬