Why is Mathematics called the Universal Language?
In: Mathematics
Concepts of it are universal. Whatever language you use or wherever you live 1 + 1 = 2. The rules don’t change. It doesn’t matter what you use. One apple plus one apple is two apples. One orange plus one orange is two oranges. One apple plus one orange is two fruits. It can be used to measure our world in so many ways. It covers a wide range of areas. You computer runs on the laws of mathematics. A spreadsheet does calculations based on its laws. Plants can be analysed using it, with a lot of mathematical patterns, like the way leaves even grow on a stem being guided by it. It really is universal and so it can be used to calculate things that we don’t know about. The planet Neptune was discovered by using mathematics. After the discovery of Uranus, astronomers noticed that the planet was being pulled slightly out of its normal orbit. That made them suspect there was another planet further out. They eventualy figured out where it should be, and even how much mass it had.
The rules of mathematics exist outside of any language or culture. 1 + 1 always equals 2, for example, no matter what. Different cultures might use different words or symbols to represent those numbers or the operations being done to them, but the underlying meaning is always the same.
Because math is the explanation of our universe. So anyone in the universe that is smart enough to think should be able to learn and comprehend it too. So that includes the aliens far far away.
Mathematics has intrinsic rules, which don’t rely on any language, culture or social barriers. Any being in the universe that’s capable of sentience should, with the right tools, be able to determine most of what we understand of mathematics. It’s called universal because it should be the same, and be able to be discovered and used, anywhere and by anyone in the universe.
Mathematics is the language we use to precisely describe relationships. Mathematics cannot talk about the real world, it can only discuss an ideal world. Using math on the real world is always imprecise, because the world is fuzzy.
For example, imagine I’m holding two apples and say, “I have two apples.” What in the world does this mean? The objects I am holding may be different shapes, sizes, colors, etc., and I’m not counting the bowl of apples sitting on my counter at home. Saying, “I have two apples” is an imprecise convenience. Mathematics doesn’t care about this imprecision. In a math problem, none of these complexities matter. By discarding complexity, we gain clarity. This is why mathematics is good at crossing language barriers.
As complicated as mathematics is, it’s usually the simplest way to describe a concept. This makes it easy to translate.
To address some of the other comments rather quickly: mathematics is not actually universal (i.e. you can’t speak math to somebody who doesn’t speak it), it does not exist outside of language and there is absolutely nothing about math that is intrinsic. Like all languages, it is a system of rules (we call these axioms). A statement as simple as “1 + 1 = 2” carries a huge number of assumptions about value, operations, the set we are operating on, etc. It is dangerous to mistake common conventions for universal truths.
Hyperbole. Math is a logic system that is internally consistent. People think that means it is universally true. And it is true as long as it is limited to pure math.
1+1=2. That is always true. 1 apple +1 apple =2 apples is only true based on the definition of apple – which is not part of math. Or if you say apple is a unit in math with no real world definition, and not actually an apple.
Yo no hablo Ingles. Usted no habla español.
>2+2=4
Ambos lo entendemos, un redditor francés o alemán también lo entendéran.
Not exactly an ELI5, an attempt to explain it in a more didactic way.
Latest Answers