Maths is more than sums: why seeing it as a language can ease the fear of the subject

Ask most people about their school days and the first thing they recall is the maths period. Big formulae, difficult equations, calculations and the fear of the maths exam still linger in many minds. Most students treated maths as a subject that only earned marks in exams. But is maths merely addition, subtraction, multiplication and division? Or is there a different world of mathematics beyond that? Thinking about this can change the way one looks at the subject.

Maths is not just one subject in the school syllabus. It is a powerful means of understanding the world, nature and the universe. According to scientists, mathematicians and philosophers, maths is a kind of universal language. Just as we express ourselves in Hindi, Marathi or English, the numbers, symbols, rules and equations of maths can make many tangled matters clear.

Language is a medium for expressing thought and information, and maths does the same in a different way. Ordinary language has words, while maths has numbers and symbols. Language has rules of grammar, and maths too has fixed rules and formulae. Just as sentences are formed in a language, equations are formed in maths.

For instance, the equation 2+2=4 is understood in every country of the world. The language may differ in India, Japan or the United States, but the meaning of the equation does not change. This is why maths is regarded as a medium of communication that goes beyond language.

The famous scientist Galileo Galilei made the well-known remark that the great book of nature is written in the language of mathematics. The rules of maths and distinct patterns can be seen in many natural phenomena. The rising and setting of the sun, the motion of planets, ocean waves, the structure of tree branches and the arrangement of flower petals all show a link with maths. The beat and rhythm of music are also connected to maths. Maths is used to read and understand these creations and phenomena of nature.

Thousands of languages and dialects are spoken across the world. A translator is needed to understand information in one language through another. But the concepts and rules of maths can go beyond the limits of language.

Suppose that in future aliens are found on a planet outside the Earth. Human language need not be of use in speaking to them. But attempts could be made to explain mathematical patterns through things such as prime numbers, basic mathematical equations and the Pythagorean theorem. This is why maths is regarded as a possible means of universal communication. However, it has not yet been proved that aliens understand maths, or that it will be possible to communicate with them for certain.

Many students fear maths. Looking at difficult formulae and long equations, they feel that maths is hard. But there is a need to see maths not as a subject of exam marks but as a means of strengthening reasoning.

Maths improves the way one thinks, helps in analysing problems and builds the ability to reach the right conclusion. In everyday life, maths is useful in many things such as money transactions, planning time, buying and selling, distances and measurements.

In other words, maths is not merely a game of calculations or difficult formulae. From understanding the structure of nature to reading the movement of planets in space, maths plays an important role. If one starts looking at maths with curiosity instead of fear, the subject may seem more interesting and easier to understand.