First, the role of mathematics
Mathematics, especially western mathematics, originated from a very practical purpose. From land survey to irrigation system to deduction system, mathematics meets human needs in at least four aspects:
1 cognition-understanding the composition of the material world;
2 measurement-allocating resources and formulating various standards;
3 records-wealth accumulation;
4 prediction-improve living conditions.
Second, the significance of mathematics
For the western world, mathematics is a tool to solve problems, and its object of action is specific problems, so its development is bottom-up, that is, it starts with clumsy, rigid and cumbersome calculations, and then enters the stage of reasoning and deduction after these calculations become common sense.
Another significance is the strong sociality of western mathematics. Only social life will involve solving the problems of resource allocation and material exchange with unified and universal standards. Therefore, mathematics is the crystallization of human collective wisdom, and it is also a tool and achievement to maintain social order and seek the direction of human development.
The mathematical thought of the East is very different from that of the West in meaning. Oriental thought regards mathematics as a mysterious and even sacred thing, and mathematics itself is the purpose and object, not a specific problem in life. Therefore, in oriental mathematics, there will be auspicious "8" and "9" praised by China people, and there will also be philosophical concepts such as "0" and "negative number" invented by Indians.
Another significance of oriental mathematics is to simplify the complex. Different from the deduction developed by western mathematics, oriental mathematics strives for the effect of "four to two", such as China's light solution equation method.
Third, think with oriental mathematics and construct with western mathematics.
Oriental mathematics is good at being flexible and fast, but it is not accurate enough in complex calculations. Western mathematics is rigorous and precise, so it is inevitable that it will be slow and tedious. The former is suitable for exploration and breakthrough, while the latter is suitable for maintenance and accumulation.
Take three common mathematical problems as examples:
1 puppy running problem (both parties start from two places at the same time, face to face, 50 kilometers away. A walks 3 kilometers per hour, B walks 2 kilometers per hour, A takes a puppy, and the dog runs 5 kilometers per hour. The puppy also starts with an a. When it meets B, it runs back to A; After meeting A, they turned around and ran to B … and so on until they met. How many kilometers did the puppy run? )
2. the problem of counterfeit currency trading (one day, a young man came to boss Wang's shop and bought a gift. The cost of this gift is 18 yuan, and the list price is 2 1 yuan. As a result, the young man took out 100 yuan to buy this gift. Boss Wang had no change at that time, so he used this 100 yuan to exchange it from the neighborhood.
3 Calculate the birthday problem (multiply your date of birth by 12 to get the number X, and then multiply your month of birth by 3 1 to get the number Y. Just tell me the sum of X and Y, and I will know your birthday. )
It is very laborious to solve the first two problems step by step with western mathematics, and it will be easy to solve them with oriental mathematics, while it is difficult to see the mystery of the third problem if you don't make an equation yourself. This is the sharp contrast between eastern and western mathematical thoughts.
Data analysis is a highly applied field, and it usually faces unresolved exploratory problems. Especially when data analysis is applied to the cognition of human mind and characteristics, there are often more unknowns, uncertainties and diversities, which require more flexible ideas, more ingenious ways and more diverse attempts. This is the power of oriental mathematical thought. On the other hand, the complex variable relationship also needs a more rigorous and accurate measurement model, which is the essence of western mathematical thought. Another stunt of western mathematics is the transformation between algebra and geometry. For data analysis, this is the basis of data visualization, and oriental mathematics is also difficult to achieve overnight.
Therefore, in the end, we should give full play to the advantages of the two, and combine them to obtain richer, more interesting and more accurate discoveries.
Fourth, is mathematics the truth?
Mathematics is a cognitive tool that develops from extensive to fine, and it is also a cognitive thought that pays attention to quantification. Since its birth, it has guided the development of many disciplines, including astronomy, architectural engineering and even art, and formed a widely recognized basic discipline. However, whenever a tool is always imperfect, the abstraction of mathematics also determines that it is doomed to be "unrealistic" at a certain moment. Only in the use of strengths and weaknesses can we live up to the highlights of mathematics and not confuse its chaos.