Mathematics is the sense you never knew you had | Eddie Woo | TEDxSydney

TEDx Talks
24 Jul 201813:12
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe speaker, once an outsider to mathematics, shares a personal journey of discovery and transformation into a math educator. Initially struggling with the subject and perceiving it as a dry, formulaic discipline, the speaker's perspective shifts after an encounter at Sydney University. Recognizing a shortage of math teachers, the speaker is encouraged to pivot to teaching mathematics. Through this transition, they come to appreciate the beauty and practicality of math, realizing it's about asking the right questions and seeing problems in new ways. The talk delves into the concept of 'fractals', illustrating how mathematical patterns are ubiquitous in nature, from river deltas to blood vessels. The speaker argues that math is a sense that can be honed, just like sight or hearing, and that recognizing patterns is a fundamental human trait. They highlight the role of patterns in art and nature, including the significance of the 'golden ratio' in design and the spiral patterns in sunflowers. The narrative concludes with a celebration of math as an integral part of the human experience and the cosmos, encouraging a broader appreciation for the subject.

Takeaways
  • πŸŽ“ **Personal Struggle with Maths**: The speaker shared their initial struggle with mathematics, highlighting a common feeling among many that maths can be daunting and isolating.
  • 🏫 **Status and Maths in School**: The importance of mathematics in the speaker's high school, where social status was tied to one's maths class ranking, emphasizing societal pressures and the perceived value of the subject.
  • πŸ‘“ **Misconceptions about Maths**: The speaker dispelled stereotypes about who can be good at maths, challenging assumptions based on race and appearance.
  • πŸ“š **Unexpected Career Path**: The journey from English and history enthusiast to maths teacher, influenced by a conversation and the need for maths educators, illustrating the impact of chance encounters and societal needs.
  • πŸ€” **Rethinking Maths**: The realization that mathematics is more than just formulas and calculations; it's about problem-solving, creativity, and asking the right questions.
  • 🎼 **Parallel with Music**: Drawing a comparison between the speaker's experiences with learning piano and later guitar, to convey how a shift in perspective can transform one's relationship with a subject.
  • πŸ‘€ **Maths as a Sense**: The idea that mathematics is a sense that allows us to perceive realities and patterns, much like sight or touch, offering a new way to understand and appreciate the world.
  • 🌿 **Fractals in Nature**: The concept of fractals and their prevalence in natural phenomena, from river deltas to trees and lightning, showing the interconnectedness of mathematical patterns in the world around us.
  • 🌸 **Mathematics and Beauty**: The aesthetic appeal of mathematical patterns, as seen in Islamic art, flower symmetry, and the golden ratio, underlining the harmony between maths and beauty.
  • 🧠 **Human Pattern Recognition**: The innate human ability to recognize and create patterns, which is a fundamental aspect of various art forms and is also at the core of mathematical thinking.
  • πŸ€“ **Embracing Maths**: The speaker's final message encouraging pride and enthusiasm for mathematics, regardless of social settings, as it is an integral part of human experience and the universe's structure.
Q & A
  • Why did the speaker initially feel like an outsider in the field of mathematics?

    -The speaker felt like an outsider because they struggled with mathematics and their high school highly valued it, which caused angst for the speaker who excelled in English and history instead.

  • What was the societal perception of mathematics in the speaker's high school?

    -In the speaker's high school, the status of a student was closely tied to their ranking in mathematics classes, with being in a higher class indicating a higher status, similar to royalty.

  • How did the speaker's perspective on mathematics change after the encounter at Sydney University?

    -The speaker's perspective changed when a professor at Sydney University recognized their perseverance in mathematics and encouraged them to become a mathematics teacher due to a shortage of math educators in Australian schools.

  • What was the speaker's initial career goal before deciding to teach mathematics?

    -The speaker initially aimed to become an English and history teacher because they felt at home with stories, characters, and narratives.

  • How did the speaker's view of music relate to their view of mathematics before their perspective changed?

    -The speaker initially viewed both music and mathematics as dry, solitary, and joyless exercises that they engaged in only because they were forced to, not because of any personal interest or enjoyment.

  • What is the significance of the river delta and tree shapes in the context of the speaker's discussion about mathematics?

    -The river delta and tree shapes are significant because they are examples of fractals, which are mathematical shapes found in nature. The speaker uses these examples to illustrate the inherent mathematical patterns in the natural world.

  • What is a fractal, according to the speaker?

    -A fractal is a mathematical shape that is found in nature, characterized by a broken and shattered appearance. Fractals are self-similar patterns that can be found at different scales, from the smallest to the largest parts of a whole.

  • How does the speaker describe the mathematical sense in relation to other human senses?

    -The speaker describes the mathematical sense as a way to perceive realities that would otherwise be intangible, similar to how sight and touch allow us to perceive the physical world. It is a sense for patterns, relationships, and logical connections.

  • Why does the speaker believe that everyone is born to be mathematicians?

    -The speaker believes that everyone is born to be mathematicians because all humans are wired to see and create patterns, which is the essence of mathematics. This innate ability to recognize and work with patterns is a fundamental aspect of mathematical thinking.

  • What is the 'golden ratio' and how does it relate to the patterns found in nature and human-made structures?

    -The 'golden ratio' is a mathematical reality that appears in various natural and human-made structures. It is a special number that, when used to create spirals, results in aesthetically pleasing and efficient patterns, such as those found in sunflowers and various architectural designs.

  • How does the speaker's personal experience with vision impairment relate to the common perception of struggling with mathematics?

    -The speaker uses their personal experience with vision impairment to draw a parallel with the common perception that some people have about struggling with mathematics. Just as they would not dismiss their ability to see entirely, people should not dismiss their ability to engage with and appreciate mathematics.

  • What is the speaker's ultimate message about the relationship between humans and mathematics?

    -The speaker's ultimate message is that mathematics is an inherent part of the human experience and the natural world. By recognizing and embracing our innate mathematical sense, we can better appreciate the patterns and structures that make up our universe.

Outlines
00:00
πŸŽ“ From Outsider to Maths Enthusiast

The speaker, Eddie, humorously admits that professing a love for mathematics at a party might not make one the life of the event. He identifies as an 'outsider' to the subject, having struggled with it and ranking low in his school's maths hierarchy. Despite the societal and school pressures that favor maths, Eddie's initial interests lay in English and history. However, a conversation with a university professor led to a career change into teaching mathematics due to a shortage of maths educators in Australia. As Eddie pursued his degree, he discovered that maths was not the dry subject he had once believed it to be, but rather a field that required creativity and problem-solving, much like music, which he later came to appreciate.

05:02
🌐 The Practical Beauty of Mathematics

Eddie shares his transformation from viewing mathematics as a dry subject of rote memorization to recognizing its practicality and beauty. He explains that maths is about asking the right questions and creatively solving problems, not just finding answers. He introduces the concept of mathematics as a 'sense' that allows us to perceive realities that would otherwise be intangible. Using the example of a river delta, Eddie illustrates the geometric patterns found in nature, which are mathematically described as 'fractals'. He points out that these fractal patterns are not only seen in natural phenomena like rivers and trees but also in fleeting events like lightning and within our own bodies, in the form of blood vessels. Fractals are a testament to the mathematical reality that underlies the universe, a reality that we can learn to perceive with practice.

10:05
🎨 The Artistry in Mathematical Patterns

Eddie emphasizes the connection between mathematics and the arts, noting that those who excel in creating patterns are often referred to as artists. He highlights the intricate mathematical patterns found in Islamic art and the beauty of symmetry in flowers, which grow in spirals. The angle of these spirals, he explains, can greatly affect the efficiency and beauty of the flower, with the sunflower's spiral being particularly noteworthy as it relates to the 'golden ratio'. This ratio is a mathematical constant found universally, from the structure of our fingers to the design of ancient architecture. Eddie concludes by asserting the importance of recognizing and embracing the mathematical patterns that permeate our universe, as they are an integral part of human experience and the cosmos itself.

Mindmap
Keywords
πŸ’‘Mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that involves the properties and relationships of numbers, symbols, and the manipulation of abstract concepts. In the video, it is portrayed not just as a subject of numbers and formulas but as a way to perceive and understand the world around us. The speaker's journey from being an outsider to embracing mathematics as a career reflects the transformative power of understanding this discipline.
πŸ’‘Fractals
Fractals are complex geometric shapes that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-scale copy of the whole. They are used in the video to illustrate how mathematics is present in natural phenomena like river deltas and trees. Fractals exemplify the interconnectedness of mathematical concepts with the patterns observed in nature, highlighting the beauty and practicality of mathematics.
πŸ’‘Patterns
Patterns are recurring structures or motifs that can be found in various forms of nature, art, and mathematics. The video emphasizes that recognizing and creating patterns is a fundamental human ability, and that mathematics is the study of these patterns in a structured and logical way. It is suggested that everyone is born with the innate ability to be mathematicians, as we are all wired to see and appreciate patterns.
πŸ’‘Golden Ratio
The golden ratio, often denoted by the Greek letter Ο† (phi), is a mathematical ratio that is approximately 1.61803398875. It is found in various natural and artistic structures and is known for its aesthetic appeal. In the video, the golden ratio is mentioned in the context of the sunflower's spiral pattern, illustrating how mathematical concepts are embedded in the natural world.
πŸ’‘Humanities
Humanities refer to the study of human culture through disciplines like literature, history, and philosophy. The speaker initially favored the humanities over mathematics, which led to a personal conflict due to the high status of mathematics in their high school. This keyword is pivotal as it sets the stage for the speaker's transformation and realization of the intrinsic value of mathematics.
πŸ’‘Mathematical Sense
The term 'mathematical sense' is used in the video to describe the ability to perceive and understand mathematical patterns and structures, much like our other senses allow us to perceive the world. It is an analogy that aims to demystify mathematics by comparing it to senses such as sight and touch, suggesting that it is a natural and integral part of human perception.
πŸ’‘Education
Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and habits. In the context of the video, the speaker's decision to switch their teaching area to mathematics was influenced by the critical shortage of mathematics educators. This decision was not based on a love for the subject but on the desire to have a personal impact on students' lives, which is a central theme of the video.
πŸ’‘Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the study of beauty and the appreciation of art, nature, and the universe. The video connects the aesthetic appeal of mathematical patterns with the beauty found in Islamic art, flower symmetry, and natural structures. This keyword helps to bridge the gap between the abstract world of mathematics and the tangible world of art and nature, emphasizing the harmony between them.
πŸ’‘Insight and Imagination
Insight refers to the understanding of complex issues and the ability to see beyond the surface. Imagination is the faculty or action of forming new ideas or images. The video suggests that mathematics is not just about finding answers but also about asking the right questions, which requires both insight and imagination. This keyword highlights the creative and problem-solving aspects of mathematics.
πŸ’‘Cosmos
Cosmos, derived from the Greek word for 'order' or 'universe', refers to the orderly and patterned nature of existence, as opposed to chaos. The video uses the term to emphasize that we live in a universe that is inherently mathematical, and that recognizing these patterns is a fundamental part of human experience.
πŸ’‘Selective School
A selective school is an educational institution that admits students based on their academic abilities or talents. In the video, the speaker's experience at a selective school is used to illustrate the high value placed on mathematics and the social hierarchy it created. This keyword provides a backdrop to the speaker's personal struggle with mathematics and their eventual career choice.
Highlights

The speaker humorously admits that saying 'I love mathematics' at a party may not make you the life of the party.

The speaker identifies as an outsider to mathematics, despite being a math teacher, challenging stereotypes.

A chance encounter in university led to a career change from humanities to mathematics education due to a shortage of math teachers.

The speaker emphasizes the personal impact on students as the driving force behind becoming a teacher, regardless of the subject.

Mathematics is revealed to be a very different and more engaging subject than the speaker had previously thought.

The speaker draws a parallel between their experiences with learning music and mathematics, highlighting perseverance and a later discovery of joy in both.

Mathematics is described as immensely practical, beautiful, and about asking the right questions, not just finding answers.

The concept of mathematics as a 'sense' for perceiving realities and patterns is introduced.

Fractals are introduced as a mathematical reality found in nature, such as in river deltas, trees, and lightning bolts.

The importance of pattern recognition in human experience and the universe is discussed.

The speaker argues against the notion that some people are not 'mathematical' by nature, citing our innate ability to see and create patterns.

The beauty and symmetry in flowers, and the mathematical principles behind their growth patterns, are explored.

The golden ratio and its prevalence in nature and human design, from sunflower patterns to the Parthenon, are highlighted.

Islamic art and design are cited as striking examples of mathematical patterns in culture and aesthetics.

The speaker passionately declares a love for mathematics, encouraging others to embrace and explore its beauty and practicality.

Transcripts
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