Of all things I have encountered, the two that come closest to magic are probably Mathematics and Computers. Computers, and those that come with it (such as the Internet, smartphones etc.) are definitely among mankind's greatest inventions this century, if not the greatest. I would probably bore my readers to death (in case I have any) if I start extolling the achievements the IT industry has accomplished. The funny thing is though, what amazed me the most about computers are games. The first game that turned me info a fan was Age of Empires. To the ten-year-old me being able to build your own civilization, look over its growth and take part in history was totally out of this world. I am not sure why I found it so magical but my guess is that because it makes you dream, and lets you create that dream.
My run in with the magic of Mathematics is probably more interesting, basic high school mathematics is probably not that interesting to most people but at university I started encountering things that are plain crazy. Proof that makes no sense, weird kinds of made up numbers that somehow resolved problems involving purely our 1,2,3,4 'natural' numbers, fantastical constructs that somehow sit at the heart of today's most advanced technologies. It was then that it dawned onto me, Mathematics is not a Science; it is not about exploring or finding out facts about the natural world nor does it care about the truth of the world. At its heart, Mathematics is inventions, tools that we created to solve problems. Many of these problems serve practical purposes but a great many others are dreamed up by mad men, people with oversized brains and boundless imagination. This is where magic happens, where numbers that do not exist help us find cures for deadly diseases, where numbers that get closer the further they are help explain our physical world, where silly rules on how true and false sentences can be combined usher in the era of computers. Oh and did I mention that Computer Science originates from a branch of Mathematics?
And so, a lifetime ago, when I was still a dumb undergraduate students, I wanted to become a magician. I was slightly better than others at seeing magic, and so I thought I could go on to create them. Now, a lifetime later, still dumb but no longer an undergrad, I was nowhere near being one. Real life has scared me, I have gotten comfortable and in the blink of an eye, I have strayed far from the path I had wanted to walk. I am not sure if it is still possible but I want to come back, one step at a time. The first step was taken, I just hope that it's not the last ...
My run in with the magic of Mathematics is probably more interesting, basic high school mathematics is probably not that interesting to most people but at university I started encountering things that are plain crazy. Proof that makes no sense, weird kinds of made up numbers that somehow resolved problems involving purely our 1,2,3,4 'natural' numbers, fantastical constructs that somehow sit at the heart of today's most advanced technologies. It was then that it dawned onto me, Mathematics is not a Science; it is not about exploring or finding out facts about the natural world nor does it care about the truth of the world. At its heart, Mathematics is inventions, tools that we created to solve problems. Many of these problems serve practical purposes but a great many others are dreamed up by mad men, people with oversized brains and boundless imagination. This is where magic happens, where numbers that do not exist help us find cures for deadly diseases, where numbers that get closer the further they are help explain our physical world, where silly rules on how true and false sentences can be combined usher in the era of computers. Oh and did I mention that Computer Science originates from a branch of Mathematics?
And so, a lifetime ago, when I was still a dumb undergraduate students, I wanted to become a magician. I was slightly better than others at seeing magic, and so I thought I could go on to create them. Now, a lifetime later, still dumb but no longer an undergrad, I was nowhere near being one. Real life has scared me, I have gotten comfortable and in the blink of an eye, I have strayed far from the path I had wanted to walk. I am not sure if it is still possible but I want to come back, one step at a time. The first step was taken, I just hope that it's not the last ...
