"Math" vs "Mathematics"

[Questioner]

I'm curious if the average person understands the difference between "math", as in boring, simple arithmetic, easily automated by machines and being at the lowest level of human functionality, or "mathematics", of the more complex variety.

Arithmetic deals with "quantity", while other branches of mathematics deal with concepts such as space and change.

What I've seen is that most people's mathematical knowledge, if one can call it that to begin with, stops at the K-12 level, barely being above the anti-intellectual level of "rote" or repetition, as well as frequently infiltrating other subject matters and behaviors in the case of individuals too inept or anti-intellectual to do or to learn anything else, as well as the so-called "jobs" which more or less predicate themselves on one having no more knowledge of the subject than what most could have learned in a simple K-12 education, if not elementary school - at often at such a low and unremarkable level, devoid of any depth of comprehension or understanding or advanced faculties (much as many low-level degrees for low-achieving individuals are merely "arithmetic" draped up in the guise of superfluous knowledge of a subject matter, offering a few, easily repeatable and forgettable factoids on a topic of interest, and often so stupid as to conflate the simplistic grading methodologies and their archaic axioms with the comprehension of the actual subject matter itsel (such as the more or less archaic natural sciences) simply to make them marketable to the unintelligent, and ignorant - or those to whom higher level knowledge, such as of mathematics, or any subject other than simplistic "arithmetic" and the simplistic, reactive "arithmetical thinking" associated with it, (as per experts on the subject of advanced mathematical and logical thinking such as Daniel Kaufman), is a foreign notion altogether).

Another wonderful example is the false dichotomy between "math and art", or "math" and music, when in reality, the best music comes from the best mathematical talent, whether in art of ages past, such as Michelangelo's works, or in modern computer graphics or video game design (the Witcher being an example of a recent computer game which displays high talent in terms of computational artwork, if anyone is interested). Even performance arts, such as sports or competitive games in general, require a lot of mathematical talent, calculations and approximations going on behind the scenes.

 

[rightwinger]

You write the most boring threads

 

[fncceo]

Now I know ....

 

[Questioner]

I'd venture that if everyone learned mathematics, instead of just "math" or "arithmetic" then all subjects predicated on ignorance of the former, and an inability to do anything more functional than the latter, would be out of business (much as "war" and "violence", and general moral hideousness, archaism, anti-intellectualism, most marketing and propaganda regardless of "politics" and beastliness, and inhumanity In and of itself would).

But I'd venture that some are simply to immoral and otherwise inept to do or to imagine anything else, preferring rather to bore every well-adjusted normal person to depth with their violence, anger, hatred, inanity, and lack of anything resembling comprehension, context, or even things as rudimentary and basic as the differences between natural languages such as English, and computational or mathematical languages, jargons, and the like to begin with, sad is it may be for the rest of society who knows and is better.

(Much as some immoral elements of society and societies content themselves with lower level morality, by which they're required to obey by threat of force, not out of character, as much as this would be preferred, such as in the writings of Common Law theorists such as Oliver Wendall Holmes, rather than the pursuit or acquisition of higher-level moral theory and philosophy, not having enough time out of their otherwise selfish, immoral, and impoverished existences to pursue this, nor the character so naturally necessary to be developed, cultivated and acquired to begin with, like that of Jesus, or perhaps Ghandi if one prefers.

(To a Muslim or resident of a 3rd world country, for example, honor killing one's daughter for wearing jeans or some petty or violent feud might be considered "morality" by such archaic and degenerate 3rd world standards, but it of course would in any civilized area or demographic of thinking men and thinking women, unthinking ones being dime-a-dozen, and a frequent source of immorality, vice, and archaic senses or impulses lacking anything resembling moral control or restraint, except perhaps out of threats of violence force, fear, or other freakish and impulsive sentiments or urges would would take aversion to were they to come out of a feral beast, let alone a degenerate man or woman lacking anything resembling willful social control, except perhaps out of archaic threats of fear or force, not morality as demonstrated and practiced by the better men and women of societies past, contemporary and future as well, being more addicted to, infatutated with television and other forms of simplistic entertainment which appeal to satiation of the lower impulses and emotions, and low education and manners, and consequentally having little if any time out of ones day to donate or volunteer to a worthy cause or endeavor, such as moral cultivation and excellence, except maybe of the most childish, inept, incinsere in what the Common Law refers to as intentions, and otherwise ineffectual way, predicated again on childish fears, archaic behavioralism, emotional stunted ness, and other stupid or silly childish notions of the society they're a part of, but uncaring enough to actually learn about in anything resembling measurable or meaningful capacity, nor ever willing to defer themselves to their moral and excellential betters in theory or practice, if out of force rather than morality as per the Common Law itself, one does actually make such a petulant attempt to volunteer, maybe once a year, instead of every day of their life in every endeavor, such as in the case of role models like Mother Teresa, so unwilling, lazy, and selfish to begin with that they refuse to even learn the basic, simplistic time management and maturity skills which even a child could and would be expected to know, that volunteering once a year and immediately bragging about it, like it's a major accomplishment, as opposed to someone so used to volunteering and living on behalf of higher purposes and inspirations on a daily basis that they do it habitually, without even having to think about it - more akin to a child learning to ride a tricycle for the first time, and thinking it a major accomplishment, rather than a grown up demonstrating anything which Freud might have defined as well-adapetedness to civilization, as opposed to maladaptiveness and being too selfish, materialistic, naïve, or lazy to learn anything resembling a better or more efficient way, than a master rider, who can perform such things so gracefully, and needing not to make a childish, dishonest, or unbelievabhle show of it, as if it's the exception or unusual, rather than the rule or rules which they are intelligent, generous, and earnest enough to live by, not fooling anyone but the utterly naïve and equally selfish to begin with

 

[ReinyDays]

K-12 teaches the mathematics of scalar values ... absolutely critical to the understanding of college mathematics ... and we'll spend two years in college studying scalar calculus, from there vector calculus is taught almost as an afterthought, it's such an easy step forward ...

I think the word you're looking for is "concrete mathematics" ... the mathematics of everyday life ...

LinAlgebra starts the student on "abstract mathematics" ... the real egg-head stuff ... the "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them" kind of stuff ... wack-o ... the kind of stuff you'd teach your kids when they're taking high school algebra just to piss off their teachers ... but if you can define your vector space to include a constant value, the first derivative is so much easier to use ...