When was mathematics discovered

Similarly, string theorists today often develop the mathematical machinery they need. Passive effectiveness, on the other hand, refers to cases in which mathematicians developed abstract branches of mathematics with absolutely no applications in mind; yet decades, or sometimes centuries later, physicists discovered that those theories provided necessary mathematical underpinnings for physical phenomena.

Examples of passive effectiveness abound. Mathematician Bernhard Riemann, for example, discussed in the s new types of geometries that you would encounter on surfaces curved like a sphere or a saddle instead of the flat plane geometry that we learn in school. At the core of this math mystery lies another argument that mathematicians, philosophers, and, most recently, cognitive scientists have had for a long time: Is math an invention of the human brain?

Or does math exist in some abstract world, with humans merely discovering its truths? The debate about this question continues to rage today. I love math and I am doing a research project so I wanted to know who invented math. Jan 28, Jan 8, Angie Dec 31, How was math invented? Who created math? When was math invented? Why was math invented?

Dec 31, Cristine Nov 22, I did liked this wonder since I search some facts about math and it gives me what I need Nov 23, That's awesome, Cristine! Thank you for sharing. Isabela Oct 3, I just thought that there was one person who created mathematics but it's just done with the help of a thousand people it think.

Oct 5, Realist Sep 26, To be honest you're lying to people. Math was invented, This means mathematics is not innate, nor is it naTuran for the human being, there for making it an invented language used to describe the natural world. I'm thoroughly disappointed in this article. Are you sure? Where did you get that information from then?

Sep 28, Sep 27, As far as I know Sir. Raman is a world renowned mathematician. Hopefully he was. Sep 15, Wonderopolis May 4, Hello, 2q3r! Ethan Sep 2, Sep 3, Kritisundar Barman Mar 28, Number 1 2 3 4- - came from Roman numerals i ii iii iv- - just modification of Roman numerals is the natural number.

Wonderopolis Mar 29, Olivia Mar 18, I don't like math. AT ALL. But this was a cool wonder! Wonderopolis Mar 19, Myra Feb 13, The discovery of math is like the discovery of some animal. No one invented the animal but scientists discovered it somewhere. Like this fish. Wonderopolis Feb 19, Wonderopolis Dec 8, Clarina Aug 13, I never really knew if mathematics was invented or discovered but I thought it was invented but after I read this I relised that it was actually discovered by thousands of people.

I never knew that mathematics was actually discovered and not invented! I found these facts interesting to read and I also learnt a lot from it too.

Clarina Mar 23, Mar 25, Wonderopolis Aug 13, Matt Jun 11, Wonderopolis Jun 11, Maya Jun 5, It still must have been pretty confusing with math not have been discovered yet in ancient times. It also must have been hard to come up with a unified way of creating all of this math stuff with all of these people with their own idea of how to do it. Wonderopolis Jun 6, Andrew Guerrero Jun 5, It's weird that math had been discovered so easily. It may seem hard but it is almost like everyday life.

Wonderopolis Jun 5, We agree that numbers are important to math. Colby Dawson Jun 5, I do not like this wonder. I know that math dated back to the greek community.

I would like a new funny wonder to be the Wonder of the Day next time. One thing I learned from the video is what pi is mathematically. One thing I learned from the article is that math is a discovery and not an invention. Another thing I learned from the article is that math was probably used in prehistory. The video and article both taught me about mathematics and how they work. James Alex Jun 5, I learned that math is a discovery, and not an invention.

It was originated from Ancient Greece. Latisha Jun 5, I just love this Wonder on math because math makes me happy. I'm good at math. I hate spelling. Hope you have great day! Hey, Latisha! Thanks so much for your comment about Math. Math was never invented but dicovered and pi was discovered by shapes in a circle.

I think the main idea of the article is math is needed for daily situations. Isai Jun 5, Math is more of a discovery than an invention. It is a work in progress and developed through the years. The oldest math dates back more than 4, years ago! A lot of people hate math, but it is a really useful tool. A Jun 5, I learned that math and Pi are not an invention for students to be tortured.

They're to learn and discover for ourselves. Wow that's so cool. I didn't really know that it wasn't invented by one person, but it was more of a discovery by people. TJ Jun 5, Cool wonder. Math is the subject I know most about excluding Science. Today I am going to Sandusky to a place called Cedar Point, a. Michaela Feb 27, I love this it is great and is very helpful.

Mar 1, Related Wonders for You to Explore Match its definition: belonging to or existing in times before recorded history. Word Match Congratulations! Share results. Many people argue that mathematics existed way before we found it and had a use for it. Many people suggest that the early adopters of mathematics were the early civilisations such as Greece, India, China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Therefore, perhaps nobody invented maths, and people just discovered it, just like we make discoveries in the other fields of science!

There are many proofs, and truths about mathematics that make sense way before mathematicians could make sense of them. The Sumerians were the first civilisation to have developed a counting system. It is a common belief amongst many scientists that some of the oldest and most basic mathematical functions, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division have been used for over 4, years.

The workbooks used in those times were clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia. There are also examples of the Egyptians having made mathematical discoveries dating back around 4, years and seen on Egyptian papyruses an ancient writing material. In Central America, the Mayans were using mathematics to further their understanding of astronomy. They developed elaborate calendars and used maths as a means to understand the passing of time.

One 11th century monk reportedly said :. And in the 16th century, people thought negative numbers were pretty evil. Read more: Curious Kids: Why do we count to 10? There are so many number systems! The ones you know were developed over centuries and we are still making up more now. But there are lots of other systems, like base 2 also called the binary system , or base 16 also called the hexadecimal system.

Numbers have always been there, waiting to be discovered and so were different ways of organising them. And over time humans in various cultures have noticed patterns that emerge in numbers, and developed mathematical systems around them. There are plenty of other rules in mathematics, but they are based on recognising patterns and wondering if something works that way all the time.