Why does math have applications to the real world?

What is the basis for reason? And mathematics?

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Philosophy Explorer
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Why does math have applications to the real world?

Post by Philosophy Explorer »

There are many examples of this. Yet math is treated as unreal because it's a product of the human mind.

Do you feel the need for examples?

PhilX 🇺🇸
Averroes
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Re: Why does math have applications to the real world?

Post by Averroes »

Philosophy Explorer wrote: Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:15 am Do you feel the need for examples?
Some examples can do no harm! :D

Let us take some readily understandable examples. Let us take the Golden Gate Bridge. The latter is a great engineering structure which required advanced physics and complex mathematics to express in the form of very complicated plans before its construction. Without these detailed plans, the construction of the bridge would have been humanly impossible. That much is readily accepted. We also readily accept that mathematics is a conceptual tool and its application results in conceptual frameworks. So now the question: is that on which the constructed bridge relies on for its very existence real or unreal?

Some people (like myself) find it find it very awkward to say of that which is indispensable or necessary to be unreal! But some others easily say that it is unreal and then later they find themselves in awkward situations!

We can also take the example of Artificial Intelligence which is receiving considerable attention by the big companies and institutions nowadays with billions of dollars, euros or pounds (or whatever currency is appropriate for one reading this) being poured into its study and applications. AI is again based on complex mathematics through and through. So now, is that on which AI rests for its very possibility real or unreal? For one who says it is unreal, then institutions such as the French Governments for example, are pouring billions of euros into something that is unreal! If the French people came to know about that, then Macron is going to be in big trouble! And moreover, all this time we are still using Google search engines to do internet search, and all this, while mathematics is unreal! That is indeed a very awkward situation. Don’t you think so?
Philosophy Explorer wrote: Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:15 am Yet math is treated as unreal because it's a product of the human mind.
If mathematics is a product of the human mind, then Who created the human mind or the human being himself for that matter? These are necessary questions that needs to be addressed first if we wish to get to the bottom of things! :D
Science Fan
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Re: Why does math have applications to the real world?

Post by Science Fan »

Math applies to the real world because it is largely based on abstractions and abstractions can be applied across a broad range of real-world problems. It also can be used to solve real world problems because much of mathematics developed because of a need to solve a real-world problem. That was true for calculus as one example.
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