Right, yes when you're studying chemistry at the academic level and venture into quantum chemistry (using quantum mechanics to calculate chemical bonds) then you'll need advanced mathematics. I was thinking more about basic high school chemistry where you mix acids and bases and need to calculate the pH, stuff like that. That's more like basic arithmetic than advanced math, but well it's math nonetheless. :-)
Interesting article from Wikipedia about "math as science" ... I see that there are a lot of different opinions, but the following really stood out to me:
... whether mathematics is created (as in art) or discovered (as in science) ...
I think this is core - are mathematical concepts "constructed" or "invented" (meaning that they only exist in the human mind) or "discovered" (meaning that they "pre-exist" independently from us humans and are only waiting to be found).
That really seems to be the deep philosophical question.
In theory all of math could be "invented" given a mind brilliant enough, but in practice it doesn't work like that - many concepts (for instance integral calculus and differential equations) didn't materialize out of thin air but were inspired by observations in physics and other sciences - much math evolved in close harmony with scientific theories.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
Right, yes when you're studying chemistry at the academic level and venture into quantum chemistry (using quantum mechanics to calculate chemical bonds) then you'll need advanced mathematics. I was thinking more about basic high school chemistry where you mix acids and bases and need to calculate the pH, stuff like that. That's more like basic arithmetic than advanced math, but well it's math nonetheless. :-)
Interesting article from Wikipedia about "math as science" ... I see that there are a lot of different opinions, but the following really stood out to me:
... whether mathematics is created (as in art) or discovered (as in science) ...
I think this is core - are mathematical concepts "constructed" or "invented" (meaning that they only exist in the human mind) or "discovered" (meaning that they "pre-exist" independently from us humans and are only waiting to be found).
That really seems to be the deep philosophical question.
In theory all of math could be "invented" given a mind brilliant enough, but in practice it doesn't work like that - many concepts (for instance integral calculus and differential equations) didn't materialize out of thin air but were inspired by observations in physics and other sciences - much math evolved in close harmony with scientific theories.