Discoveries Precede Development

          Discoveries precede development. This goes the same to the disciple of mathematics, discoveries made by great mathematicians opened the door for mathematical advancement. We have numerous records that documents the discoveries made by our ancestors years and years ago. And to appreciate mathematics means to appreciate those affiliated with the great discoveries made in this discipline. However, in the advancement brought about by modern era, new citations were made that there in fact were untold stories in regards to the discoveries that were made in the realm of mathematics, discoveries that influenced our modern day mathematics, and discoveries that were unearthed by the geniuses of the East.
       
          And these discoveries were imparted to us through the second installment of the four part British television series, The Story of Maths - “The Genius of the East”. Written and produced by the University of Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy, this segment documents how the progress of mathematics was continued in the East during the decline in ancient Greece which caused the development of mathematics to be stagnant in Europe. (Wikipedia, 2013) In here, Du Sautoy brings us in a journey that reflects how human life depends so much on mathematics. He also tells the untold stories of the East that will give birth to modern world mathematics.

          He begins his journey in ancient China where mathematics was useful in engineering projects such as calculations about distance. Mathematics was also an important tool in building empires in China. Not only were mathematics helpful in quick calculations, but mathematics too played a vital role in the emperor’s decision. His advisers were astronomers and these astronomers in turn were mathematicians. They used mathematics in looking at the calendar and position of the moon which in turn helped them decide the schedule for all the ladies the emperor slept with. Aside from all these, the Chinese people had a so called magic square, which is an account of numbers from one to nine, arranged in a three by three grid where the sum of the vertical, horizontal and diagonal is 15. They also had a decimal place value system that helped them in quick calculations. Though they didn't have the concept of zero, this did not serve as a hindrance in making life difficult for them and as a hindrance in discovering more faces of mathematics.

         Du Sautoy then ventures to India where he documents how the people of India found benefits to the decimal system. And in no time they have fond the “universal language” number system we use today and introduced it to the world, but during this time, one number was missing – the number zero. And during the time where zero had been represented as an empty space or as a place holder, the Indians introduced the number zero which is based in their culture and concept of “nothingness”. They were also the ones to introduce the concepts of infinity and negative number, which is greatly attributed to their culture of having debts. The Indians also had fundamental discoveries in trigonometry, which is central to their work, especially for architects, engineers and astronomers.

          Du Sautoy then travels to the Islamic empire in the Middle East. The Islamic empire wanted to push the importance of mathematics, they had built the “House of Wisdom” that teaches mathematics to their people. And because they had traveled to different civilizations and learned about new concepts and ideas, the Islamic Empire saw the potential in the number system of India. This caused them to improve that number system to make it easier for the world to use, thus we have the Hindu-Arabic numbers we now have today. The Arabs also created new mathematics- algebra. Algebra is a language that explains a pattern. It is like a code. And through time the Arabs were able to solve cubic equations.
Finally, a leap was made in the West when a young man swathe benefits of the Hindu-Arabic numbers. Aside from this, there was also the discovery of Fibonacci sequence, which is nature’s favorite number.

          Who knew that a short film would become a springboard for greater comprehension? Not only are we told facts, trivia and the untold stories regarding the development and history of mathematics but we are also given the key to further ignite our knowledge. We are given insights. And these insights would in turn pave way for looking at the different faces of mathematics. Some of the insights from this short film are how great the untold discoveries made by the East were  – discoveries that were used thousands of years earlier than others, discoveries that revolutionized mathematics and discoveries that held the power rewrite the history of mathematics.

          Discoveries that were used thousand years earlier others. The East had discovered and used different mathematical ways, method and principles thousands of years before the west. A great example of this would the decimal system in China that paved way for easier and quicker calculations. And this decimal system was used thousands of years before the west did it. Not only did this happen in China but in India, and in the Middle East as well. The people of the East have used it before the West had even discovered it. To discover is one thing but to use it is another. These discoveries are breakthroughs of the west yet in the East they were mere part of their lives. It has been part of their everyday lives, their culture and even in their identity. It part of them, them as individuals and them as a society.

          Discoveries that could revolutionize mathematics. The untold stories of how the East discovered mathematical theories, methods and principles brought mathematics into a new level. Simply put, the East has caused an explosion of mathematical ideas. The brilliant conceptual leap such as China’s decimal system, India’s invention of the concept of zero and the Arab’s development of the Hindu-Arabic numerals and creation of new mathematics- the algebra revolutionized mathematics. They made mathematics entail its identity to not only make sense of patterns but to make sense of the impossible. Everyone is in awe, thinking that as simple and as meek the Eastern people were before, yet they were the one who had discovered methods the West and the world would greatly need in the future. These simple Eastern people deserve our admiration and respect because they were the one to revolutionize mathematics by traversing the Eastern knowledge not only to the West but to the future generations of every nations. To say they are amazing is an understatement because not only were they amazing but they were geniuses of the East.  Truly the title of the segment, “The Genius of the East”, sums up the short film.

          Discoveries would rewrite the history of mathematics. Du Sautoy mentioned that “the West nearly always claim their discoveries,” but by learning and understanding the contribution made by the East on mathematical advancement, we can’t help but give them the credit they truly deserve. Through the unearthing of untold stories and discoveries brought by the East only means that the history of mathematics is now being rewritten, what has been untold will be told and what has not been given credit will not be given credit. The East had caused a great leap in the realm of mathematics, thus we must always remember that mathematics became what it is today because of their contribution.

          Discoveries precede development. Discoveries made by great mathematicians opened the door for mathematical advancement. The untold stories and development that were contributed by the East brought mathematics into a new level. And these untold stories gave us a new perspective on how to view mathematics. Though, looking back, unearthing and appreciating the discoveries and developments made mathematics what it is now is very important, but we must also appreciate it in its present terms and the future it greatly holds for us. The past influences the present but it is the present that influences our future. Saying this, I do not mean for us to just ignore the discoveries made in the past, rather, we must learn it, appreciate it and be inspired from it that we may have the heart to develop mathematics for it to become a much greater discipline for the future generations.

Reference:  The Story of Maths. (2013, November 29). In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 1, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Maths