East Vs. West

*movie review: Story of maths: Genius of the East

What could have happened if the Eastern didn't get into the progress? I just can’t imagine.

On the left corner, have stagnated its advancement in math... West! On the right corner, continued the progress of math...East! FIGHT!

Oopps, don’t be deceive by the title, I’m not into clashing the two, it conveys deeper meaning, also to catch your attention.

I’m 99.99% sure a lot of people out there, that includes myself before, do not know how these two molded math. Well, we are spoon fed by the equations and formulas from the day we know math. Admit it. I believe it’ll not take up most of our time if we’ll take a look back. Definitely not a waste. Credits to them, math haven’t stop its greatness.

Through the second part of the Story of Maths, Genius of the East, we can know the events long time ago. The second part of the movie was introduced as a start of the progress of the East in mathematics. It was in contrary to the state of the Ancient Greece, in which mathematics have decayed and stuck in Europe. What could have happened if the Eastern didn’t not get into the progress? I just can’t imagine.

The East, such as China, used mathematics practically, for instance engineering projects and some thoughts of the numbers’ numinous influences. Du Sautoy also surveyed the importance and role of mathematics in building the imperial China and the great wall which considered to be their peak of engineering. They made use of small bamboo rods as units, tens, hundreds onwards to present their decimal value system that marks the discovery of the decimal place number system. Originally, ancient Chinese used symbols but this method was hard to analyze. Something lacking also about the Chinese was the concept of zero. They only represent zero as a space which limits the use of numbers and brings confusion, really confusing!

The interest and enchantment with patterns in numbers of the ancient Chinese, the magic square which currently known to be the Sudoku is still dominant until the present. Chinese’s beliefs of the magical and mathematical powers of numbers of number say for instance 8 as the lucky number. These thoughts remain a mark in the world. From a practical purpose into covering the numbers’ mystical ability.

As the journey went on, Du Sautoy was able to learn how mathematics take part in accomplishing of what means the Emperor slumbered his way through the grand harem to warrant the utmost favorable progression, the geometric progression. Geometric progression was of great importance to the emperor to mate with 121 women in just 15 nights, a ruler must be a mathematician that time.

Amazing thing about China was their concept of solving equations, from 2d quadratic equation to 3d cubic equations. Quin Jiushao had developed the approximate solution for the problems, well enough for engineers but not for mathematicians. And also in what manner, internet cryptography put into code numbers by means of a branch of mathematics that has its very beginning in ancient Chinese work on equations.

The lack of the Chinese of the symbol zero was filled up by the Indians. Their concept of nothingness as something (movement of something to nothing). A great contribution to mathematics that given emphases. These contributions include trigonometry and the primer of the number zero symbol and the Indian’s involvement to the new idea of infinity and negative numbers (an abstract entity practically originated from debt). Using trigonometry, Indian mathematicians were able to investigate the solar system without the need of departing the surface of the Earth. From that they were able to calculate the sine function of any angle given.

In this part of the movie, Gwalior Fort was featured where the number zero is incised on its walls. Also, the product of the greatness of Brahmagupta and Bhāskara II (1 divided by 0 is infinity) on mathematics were mentioned on the context of zero. Madhaya of Sangamagrama and Aryabhata was also been tackled in the movie. Madhava made use of infinite things which thought to be complicated. Then that what compose math, make sense of the supposed to be impossible. From this we have come to get the one of the most important numbers in math, the pi. But these idea were being illegally said to be owned by non-Eastern (Leibniz). There’s really such type of people even before.

Next in line was the Middle East. During this time, algebra come into a new step of evolution that marks the new language of algebra and the progress of having solutions to cubic equations.Algebra was considered to be the language that elucidates patterns behind the nature of numbers. The House of Wisdom was also discussed with Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī. Du Sautoy also toured the University of Al-Karaouine. Omar Khayyám was also mentioned. Also, Muslim discovered all sorts of geometry, anyone can portray in a 2d wall. 

In Italy, the last drop was appraising the diffusion of the Eastern ideas, knowledge and concepts to the West owing to the preeminence of mathematicians such as Leonardo Fibonacci who’s famed for its contribution of the self-titled Fibonacci sequence. Fibonacci which was a traveler who promoted the new number system he learned from the East, the Hindu-Arabic Numerals which is far easier from Roman Numerals but this knowledge catalyze people into converting from being mathematicians into merchants. The new established numerals were opposed by the authorities but still it had its triumph.

Furthermore, Tartaglia who’s not viewed to be a mathematician solved and cracked all the questions surrounding cubic equations. From his calculations, Ferrari was able to use it to successfully deal with quartic equations. But Tartaglia’s greatness was claimed by Cardano.

Entirely, the movie frames on the origin of zero, negative numbers, the concept of infinite series  and formation of the concepts of solving equations which led to the more complicated quadratic and cubic equations. A lot of mathematicians of different perspective in math were involved in the movie, and the long run of the progress of mathematics from West, continued by the East and again widely spread back to West.

From this series of the movie, we can really start to say and realize, of how the world would be without math and the thinkers behind its advancement. This movie escorts us to the deepest and the most significant and vital disciplines we are dealing before until the present times which have originated from the progressive development of math from a simple to a very complex discipline.

The movie was an eye opener. Even the least person you think to make a difference, can make a big contribution, that it may change the world at its extent.

This episode also let us knows how the Eastern unlock the stagnated idea of math that have stuck in the west and how the west regain its peak in Math. Mathematics is the ruler of all kind of science, there would be no physics, chemistry and many others if mathematics have not evolved from being stagnated. Then, there would be no practical applications if ever.

My violent comment about the context of the movie was that the non- Eastern illegally claim the works and concepts of the East. Many were only after of the fame and credits.

Totally, the movie was good, as usual.