Science Memes

10271 readers

2879 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules

Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
Keep it rooted (on topic).
No spam.
Infographics welcome, get schooled.

Research Committee

[email protected]

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

688

fishing for math (feddit.de)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

43 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Found via

https://twitter.com/Quasilocal/status/1714377756899688887

https://nitter.net/Quasilocal/status/1714377756899688887

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Mathematics is the only branch of science that will continue long after the universe ends.:-)

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Math is literally made up. There is no physical basis for math. Math is just another language used to describe things. The universe doesn't care whether there's "2 particles" or "1 particle and another particle" or "1 particle + 1 particle". It doesn't make these distinctions. Math only exists as long as there is an intelligent species which uses it. If there are no intelligent brains capable of using math and with a knowledge that it exists, math stops existing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Except there is math in nature, such as fractals, the Fibonacci sequence, and the wave behavior or sound and light. Sure nature doesn’t have any awareness of doing math, but it is there. Not all math is made up just for our understanding.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

That's kinda the point though. Math is a language inspired by reality. It describes the logical relationships between things in an abstract format. Physical sciences like physics or chemistry build off it by adding rules and units to more accurately describe or predict real-world relationships, but at the end of the day, it's all made up. Nature isn't doing math to create a fractal any more than you're doing math when you move your fingers or toes. Math doesn't create a fractal, it describes it! You can then use that description to create a fractal, but the fractal isn't math.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

This conversation reminds me of the first couple times i surfed Reddit over a decade ago. It was so cool to be in a place where intelligent and interesting discussion was happening.... Wish i could contribute something useful to it, but i just want to thank you all for carrying that kind of energy into the '20s 🥂

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Math isn't really made up. It's an innate property of the universe at minimum being interpreted by humans as numbers and equations.

It can also literally be what the universe is made of.

PBS Spacetime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F__elfR3w8c

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

You mean logic. Math is describing this in formulas. Some even make up nonsense with formulas. Wasn't there a scientific 'proof of god' with flawed logic years ago?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

And it has an awkward syntax. That i can have this opinion at all is already proof of it being made up. Which is applied logic btw.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Technically true but most math is motivated by nature

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Pretty sure that when humanity dies, math dies with it, and the universe won't give two fucks about it and continue on it's merry way.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Think e meant in the sense that math is true regardless of the universe (or some people believe)