n.
1) A mind-altering form of logic and proof, practiced and developed largely by nerds and geeks, having its origins in
prehistory. That study of logic in which simple ideas such as number, line, point or
symmetry are used and combined to describe the properties of number, point, line, plane and symmetry.
Subjects within a modern mathematics degree might include selected topics from;
Number Theory: the analysis of why not all numbers are like the number 1.
Calculus: Differential calculus is the study of how to find
the slope of a single point while integral calculus is the study of how to add up infinite quantities of numbers and obtain a single finite number as a result.
Topology: The study of how coffee cups are actually quite similar to doughnuts.
Mathematics as a form of mental kung fu is used extensively in all the sciences and in business and trade, it is at the heart of all technical progress. The average person uses mathematics, for example, to locate bargains in shopping malls by simply looking at a few numerals on a price tag.
Hey Cuthberton, did I tell you that I used some kickass
zen master mathematics to calculate which
mathgirl I would ask out to the
science fair?